Dry ice blasting is an effective, innovative cleaning method. The process involves propelling carbon dioxide (CO₂) pellets toward fixtures and equipment at supersonic speeds. Blown by compressed air, the pellets dislodge dirt, and their frigid temperature makes grime easier to remove. Because the dry ice sublimates (goes from solid to gaseous form) upon contact with surfaces, it cleans thoroughly without using water or harsh chemicals or leaving behind residue.
Dry ice blasting can be used in a variety of industries and applications, including heavy equipment, food industry and restaurants, automotive, mold remediation, and fire and smoke restoration.
Dry ice blasting is highly efficient for factories and businesses. The process is faster and less disruptive than traditional cleaning methods. It requires less time and labor and fewer resources. Unlike power washing, dry ice blasting does not use water. Industrial equipment can be cleaned with minimal downtime and disassembly.
Dry ice blasting is safe. The materials used are nontoxic, nonconductive and nonabrasive.
Dry ice blasting is also safe for the environment. The pellets are nontoxic and made from recycled CO₂. The process does not introduce more CO₂ into the atmosphere and requires minimal water.
Dry ice blasting is gentle on surfaces. Unlike sandblasting, it does not use abrasive materials, so it can clean dirt and grime without harming substrates. The consistency of the dry ice is similar to that of talcum powder.
Dry ice blasting can safely clean most surfaces due to its low hardness (1.5-2.0 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness). It effectively cleans metals, plastics, composites, electrical components, rubber, wood, concrete and even some fabrics, without causing damage or leaving residue.
Dry ice cleaning is nonabrasive and nonconductive, so it won’t damage equipment. It's safe to use on most surfaces, including electrical components.
Other cleaning methods, such as manual scraping or scrubbing with chemical solvents, are abrasive and corrosive and can damage the equipment or wear it down.
By extending the operational life of key tooling and equipment, dry ice cleaning can also save money.
The dry ice sublimates into gas, while the contaminant breaks off and falls to the ground, where it can easily be wiped away.
In semiconductor production, processing equipment must be kept extremely clean to prevent contamination. Traditional cleaning methods present challenges, including costly downtime, the use of chemicals and solvents, hazardous waste disposal and employee exposure to harmful chemicals.
Dry ice precision cleaning is an effective method used to decontaminate semiconductor and other manufacturing equipment. The preparation process is aggressive enough to quickly remove deposition and contamination without impacting the substrate material.
Dry ice is nonabrasive on metal, ceramics and many other substrates and is can quickly remove all surface contaminants from even the most difficult areas of processing equipment without creating a secondary waste stream.
Yes, dry ice cleaning safely cleans food-grade surfaces, does not add foreign material or allergens and reduces the risk for microbial growth and cross-contamination.
You can also clean your equipment in-place without having to disassemble it typically leading to less downtime.
Yes, dry ice cleaning will not warp metal. It is also noncorrosive and nonconductive.
Dry ice cleaning is exceptional for automotive and other vehicle cleaning, inside and out. It's strong enough to clean but sensitive enough not to damage car components.
It can remove debris and grease from delicate car parts without water or caustic chemicals. Dry ice blasting can cut cleaning time in half.
Dry ice blasting is up to three times faster than traditional cleaning methods and provides a more thorough clean, even in tight spaces, such as around truss angles, nails and wiring. In addition, dry ice blasting achieves 99% mold spore removal from wood.
Dry ice blasting has been proven to be a faster and more effective solution in remediation efforts. The process eliminates manual cleaning and does not produce secondary waste, which reduces the amount of time spent on encapsulation and waste collection and disposal.
Dry ice blasting can access and clean hard-to-reach areas, such as the tight angles of trusses, around nails, wiring and all plumbing without damage to the surface integrity. The process also eliminates or significantly reduces odor created by fire, smoke and mold damage.
Yes. Traditional methods for cleaning can lead to a considerable amount of respirable dust and secondary waste and often leave residue or moisture on the surface being cleaned.
The proprietary mix of dry ice has been third-party verified to reduce dust levels by up to 97%, making it safer for the operator, surrounding workforce and environment. Due to the significant reduction in dust and waste, projects will realize an overall reduction in containment requirements and post cleanup costs. Surfaces are also left dry and residue-free.
Dry ice cleaning eliminates exposure to toxic cleaning materials. The process also eliminates repetitive motions of hand cleaning, scrubbing, chiseling or activities that require pounding, sanding or scraping.
FAQs
What is dry ice cleaning, who is it for, and how does it compare with other cleaning methods? Learn more about this innovative process below.
Dry Ice Blasting vs Alternative Industrial Cleaning Methods
Dry ice blasting presents distinct advantages compared to alternatives. When evaluating cleaning methods for industrial applications, consider factors beyond cleaning efficacy such as the target surface, surrounding environment and operator safety. Understanding these distinctions can help you make the best choice for your cleaning needs.
Pressure Washing
Pressure washing, while effective for general surface cleaning, presents significant drawbacks that limit its application in many industrial environments. Its reliance on high-pressure water introduces considerable moisture, posing risks to electrical systems and intricate machinery components, and leading to potential issues like rust, corrosion and mold growth. The process generates a substantial volume of waste water that must be contained, collected and disposed of. This adds additional operational expenses and introduces environmental concerns regarding runoff and pollution. The abrasive force of water can also damage delicate surfaces.
Dry Ice Blasting
Dry ice blasting is a completely dry cleaning process. This eliminates the need for drying, prevents water-related damage to sensitive equipment and drastically reduces cleanup efforts. Its nonconductive nature makes it uniquely safe for cleaning energized electrical components.
Abrasive Blasting
Traditional abrasive blasting techniques (crushed glass, plastic beads, walnut shells) inherently cause some degree of surface erosion, pitting or surface profiling, which can be detrimental to sensitive equipment, industrial molds or components requiring precise tolerances. Traditional abrasives also create messy secondary waste, which must be collected and removed.
Dry Ice Blasting
Dry ice blasting is nonabrasive and cleans without damaging surfaces. Dry ice sublimates upon impact, which means no secondary cleaning media is left behind. This eliminates the labor-intensive and costly cleanup associated with abrasive blasting’s spent media. Dry ice cleaning machines are also safer and more environmentally friendly. The process does not create harmful dust or airborne particulates that are common with abrasive media. Dry ice blasting equipment improves worker conditions and reduces environmental footprint.
Sand Blasting
While sandblasting aggressively removes contaminants, it’s often at the expense of the underlying surface. Sandblasting uses abrasive media and damages delicate surfaces and equipment. The high-pressure abrasive particles can cause surface pitting, dimensional changes and premature wear. In addition, sandblasting generates hazardous silica dust that poses serious respiratory health risks to workers and requires expensive ventilation systems and PPE. The process also contaminates the surrounding work area with spent abrasive media, creating extensive cleanup requirements and potential environmental concerns. Equipment downtime is significantly increased due to the need for thorough post-blast cleanup, media disposal and potential surface repairs from blast damage.
Dry Ice Blasting
Unlike sandblasting, dry ice blasting does not use abrasive materials, so it can clean dirt and grime without harming substrates. Dry ice blasting machines utilize nonabrasive dry ice pellets that sublimate on impact, leaving behind no secondary waste. This not only eliminates costly cleanup, but also preserves equipment integrity, extending its operational life. Dry ice blasting machines are a safer and more environmentally friendly option, producing no harmful dust or airborne particulates common with sandblasting, ensuring a healthier work environment and reduced environmental impact.
Manual Cleaning
Manual cleaning usually involves a lot of effort, such as repetitive scrubbing and scraping. Also, it often requires using chemical solvents. This can be very time-consuming and physically demanding, leading to worker fatigue and potential injuries from repetitive motions or contact with hazardous substances. Hand tools struggle to reach small, complex areas. Equipment must be taken apart to be cleaned, leading to long periods where machinery isn’t running. Furthermore, cleaning with hand tools can damage sensitive surfaces, which can compromise equipment performance and lifespan.
Dry Ice Blasting
Dry ice blasting is a gentle, nontoxic, and much faster way to clean. Dry ice blasting can clean equipment in place and without disassembly. The process also excels at cleaning hard-to-reach or intricate surfaces, such as complex geometries on plastic molds. This significantly cuts down on the time workers spend cleaning and reduces how long production stops. In addition, dry ice cleaning machines do not expose workers to harmful chemicals.
Laser Cleaning
Laser cleaning has drawbacks that limit its widespread adoption. It demands substantial capital investment and carries high upfront costs. Laser cleaning also requires considerable energy consumption during operation, leading to elevated ongoing operational expenses. The process also has notable material limitations. Laser cleaning is ineffective on soft, fragile or highly reflective surfaces that cannot properly absorb or interact with laser energy. In addition, laser cleaning operates relatively slowly, making it impractical for large surface areas.
Extensive operator training and expertise are essential for proper operation. Operators must understand complex laser parameters, including wavelength, pulse duration, and energy density to achieve optimal results without damaging substrates. Laser cleaning also introduces safety concerns for operators and surrounding workers. High-powered laser beams pose serious risks of skin burns and eye injuries, while vaporized contaminants can create harmful fumes requiring ventilation systems.
Dry Ice Blasting
Dry ice blasting cleaning machines are a more practical choice for many industrial applications. They effectively clean a wide range of materials including soft, delicate and reflective surfaces that laser cleaning cannot handle effectively. Dry ice blasting also operates significantly faster than laser cleaning, making it ideal for large surface areas.
From a safety perspective, while proper precautions are still necessary, dry ice blasting presents fewer risks than high-powered laser beams that can cause severe burns and eye damage.
In addition, dry ice blasting equipment has lower energy consumption compared to complex laser equipment, resulting in reduced operational costs.
Soda Blasting
Soda blasting uses sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) as its media. It is mildly abrasive, but gentler than abrasive blasting and can effectively remove contaminants. However, it creates a significant amount of secondary waste in the form of soda residue. This residue requires extensive cleanup, often leaving a fine powder that can be challenging to remove from intricate components and crevices. It is also moisture-sensitive, which leads to clumping. Soda blasting may pose environmental risks when cleanup is inadequate. If sodium bicarbonate particles penetrate soil, they can disrupt pH balance and kill vegetation.
Dry Ice Blasting
Dry ice blasting is nonabrasive and will not damage equipment or tooling. Dry ice cleaning does not produce a secondary waste stream like soda blasting, which means there is no leftover blasting media to clean up. This significantly reduces labor, disposal costs and downtime. Dry ice also poses no environmental risk to the surrounding area being cleaned.
