What is dry ice blasting?

Dry ice blasting (CO₂ blasting) is a non-abrasive, non-conductive industrial cleaning method that uses solid CO₂ pellets accelerated by compressed air. Pellets sublimate on impact, leaving no secondary waste — only the original contaminant for disposal.

Is dry ice blasting safe on electrical equipment?

Yes. CO₂ is a non-conductive dielectric medium, so dry ice blasting is the preferred method for cleaning de-energized switchgear, motors, transformers, MCCs, generators, and bus ducts per NFPA 70E procedures.

Is dry ice blasting food-safe?

Yes. CO₂ is FDA, USDA, and EPA approved for cleaning food contact surfaces. No chemicals, no water, and no abrasive media are introduced.

Does dry ice blasting damage the substrate?

No. Dry ice is non-abrasive and does not erode steel, aluminum, paint, rubber, wood, or concrete when used with correct nozzle and pressure parameters.

How does dry ice blasting compare to sandblasting and pressure washing?

Unlike sandblasting, dry ice leaves no grit residue and does not erode substrates. Unlike pressure washing, dry ice introduces no water — no dry-out time, no rust, no electrical hazard, no contaminated runoff.

What areas does Dry Ice Blasting Of America serve?

All 48 contiguous United States, with planned outage support available to all 50 states. Standard scheduling within 1–2 weeks; emergency outage support within 24–72 hours. Call (866) 648-0030.

How quickly can DIBA mobilize for a power plant outage?

24–72 hours for emergency HRSG and power generation outages. Same-week mobilization for standard scope across the 48 contiguous states.

What is the typical ROI of switching to dry ice blasting?

Most customers see 40–80% reduction in downtime, 25–60% lower cleaning labor, and elimination of secondary waste disposal. Typical payback is 3–12 months with Year 1 ROI of 150–400%.

soot removal

Dry Ice Blasting for Structural Steel, Soot & Fire Damage

After a fire, the clock on a building is the insurance clock. Soda and grit blasting mean containment, media recovery, and a mess in every cavity. Dry ice blasting strips soot and char from framing and leaves nothing behind but the debris.

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Fire, smoke, and soot damage penetrates porous surfaces — wood framing, masonry, concrete, and the coatings on structural steel and joists. Wiping and chemical cleaning smears it. Sanding creates dust and takes material. Media blasting fills every joist bay, wall cavity, and mechanical chase with soda or grit that someone has to remove before the space can be rebuilt.

CO₂ blasting removes soot, char layer, smoke residue, and the odor-bearing film in a single dry pass. Because the media sublimates, only the removed char and soot remain for HEPA vacuum recovery. Crews work structural steel, bar joists, metal decking, dimensional lumber, engineered joists, sheathing, masonry, and concrete.

The same equipment handles mold remediation on framing and sheathing, where the goal is to remove growth from the wood surface without adding the moisture that caused the problem. Restoration contractors use it to compress the demolition-to-rebuild timeline, and because it leaves surfaces ready to seal or encapsulate.

What We Remove

Soot, char, and smoke film on framing and steel
Odor-bearing residue in porous wood and masonry
Mold growth on joists, studs, and sheathing
Fire-suppression residue and protein smoke
Old coatings and loose scale on structural steel
Water-damage staining and surface biofilm

What You Get

Soot, char, and odor removed in one dry pass
No media left in joist bays, cavities, or chases
No moisture added to a mold or water-loss site
Surfaces left ready for sealing or encapsulation
Faster demolition-to-rebuild turnaround

Sequence

How a soot removal Job Runs

01Walk the loss with the adjuster or restoration lead and define scope by area
02Set containment, negative air, and HEPA filtration for the work zone
03Confirm ventilation and CO₂ monitoring, especially in basements and crawlspaces
04Blast structure top-down with HEPA vacuum recovery
05Document areas cleaned and hand over for sealing, encapsulation, or rebuild

Also Called CO₂ Cleaning

Maintenance teams search for this work as soot removal, dry ice blasting, CO₂ cleaning, CO₂ blasting, dry ice blast cleaning, carbon dioxide blasting, and cryogenic cleaning. They all describe the same process — solid CO₂ pellets in compressed air, with no water, chemicals, or abrasive media, and no spent media to dispose of afterward.

Our Process

How a soot removal Project Runs

Every project follows the same disciplined sequence — scoped to your facility, your safety program, and your shutdown window.

1. Site Walkdown & Scope
A specialist reviews your equipment, contaminants, access constraints, shutdown window, and safety requirements — by phone, video, or on-site walkdown.
2. Plan, Quote & Schedule
You receive a written scope of work and quote. We coordinate JSAs, lockout/tagout, hot work, confined space, and any plant-specific safety paperwork before mobilization.
3. Mobilization
Our crew arrives with diesel air compressors, blasting equipment, hose, PPE, CO₂ pellets, and supporting tools. Most projects are fully self-contained — no plant utilities required.
4. Cleaning & QC
Trained operators clean in place using non-abrasive dry ice. We work in shifts to match outage windows and document progress as we go.
5. Walkthrough & Turnover
A final walkthrough confirms results with your team. We leave the work area clean — no grit, no media, no slurry to dispose of.

Why Dry Ice Blasting

Why Facilities Choose This Method

Dry — No Water

CO₂ pellets sublimate on impact. No water intrusion into bearings, electrical components, or insulation; no drying time before restart.

Non-Abrasive

Helps protect tooling, fins, gaskets, and finished surfaces that grit blasting would profile or pit.

Non-Conductive

Suited for cleaning around electrical components when paired with proper LOTO, PPE, and clearance procedures.

No Secondary Waste

Only the removed contaminant needs to be collected. No spent blast media, no slurry, no chemical wash water.

In-Place Cleaning

Most equipment can be cleaned without disassembly — reducing labor, downtime, and re-commissioning risk.

FDA-GRAS CO₂

CO₂ is recognized by the FDA as Generally Recognized as Safe under cGMP, supporting use on food-zone equipment by trained operators.

Equipment & Surfaces We Commonly Clean

Conveyors, augers, and rollers
Motors, pumps, gearboxes
Robotic cells and end-of-arm tooling
Injection and compression molds
Heat exchangers and tube bundles
Switchgear, MCCs, transformers
Generators, rotors, stators
Turbines and inlet houses
Bakery ovens, mixers, fillers
Tanks, vessels, and structural steel

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Does dry ice blasting remove smoke odor?

It removes the soot and residue layer that carries the odor, which is the dominant source. Deeply penetrated odor in porous materials may still need sealing or encapsulation afterward, and we will say so rather than overpromise.

Is it better than soda blasting for fire restoration?

Usually, because soda leaves alkaline media in every joist bay, cavity, and chase that then has to be collected and rinsed. Dry ice leaves only the char and soot, which HEPA vacuum recovery removes as part of the same operation.

Can you use it for mold remediation?

Yes. It removes mold growth from framing and sheathing without adding water to a building that already has a moisture problem. Remediation still requires addressing the moisture source and following your remediation protocol.

How fast can you mobilize after a loss?

Emergency and restoration calls are answered 24/7, with same-day or next-day dispatch in most of the country. Call (866) 648-0030 and we will confirm crew availability for your address.

Does dry ice blasting damage equipment?

Dry ice blasting is non-abrasive. Solid CO₂ pellets are much softer than sand, walnut shell, or soda media. The cleaning action comes from thermal shock and the kinetic effect of sublimating pellets — not abrasion. When operated correctly it removes contaminants while leaving the underlying substrate intact.

Can equipment stay in place during cleaning?

Yes. The dry, non-conductive process allows most equipment to be cleaned in place — including production lines, motors, robotics, switchgear, and turbines — provided proper lockout/tagout and clearance procedures are followed.

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