Dry ice blasting is a cleaning method that uses small pellets of solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) fired through compressed air to lift dirt, coatings, and contaminants off a surface — without water, chemicals, or grit. It’s the same basic idea as sandblasting or power washing, but the “media” doing the cleaning disappears into thin air the instant it hits the surface.
If you run a plant, a food line, a restoration crew, or a marina in Southwestern Ontario and you’ve been told dry ice blasting might solve a cleaning problem, this guide explains exactly what it is, how it works, and when it’s the right tool.
How dry ice blasting works
The process combines three forces that hit a contaminated surface at almost the same moment:
- Kinetic energy. Dry ice pellets are accelerated to high speed by compressed air and strike the surface, knocking loose the top layer of contamination.
- Thermal shock. Dry ice is extremely cold (about −78 °C / −109 °F). When it hits warmer grime, paint, or residue, that layer contracts and cracks, loosening its bond to the surface underneath.
- Sublimation. On impact, the solid pellet instantly turns to gas and expands roughly 800 times in volume. That tiny “explosion” gets under the contaminant and blows it off the surface.
Because the dry ice sublimates — turns straight from solid to gas — there is no blasting media left behind. The only thing to clean up afterward is the contaminant that fell to the floor.
What makes it different from other cleaning methods
- No water. Nothing to dry, no risk of shorting out electrical equipment, no water damage, no rust.
- No chemicals. Nothing toxic near your product, your crop, or your crew, and no chemical waste to dispose of.
- No abrasion. The pellets are soft enough that they don’t erode the surface underneath. Tooling, moulds, brick, and machined parts keep their dimensions and finish.
- No secondary waste. Sandblasting leaves you with spent grit to collect and haul away. Dry ice leaves only the contaminant itself.
The main benefits
- Clean in place. Most equipment can be cleaned without being taken apart or moved, which cuts labour and downtime.
- Minimal downtime. No drying time and no teardown means production gets back up faster.
- Non-conductive. Safe to use on and around electrical equipment, motors, and control panels.
- Environmentally responsible. The CO2 used is captured as a by-product of other industrial processes, so dry ice blasting doesn’t create new CO2, and there’s no chemical runoff.
Where dry ice blasting is used
- Food & beverage — ovens, conveyors, and production equipment cleaned without water or chemicals near food-contact surfaces.
- Automotive & EV — weld cells, adhesive cells, and EV battery components.
- Electrical — motors, switchgear, and panels cleaned in place.
- Manufacturing — moulds, tooling, and general equipment.
- Fire & smoke restoration — soot, char, and odour removed from structures.
- Mould remediation — mould lifted from wood and framing with no moisture added.
- Marine — antifouling and growth stripped from hulls without grit or runoff.
- Masonry — paint, soot, and grime removed from brick and stone.
- Greenhouses & cannabis — sanitizing without chemicals near the crop.
Is dry ice blasting safe?
Yes — with trained operators and proper ventilation. Dry ice is non-toxic and non-conductive, and it leaves no residue. The two things a professional manages are (1) ventilation, since CO2 gas displaces oxygen in enclosed spaces, and (2) PPE, because the pellets and stream are extremely cold. This is exactly why hiring an equipped, insured operator matters rather than renting a machine.
How much does it cost?
Cost depends on the contamination type, how accessible the surface is, and the size of the job. We’ve broken down real 2026 price ranges and the factors that move them in our full dry ice blasting cost guide.
Is dry ice blasting right for your job?
Dry ice blasting is usually the best choice when you need to clean without water, without abrasion, without disassembly, or without leaving residue — and especially when downtime is expensive.
Ontario Dry Ice Blasting (ODIB) is a mobile service based in Wallaceburg, covering Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent, Sarnia-Lambton, London, and the surrounding region. Send a few photos and a description of your job to scott@ontariodryiceblasting.com or call 226-627-4878 for a fast quote.