Dry Ice Blasting
Dry ice blasting—also known as CO₂ cleaning, Cryo-blasting or just Ice Blasting is a type of media blasting that uses specially designed equipment where solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) pellets are propelled via dry, compressed air onto a surface to remove contaminants. Upon impact, the dry ice pellets sublimate instantly (think a tiny explosion), turning from a solid back into gas. This process removes dirt, grime, coatings, adhesives and residues cleanly off surfaces without crating substrate damage.
Our North Carolina Dry Ice Blasting technicians are able to blast up to 7lbs of dry ice pellets per minute, per machine, giving our blasting services speed and efficiency without the risk of causing surface damage, unlike other forms of media blasting.
Merritt Industrial Is Your Dry Ice Cleaning Expert in NC
- Eco-First Approach – We use a chemical-free, waterless cleaning solution(s) that aligns with our sustainability goals.
- Smart Tech, Lower Labor – Our advanced methods allow us get jobs done twice as fast with fewer personnel. This saves your project time and money!
- Reliable & Consistent – We deliver guarantee-grade surface prep every time. Our technicians are trained and experienced on small- and large-scale projects.
- NC-Based, SC-Ready – Proudly serving both Carolinas with scalable capacity to tackle both small and large industrial jobs.
Where do we use Dry Ice?
Dry Ice Blasting is non-abrasive, non-conductive, and leaves behind no secondary waste making it a preferred cleaning method for:
- in-place industrial/manufacturing equipment cleaning,
- injection mold cleaning, surface preparation prior to new coatings,
- post construction cleaning,
- adhesive removal.
Explore our Dry Ice related services
Injection Mold Cleaning
Cleaning Injection Molding with Precision, Efficiency, and Cost Savings in mind.
Our Dry Ice and Laser injection mold cleaning services are designed to keep your molds clean, defect-free, and fully operational, all while eliminating the need for time-intensive manual labor or harsh chemical cleaning.
Epoxy Resin and Adhesive Removal
Our cleaning methods reduce the risk of surface damage and environmental harm.
We take pride in our work, respect your environment and guarantee our technicians create, maintain and leave a clean workspace throughout the stages of our time in your facility.
Fire damage cleaning/remediation
Merritt Industrial provides fast response, full service post-fire damage cleaning that allows you to save thousands in replacement materials costs.
We offer fast and comprehensive cleaning method to remove carbon, soot, staining, and odor caused by a fire.
Anilox roller cleaning
Merritt Industrial provides non-abrasive Dry Ice and Laser Cleaning solutions to clean Anilox Rollers. Our process is moisture free and environmentally friendly.
Fast response, full service Anilox Roller Cleaning at your facility or at our in-house cleaning shop. Reduce downtime and prolong equipment life.
Gravity Roller and Conveyor Roller Cleaning
Traditional cleaning methods involve costly downtime of manual labor hours spent scraping, scrubbing, disassembly. In some examples harsh chemical sprays and baths are used that erode surface structure and can be toxic.
Merritt Industrial provides a fast response, full service and intelligent cleaning solution for gravity roller and conveyor rollers at your location without stopping production.
Dry Ice General Preservation
Dry Ice Blasting is nearly limitless. Dry ice blasting will safely remove contamination from equipment, structures and surfaces: adhesive removal, soft metals, fire and smoke damage, water damage, carbon buildup removal, failing paint removal, lead paint abatement, mold remediation, removal of corrosive contaminants.
We offer several flexible blasting services to help get your one-off project or facility back in operation.
Superior Dry Ice Blasting Surface Cleaning
Dry Ice blasting service is an effective solution for your surface prep needs. Our cleaning practices eliminate traditional, secondary waste (messy) water, sand or chemical based solutions for surface cleaning.
Our Dry Ice Blasting will not leave any surface residue or cause contamination entrapment giving you a clean surface that is immediately ready to be refinished without further prep.
Cutting Edge Dry Ice Equipment Cleaning
Dry ice equipment cleaning handles all types of production and general use equipment without damaging the surface, creates no secondary waste and allows employees to safely remain efficient in their environment. We provide full service, onsite Dry Ice Equipment Cleaning.
Keep your equipment clean and in production while reducing downtime by 80%.
Is Dry Ice Blasting New?
Dry Ice blasting as a surface cleaning tool has been around for over 80 years!
Early Development
1940s–1950s: The U.S. Navy first experimented with dry ice cleaning methods during the mid-1940s.
1970s–1980s: Industrial research started testing dry ice for cleaning molds, machinery, and equipment, but systems were bulky and inconsistent. This ultimately set back the industry until modern day electronics and design methods could create smaller, more reliable blasting equipment.
Commercial Adoption
In the mid-1980s: Modern single-hose dry ice blasting systems were pioneered by Cold Jet, which made the technology portable and efficient for industrial use.
Merritt Industrial exclusively uses Cold Jet Dry Ice Blasting Machines
This is the point where dry ice blasting shifted from a good idea on paper to a commercially viable form of media blasting.
Common Industrial Use
1990s onward: Dry ice blasting became more widely adopted across industries like automotive, aerospace, food/beverage, and power generation thanks to its low secondary waste and wide range of cleaning capabilities.
By the early 2000s, it was recognized globally as an eco-friendly alternative to abrasive blasting (sand blasting) and chemical cleaning.
Today, industrial dry ice blasting is a mainstream industrial cleaning method and is endorsed by EPA, FDA, and USDA for sensitive environments.
Why Dry Ice Blasting Outperforms Traditional Media Blasting
No Abrasion – Our media is safe for delicate surfaces like electronics, wiring, food-grade processing equipment, mesh fabrics unlike sandblasting which can easily damage substrates.
Zero Secondary Waste – Dry ice evaporates on contact, eliminating the need for clean-up of spent media. In contrast, sandblasting leaves behind grit and residue that often creates more environmental and trapes unspent sand, glass or lead shot in porous surfaces or cracks that will become dislodged when a new coating is applied creating an undesirable finish.
Environmentally Responsible – Our North Carolina Media Blasting uses reclaimed CO₂ from industrial byproducts, and is approved by EPA, FDA, and USDA for clean space applications. Unlike other forms of Media Blasting, our process leaves nothing behind lowering environmental risks and indirect property damage.
Safer, Faster, Cleaner – Compared to abrasive blasting methods, dry ice cleaning reduces labor, increases safety, and offers more efficient cleaning.