Dry Ice Blasting for Smoke and Fire Remediation
A Modern, Insurance-Approved Restoration Method
Have you or your company been the recent victim of a fire and are now being forced to get things back to normal as fast as possible? If so, you understand how difficult it can be to find a contractor or service that meet your project needs and timeline. Making the situation worse yet, smoke and fire damage often extends far beyond what is immediately visible. Soot, carbon secondary materials and structure residue penetrate surfaces, electrical systems, and structural components—often causing long-term corrosion, odor retention, and premature structure failure if not addressed correctly during the remediation and rebuilding process. You want to get it right the first time!
At Merritt Industrial, we utilize dry ice blasting as a highly effective, non-abrasive method for smoke and fire remediation across industrial, residential, commercial, marine, and specialty environments. Our advanced cleaning technology and professionally trained technicians allow us to remove contamination safely while preserving critical surfaces and components that traditional cleaning methods often damage.
What makes Dry Ice Blasting a Preferred Method for Smoke and Fire Damage Cleaning
Dry ice blasting is uniquely suited for fire and smoke remediation because it addresses both visible contamination and hard to remove embedded residues without the use of water, harsh chemicals, or abrasive media like sand or crushed glass.
Key advantages for dry ice blasting for fire damage include:
Non-abrasive cleaning: Dry ice blasting does not etch, pit, or degrade substrates. The last thing you want is to be too aggressive on an already compromised surface resulting in additional material replacement costs.
No secondary waste—dry ice sublimates on impact, leaving only removed contamination. This means less clean-up and guarantees no blasting media is left behind trapped in the substrate. This is a major issue with media blasting options.
Dry ice blasting produces no moisture thus eliminating the risk of mold growth
Minimal disassembly allows in-place cleaning of complex systems and environments. Our team is trained and has vast amount of experience cleaning in very technical jobsites.
Unlike pressure washing, chemical cleaning, or manual scraping, dry ice blasting removes soot and smoke residue at the microscopic level without spreading contamination further into structure.
Is Dry Ice Blasting Accepted by Insurance Companies?
In most cases, yes. Dry ice blasting is widely accepted by insurance carriers and adjusters as an approved remediation method when used appropriately and documented correctly. This means you don’t have to worry about selling dry ice blasting as a remediation solution to your insurance adjustor, they prefer dry ice blasting!
Insurance providers focus on:
Preventing secondary damage – They don’t want the added expense any more than you do!
Restoring assets safely
Minimizing unnecessary replacement costs – What items/elements NEED to be replaced and what items CAN BE salvaged.
Dry ice blasting aligns with these goals because it:
Preserves salvageable materials
Allows accurate post-cleaning damage assessment
Reduces labor hours and downtime
Avoids chemical exposure and water damage claims
When supported by proper documentation, project scope definition, and before-and-after evidence, dry ice blasting is routinely approved as part of insurance-funded fire and smoke remediation projects. Our project managers will work directly with your insurance adjustor to get the job done right the first time!
Dry Ice Blasting Eliminates Lingering Odors
One of the most challenging aspects of fire damage is persistent smoke odor. Traditional manual cleaning efforts often masks odors temporarily; they don’t always go deep enough to remove the source.
Dry ice blasting safely and effectively:
Removes deeply embedded soot and carbon
Cleans porous and semi-porous materials without saturation or surface harm
Eliminates odor-causing residues embedded deep in soft and hard surfaces
By physically removing the contamination rather than encapsulating it, dry ice blasting significantly reduces the need for additional, downstream deodorization treatments and prevents odors from re-emerging over time.
Cleaning Without Causing Further Damage
A critical advantage of dry ice blasting is that it cleans without altering the surface.
This is especially important after a fire event, where decisions must be made about:
What items/materials can be salvaged
What requires repair
What must be replaced
Aggressive methods can destroy evidence of underlying damage and ruin components that could have been saved. Dry ice blasting allows owners, engineers, insurers, and restoration teams to clearly evaluate the condition of materials post-cleaning, often saving thousands—or more—in unnecessary replacement costs.
What Surfaces Are Safe for Dry Ice Blasting?
Dry ice blasting is safe and effective on a wide range of materials commonly affected by smoke and fire damage, including:
Structural steel, aluminum and metal biproducts
Carbon fiber (structural and non-structural) and composite materials even epoxies
Fiberglass
Electrical panels, switches, breakers, wiring harnesses, and connectors
Machinery and mechanical systems
Wood
Plastics and polymers
Upholstery and soft goods (application-dependent)
Because our equipment is adjustable and our technicians offer vast amount of blasting hours, our parameters are tailored to each surface to ensure effective, long-lasting cleaning without damage.
Is Dry Ice blasting expensive?
Dry Ice blasting may sound expensive, we get it. Let’s take a moment to look at the comparison for Dry Ice Blasting vs. Manual Smoke & Fire Cleaning
Compared to manual cleaning methods, dry ice blasting offers significant advantages:
Manual Cleaning | Dry Ice Blasting |
Labor-intensive | Rapid, high-productivity cleaning |
Requires chemicals | No chemicals required |
Spreads contamination | Removes contamination cleanly |
Risk of surface damage | Non-abrasive and controlled |
Limited odor removal | Source-level odor elimination |
Extensive disassembly | In-place cleaning |
When looking at the facts of complex remediation projects, dry ice blasting consistently reduces labor hours, project duration, and overall restoration cost.
Case Study: Smoke & Fire Remediation on a 100-Foot Yacht
Merritt Industrial completed a smoke and fire remediation project on a 100-foot luxury yacht following a significant fire incident. The vessel contained numerous custom, one-off components that would have taken years—and significant expense—for the shipyard and owner to replicate. The need was immediate and the work needed to be comprehensive. The value of the vessel was estimated around 13 million so lingering odors or faulty equipment were not to be tolerated.
Project Highlights
Over a 3 day period four technicians operating three dry ice blasting machines were able to work their way through the entire vessel efficiently cleaning all damaged areas.
Surfaces Cleaned
Carbon fiber structural components of the vessels hull
Fiberglass interior structures
Complex wiring harnesses and electrical systems
Teak decking
Sensitive electronic components
Upholstery and interior soft goods that were all custom made for this 1 of 1 yacht.
Dry ice blasting allowed us to safely clean areas that traditional methods could not touch without damage. Once our cleaning was complete, the shipbuilder and owner were able to accurately assess what components were salvageable versus irreparably damaged, dramatically accelerating the restoration timeline and vastly reducing proposed replacement costs.
This project is a clear example of how dry ice blasting preserves value, reduces restoration time, and supports informed decision-making after fire events.
Why Merritt Industrial
While dry ice blasting is one of our core capabilities, Merritt Industrial is fundamentally a solutions-based contractor. Fire and smoke remediation often require adaptability, technical judgment, and experienced technicians capable of working in demanding environments.
Our teams are trained to operate:
Around sensitive systems
In confined or elevated spaces
On high-value assets where mistakes are costly
We’re not a one-size-fits-all company. We evaluate each project and deploy the most effective combination of technologies and manpower to achieve the best outcome.
Need Help With Smoke or Fire Remediation?
If you are dealing with smoke or fire damage and need a safe, effective, and insurance-approved cleaning solution, Merritt Industrial is here to help.
Contact us today to discuss your project, evaluate feasibility, and determine whether dry ice blasting is the right solution for your remediation needs.