Dry Ice Blasting For Mold Removal

On Friday, June 26th we had the opportunity to complete a dry ice blast cleaning job in the suburbs of Boston. Like many other dry ice blasting jobs, this one was dirty. The job site involved a newly acquired house that had undergone some problems last winter. The previous owner was hospitalized and the home ran out of heating oil. As a result, pipes burst leaving water in the basement. As the water evaporated, mold and mildew were left on the rafters in the ceiling of the basement. The photo to the right shows the job before we went into clean. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture taken after our work, but I can assure you that the wood rafters were clean of mold and mildew. After review of the site, it was apparent that dry ice blast cleaning would be an effective way to remove the mold both in time and cost.

Mold remediation requires several steps to be fully effective. The first step involves drying the area that has become moist, allowing the mold to grow. The second step involves removing the mold from the surface that is contaminated. This can be done via sanding, sand blasting, soda blasting, dry ice blasting and by other means. The third step is to use a mold remediation product that will ensure that the offending mold will not rejuvenate. The final step is to monitor the areas that had mold to make sure that the problem does not re-surface.

Here at the Cryogenic Institute of New England, Inc., we offer dry ice blast cleaning as a service. We are more than capable of cleaning mold from various surfaces. However, we do not employ mold remediation products to the surfaces that have been cleaned. The customer has the option to do this themselves or hire a contractor to complete the final steps of mold remediation.

Any person with a potential mold problem should consider the options before taking up the project. Utilizing sand blasting and soda blasting will result in a significantly larger clean up. Not only will the cleaned surfaces have run-off but so will the process. I can’t imagine blasting sand everywhere and then having to clean it all up. Sanding mold off will take a very long time and will be labor intensive. But, dry ice blast cleaning is different. The surfaces cleaned will result in run-off on the floor, but the dry ice will evaporate. Therefore, cleaning is limited to a sweep, vacuum, and mop. In terms of time, the clean-up will be much shorter utilizing dry ice blasting.

Next time you have a mold problem and need the mold removed, call us at 800-739-7949. We will come to your location and review the problem. Then we will provide you with a quotation for the job. When it comes to mold, you want it gone the first time with as little extra work as needed. Utilizing our dry ice blast cleaning service is a step in the right direction.

For more information about dry ice blast cleaning, please visit the link below.

Dry Ice Blast Cleaning for New England

Dry Ice Blasting Industrial Equipment

Dry Ice Blast Cleaning also known as dry ice blasting and co2 blasting has been one of our service offerings for the past two years. We have completed many jobs involving industrial equipment, fire damage, and mold remediation. Dry ice blasting is a very different yet environmentally friendly cleaning process.

Unlike sand blasting and pressure washing, dry ice blasting is approved by the FDA, EPA, and USDA. Why does that matter some may ask? The answer is simple, it allows us to clean food processing lines and equipment along with other medical applications.

Sand blasting leaves sand and grit all over the area to be cleaned; pressure washing leaves a slippery wet mess on the floor. These two cleaning processes cannot be used on every application for the cited reasons. Dry ice blasting doesn't leave anything on the floor except the grit from the surface that was cleaned. The dry ice (aka co2) that we use comes in pellet form. This means that it is about the size of a tic-tac. As the operator uses the dry ice blasting equipment, dry ice is blasted at the surface and evaporates as it cleans the surface. Therefore, there is no wet mess on the floor.

The most important principle that differentiates dry ice blasting from sand blasting and pressure washing is the fact that dry ice blasting is non-abrasive. Picture a brick wall that was painted white. Sand blasting it would take off the paint, destroy some of the grout, and damage the surface finish to the bricks. Pressure washing may take off some of the paint, but probably not all and don't forget the gallons of water all over the floor. Dry ice blasting will remove the paint, but keep the grout and surface finish to the bricks just the way it was before the bricks were painted.

Dry ice blasting can be used on different surfaces including metal, brick, wood, stone, and many others. The picture above shows our president helping us clean the Telegram & Gazette's main printing press located in Worcester, MA. Our company offers dry ice blasting throughout the whole New England area. For more information take a look here at http://www.nitrofreeze.com/dry_ice_blast_cleaning.html.