Dry Ice Cleaning By Detailify
One of the newest and most versatile tools in the Detailify Technician’s collection is the ability to clean all vehicle surfaces thoroughly with the power of Dry Ice Blasting, also called Dry Ice Cleaning.
What is Dry Ice Blasting?
Dry Ice Cleaning uses tiny pellets of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) as a cleaning medium, propelled by compressed air at high speed toward surfaces needing to be cleaned.
Benefits of Dry Ice Cleaning
It is simply the best cleaning technique available. Dry ice blasting is:
- Non-abrasive
- Non-toxic
- Non-flammable.
How Dry Ice Cleaning Works
Dry ice (frozen Carbon Dioxide) has several advantages over traditional abrasive blast media like sand, plastic beads, or baking soda. There are actually three forces at work during dry ice blasting. The only one that it shares with traditional blasting is the physical force of the particle hitting the surface. Because dry ice is softer than traditional blast media, it doesn’t damage the surface in the same way an abrasive does. The other forces at play are specific to dry ice - they’re not shared with any other media. The extremely low temperature (-78.8°C) causes the surface to contract, forming tiny cracks which loosen any materials stuck to the surface. The third force is that of sublimation - when the dry ice hits the surface, it’s heated by friction and immediately changes from a solid form to gas. This “blasts” material that was stuck to the surface away while leaving no residue - not even moisture. All that’s left to do is to wipe off the material that’s been cleaned off.
Origins of Dry Ice Blasting
Aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin developed the technique in the 1970s in an attempt to remove paint without deforming sensitive aluminium panels. It was proposed that the low temperature (-80°C) would keep the aluminium from heating up with friction.
To the surprise of the engineers working on the technology, Dry Ice Cleaning was found to be able to clean any debris off of the panels, except the paint. They had inadvertently found a paint restorer’s dream.
Automotive Applications for Dry Ice Cleaning
At Detailify, we can use Dry Ice Blasting on any part of your car:
- Inside the engine compartment
- The undercarriage
- On the painted surfaces
- Rubber bumpers
- Chrome trim
- Rims & Tires
- Even the glass and mirrors.
All foreign materials will be removed, and the only debris left behind will be particles of the dirt and grime we just stripped off of your car, without the use of any chemicals. Dirt, oxidation, oil - anything stuck to any surface can be removed.
Dry Ice Blasting is particularly suited to cleaning older paint in preparation for a total paint correction. Detailify advises its use for older vehicles and heavily oxidized paint because it provides comprehensive car cleaning, avoiding micro-damage to the paint surface that can be caused by foreign material too small to see with the naked eye.
It’s simply not possible to get a surface clean to the same standard provided by Dry Ice Blasting with buckets and sponges. It’s a unique process that is both aggressive (to dirt and debris on the surface) and gentle (to the surface itself) at the same time.
Choose The Best Car Detailing Shop Around
In Toronto, there’s only one specialist in Automotive Dry Ice Cleaning, and that’s Detailify. Call or book an appointment online today!