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Monroe County · Florida
Islamorada dry ice blasting
Islamorada work comes to us the same way most of it does: something is coated in build-up and cannot be sanded, soaked or dissolved.
The practical side
We work on driveways, in yards and inside shops that cannot take water on the floor. Which means no downtime spent in transit and no risk of damage moving it out of Islamorada and back.
The media is gone by the time it has done its work, so there is no sand to vacuum and no water to mop. Only the contaminant is left, and that leaves with us.
What we clean
The work we take on around Islamorada
Nearby
Also working across Monroe County
Questions from Islamorada
Can you come outside business hours?
Generally yes. Weekend and overnight work is routine, and the limiting factor is usually noise, not us.
What do most jobs look like?
A mix, vehicle work, shop equipment, marine and light industrial. Same rig, different constraint each time.
Does distance affect the price?
Distance can factor in. You will hear about it up front, not on the invoice.
How do I get started?
Send the equipment, the location and a short description with photos if you have them. One of the owners calls you back.
Will you travel to Islamorada?
Yes. Islamorada is inside our regular working area, and the rig travels to the job rather than the other way round.
Do you need anything set up before you arrive?
Space for the rig and a way to reach the machine. Everything else arrives with us.
The local conditions
Humidity is the constant. Anything bare oxidizes faster than it would almost anywhere else. So the job is usually less about scrubbing harder and more about not making the underlying problem worse.
The mix here runs from vehicle work in driveways to production equipment inside industrial units. Site type barely matters when the air, the hose and the collection all arrive together.
Because the media sublimates, there is no slurry running toward a storm drain and no grit left in a machine. On a tight site in Monroe County that is often the deciding factor.
What comes off
What comes off, and why
If it is bonded to the surface rather than part of it, there is a good chance this takes it off. The list below covers most of what we are called out for.
- Ink and printing residue
Dried ink and coating build-up on rollers and press components, where the surface texture is the product.
- Food residue
Carbonized product build-up in a plant where neither standing water nor a chemical film is acceptable.
- Grease and oil
The soft film that holds dust and swarf against metal. It is what makes a part feel dirty long after it looks clean, and it comes off first.
- Carbon and soot
The hard black crust on a housing, an oven or a weld cell. Bonded by heat, and the first thing to release under thermal shock.
- Adhesive and sealant
Bonded material that outlived whatever it was bonding, usually harder to shift than the part it is on.
- Resin and mold release
Production residue cured onto tooling. Solvent softens it and leaves its own film; the ice lifts it and takes nothing with it.
- Paint and coatings
Taken off in a controlled way when what is underneath matters more than speed.
How a job runs
Nothing about this should be a surprise
Nobody should have to guess what they booked. This is every stage of a job in the order it happens.
- You describe the job
What the equipment is, what is on it, where it lives, and whether it can be shut down. Photos tell us more than a paragraph. If dry ice is the wrong tool we say so on that call rather than after taking your money.
- We look at access and containment
The layout decides the method more often than the contaminant does. We work out reach and containment before quoting anything.
- We test a small area
Settings get proven somewhere nobody looks before they get used somewhere everybody does. What is correct on cast iron will mark aluminum, so the test is not a formality.
- We blast, then clean up
The ice is gone the moment it does its work. What stays behind is the grease or carbon that came off, and collecting that is part of the job, not an extra.
- You look before we pack up
We would rather you find the missed spot while we are standing there than a week later. Another pass on the day is the cheapest fix available.
The comparison
Why not just pressure wash it
- Solvent and degreaser
Trades the deposit for a residue, plus ventilation and waste to deal with, and it is hard on the finish.
- Hand scraping
It is the fallback when nothing else is available, and it shows on the surface afterward.
- Media blasting
Abrasive by definition. Anything with a tolerance or a finish worth keeping comes out changed.
- Pressure washing
Water gets into everything and has to come out again before the equipment runs. Around electrics it is off the table entirely.
- Dry ice
The pellet is soft and the mechanism is temperature, not abrasion. It turns to gas on impact, so the only thing left to sweep up is what came off.
What to expect on site
Anything nearby that should not be touched gets masked before we start. That is quicker than explaining it afterward.
The media is solid CO2, nothing toxic and nothing left behind, but it pushes oxygen out of a closed room. Ventilation gets planned before the hose is connected.
The process is loud. Hearing protection is standard for anyone in the working area, which is why you will see ear defenders in most of our photographs.
Cold surfaces are the one aftereffect. Depending on the piece that is either a few minutes of patience or some condensation while it returns to room temperature.
Tell us what needs cleaning.
Tell us what the machine is, where it is and what is on it. A photo or two speeds it up. One of the owners calls you back.