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DRY ICE BLASTING
Revolutionizing Car Detailing: The Power of Dry Ice Cleaning for a Spotless Finish
Dry ice, or solid carbon dioxide, boasts an incredibly low temperature of -78.5℃ [-1]. In simple terms, dry ice cleaning technology, also known as dry ice blasting, harnesses the power of compressed air to propel dry ice particles onto the surface requiring cleaning. When these high-speed dry ice particles make contact with dirt on your car’s surface, a series of remarkable transformations occur, resulting in a superior clean.
1. Low-Temperature Freezing Embrittlement: The Core of Dry Ice Cleaning
The ultra-low temperature of dry ice instantly freezes the dirt. This freezing embrittlement process transforms originally viscoelastic stains into fragile, brittle substances with reduced viscosity and significantly lessened adhesion to the car’s surface. For example, stubborn stains like gum and bird droppings on the car body quickly become brittle under the low temperature of dry ice and no longer cling tightly to the car paint. This makes dry ice cleaning a highly effective method for dealing with tough-to-remove contaminants.
2. Impact Peeling: Blasting Away Dirt with Precision
High-speed dry ice particles possess considerable momentum. When these particles strike the already brittle dirt, they transfer kinetic energy. This kinetic energy overcomes the reduced adhesion between the dirt and the car surface, generating shear force. This shear force causes the dirt to detach from the surface and be blown away with the airflow. This dry ice blasting action is akin to using countless tiny “bullets” to hit the dirt and “peel” it off the car’s surface, providing a thorough car detailing.
3. Sublimation Effect: A Clean Getaway
After the dry ice particles come into contact with the car’s surface, they rapidly sublimate. This sublimation process causes the particles to transition directly from solid to gaseous carbon dioxide. In this transition, the volume of the dry ice particles expands instantly, creating a tiny “explosion” effect beneath the dirt. This explosion effect further aids in separating the dirt from the surface. The sublimated carbon dioxide gas leaves no residue and won’t cause secondary pollution to the car, making dry ice cleaning a safe and environmentally responsible option.
Advantages of Dry Ice Cleaning for Car Washing
Compared with traditional car washing methods, dry ice cleaning has many unique advantages for car detailing, which is why it is gradually gaining attention:
1. Friendly to Car Paint: Gentle Yet Effective
Traditional car washing methods, such as high-pressure water guns, may contain small particles that scratch the car paint. Similarly, sponges or brushes, if not meticulously cleaned, can leave fine scratches. However, during **dry ice cleaning, the dry ice particles are soft and sublimate upon contact with the car paint. They won’t cause physical scratches like traditional methods, thus protecting the gloss and integrity of the car paint to the greatest extent. This is ideal for maintaining the aesthetic value of your vehicle.
2. Waterless Cleaning to Avoid Rust: Protecting Your Investment
Water is a primary culprit behind rust on metal components of cars. Especially in coastal regions or humid environments, if some parts of the vehicle are not dried adequately after traditional water car washing, rust problems can easily develop over time. Dry ice cleaning eliminates the hidden danger of rust caused by car washing from the root. It is particularly suitable for cleaning areas with more metal parts, such as the chassis and engine compartment of the car.
3. Deep Cleaning to Remove Stubborn Stains: Restoring Your Car’s Shine
During driving, various types of dirt, including asphalt, carbon deposits, and industrial dust, adhere to the car body. These stubborn stains are challenging to remove completely with ordinary car washing methods. With its dual action of low-temperature freezing and impact stripping, dry ice cleaning can penetrate the texture and gaps of the car paint, easily removing deep dirt and impurities and restoring the car to a brand-new appearance. For example, the black powder deposits on wheels caused by braking can be quickly and thoroughly cleaned with dry ice cleaning.
4. Efficient and Fast Car Detailing
Dry ice cleaning is relatively quick, allowing for the completion of vehicle cleaning in a short timeframe. Traditional car washing may require extended pre-washing, brushing, and rinsing steps. However, dry ice cleaning equipment can swiftly spray dry ice particles onto the car’s surface, quickly completing the car detailing process and significantly saving time. This is especially beneficial for busy car owners.
5. Environmental Protection and Energy Saving: A Greener Choice
The dry ice cleaning process avoids chemical detergents, thus preventing pollution. At the same time, dry ice itself is often made from reclaimed industrial waste gas. It sublimates into carbon dioxide during the cleaning process, which then returns to the atmosphere, making it a recyclable resource. Compared with traditional car washing, which consumes substantial water, dry ice cleaning has a noteworthy water-saving effect. This aligns with the modern emphasis on environmental protection and energy conservation.
Application of Dry Ice Cleaning in Other Parts of the Car
In addition to cleaning the exterior of the car body, dry ice cleaning can also play an important role in the cleaning and maintenance of other parts of the car:
1. Cleaning Carbon Deposits in the Engine: Revitalizing Performance
Carbon deposits in the engine are a common issue that affects the car’s performance and fuel consumption. Dry ice cleaning can remove carbon deposits in the intake duct, throttle, and combustion chamber without disassembling the engine. The low-temperature freezing and impact effect can effectively embrittle and dislodge the carbon deposits, restoring the engine’s power performance, reducing fuel consumption, and decreasing exhaust emissions. Compared with traditional methods of cleaning carbon deposits, dry ice cleaning is more efficient, environmentally friendly, and less damaging to the engine’s internal parts.
2. Car Interior Cleaning: A Healthier Cabin
Car interiors readily accumulate dust, stains, and bacteria. Dry ice cleaning can clean interior parts such as seats, dashboards, and carpets. For difficult-to-clean gaps and corners, dry ice particles can easily penetrate and remove dirt. You also don’t need to worry about water penetration causing deformation or mold like water washing. In addition, the low temperature during dry ice cleaning also has a bactericidal and disinfecting effect, which can create a healthier environment inside the car.
3. Tire and Wheel Cleaning: Back to Showroom Shine
Tires and wheels come into contact with various road dirt and brake dust during vehicle operation. This contact affects the appearance and can cause corrosion. dry blast cleaning can quickly remove dirt on the surface of tires and wheels, restoring their original luster. Especially for intricate wheels, dry ice auto detailing can reach deep into every corner for cleaning.
Disadvantages of Dry Ice Blasting
While dry ice blasting offers numerous benefits, there are also considerations to keep in mind:
Higher Raw Material Costs: The purchase cost of dry ice raw materials is higher than water car washing. There also can be some losses during storage.Solution: Use a dedicated dry ice storage box with special insulation materials to achieve long-term storage of dry ice and reduce losses.
Equipment Failure: There are failure relating to the equipment.
Solution: Choosing a dry ice blasting machine with an air filter and durable parts reduces this risk.
Safety Precautions: Dry ice blasting can cause carbon dioxide accumulation in enclosed spaces, necessitating ventilation and protective gear. Because of this risk, dry ice blasting requires a well-ventilated space, otherwise the operator and any employees in the space may suffocate.
1. Adequate ventilation ensures safety by allowing the CO2 gas to dissipate, preventing it from reaching dangerous levels. Confined areas are not recommended to store dry ice.
2. Adequate hearing protection is also highly recommended to prevent permanent damage to hearing.
3. Workers handling dry ice also need to wear insulated gloves, as dry ice pellets can burn the skin (frostbites). Additional PPE like safety glasses and face shields may be needed, depending on how dry ice is handled.
Despite these disadvantages, purchasing a dry ice production machine can save you significantly, specially if you are doing dry ice cleaning daily.
When the dry ice consumption reaches 200-300 kg per day, you can consider buying a small dry ice production machine yourself (priced between $4500-8000). This can greatly reduce the cost of using dry ice.
If you purchase machine from our company, we can provide a 2.5-year warranty and lifetime after-sales service, so you have no worries.
With the development of technology and market promotion, dry ice cleaning is expected to occupy a more important position in the field of car cleaning, especially for owners of high-end cars. If you have high requirements for car maintenance, you might as well try dry ice car washing to experience this different cleaning effect.
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- Email: johanna@dryicejet.com
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