| Blasting Cleaning Technique | Waste? | Abrasive? | Toxic? | Electrically Conductive? | Performance |
| Dry Ice | No | No | No | No | Excellent |
| Sand | Yes | Yes | No | No | OK |
| Glass Beads | Yes | Yes | No* | No | OK |
| Walnut Shells | Yes | Yes | No* | No | Limited |
| Steam | No | No | No* | Yes | Poor |
| Solvents | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Limited |
* Each of these blasting materials becomes contaminated upon contact if used to clean hazardous objects. When the happens, these materials are then classified as toxic waste requiring safe disposal.
Advantages of Dry Ice Cleaning vs Traditional Methods:
| Issue | Traditional | Dry Ice Blasting |
| Equipment Downtime |
Relocated for cleaning Disassembly/reassembly Drying time required |
Equipment can be cleaned in place Dry process – equipment can restart immediately after cleaning |
| Hazardous Waste |
Cleaner becomes and is treated as a secondary contaminant |
No additional contaminates Dry ice sublimates (becomes a gas) on contact with the target surface |
| Labour Hours |
Intensive hand scrubbing Lengthy cleaning and follow-up cleaning |
Dramatically reduced – often completed in a quarter of time or better |
| Quality of Cleaning |
Poor to average |
Excellent |
| Potential Equipment Damage |
Grit abrasions Grit contamination Movement of equipment to and from cleaning area |
No equipment damage Preventative maintenance very realistic as labour hours are much less |
| Safety |
Health threats from solvents Water-based cleaning pose hazards around electrical equipment Threats to the environment |
Standard safety precautions Dry process is safe around electrical equipment |
| Cost |
Cleaner becomes additional hazardous waste Expensive Solvents Additional labour |
Minimal cost of dry ice |