Soda blasting is a cleaning technique used mainly in the engineering, vehicle restoration, and premises maintenance industries. The cleaning method uses powerful chemical components alongside cleaning techniques to ensure that the target surfaces get a sparkling touch. Let us take a look at what is involved.
What is soda blasting?
It uses sodium bicarbonate (commonly known as baking soda) particles as the major cleaning component alongside compressed air technology. The soda crystals usually are propelled on to the surface you wish to restore. The impact from the propulsion will cause them to break up hitting the surface with enough pressure to remove the stains, grease, tar, grime or paint. The soda bicarbonate particles hit the target surface at containable impacts enough to prevent damage to the surface.
Compared to other media blasting techniques such as sandblasting, sodium bicarbonate particles are relatively softer, making this practice a mild form of abrasive cleaning.
What is the difference between sandblasting and soda blasting?
Similarly, to how soda blasting works to detach paint and stains from a surface, so does sandblast. However, sandblasting uses sand, coconut shells, glass beads and walnut shells. Although both abrasive blasting techniques are effective, sandblasting is harsher.
Depending on the type of surface, sandblasting works best on tougher material such as heavy industrial material.
Soda blasting applications during fire restoration
During a fire breakout, metal, concrete, wood, and brick may suffer fire damage and smoke damage. Damage from smoke or fire is often unsightly and tags along with an appalling odor. While traditional methods could be cheaper and more accessible, they not only cause more damage to the surface but they also can’t restore it to its original outlook. Here is where soda blasting comes in.
Soda blasting is an effective method for smoke and fire restoration. It has proven to be effective when removing soot and cleaning lightly charred building material. Baking soda is considered to be non-abrasive and non-destructive which makes it the perfect choice when cleaning soot without damaging the surface while providing superior finishing after cleaning. It also applies to other surfaces such as concrete blocks, metal and wood framing. Also, the chemical components in baking soda neutralize the pH of the odor from fire damage and smoke residue. This feature makes it a perfect choice when looking to remove odor and soot stains from your home after fire and smoke damage.
Soda blasting carries most of the weight when compared to other abrasive blasting techniques. It is highly recommended when looking for a cleaning method that won’t cause more damage to the affected areas.