Hi Everybody! Welcome to my blog about soda blasting, the environmentally friendly cleaning method that uses a form of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in place of other non-environmentally friendly, and health hazardous blasting medias like sand.
In my earlier postings, I explained what soda blasting is, what makes soda blasting such a unique cleaning process, some basic information on air compressors, on soda blasting equipment, and on stripping paint. Once you understand how soda blasting works, it is much easier to appreciate why it is such an effective, and safe, cleaning method for many different types of jobs.
In my last blog posting, before the big Hot Rod Show, I talked about stripping automotive paint for auto repairs and auto restorations. Today, I am going to discuss one of the best eco-friendly cleaning uses for a soda blaster.
One of the most popular and effective uses for soda blasting is mold remediation and fire damage restoration. Many mold remediation and fire damage restoration companies use soda blasting as an efficient and eco-friendly cleaning method.
Most mold remediation jobs involve mold removal in attics and crawl spaces, where the conditions are conducive to mold growth. Some remediation companies use harsh chemicals or hand sanding to remove mold. These types of solutions are not environmentally friendly and are inefficient from a labor utilization standpoint.
In recent years, more and more mold remediation and fire damage restoration companies are discovering the benefits of soda blasting. Soda blasting quickly and efficiently removes mold, carbon and smoke damage without harming the underlying material and without harming the environment. And, as an added bonus, soda blasting deodorizes the affected area. No musty or smoky odors! It works the same as that box of baking soda that you put in your refrigerator to remove odors.
As I discussed in one of my earlier postings, soda blasting can remove super durable finishes such as powder coat paint. Mold removal and fire damage restoration are some of the easiest jobs for a soda blaster to do. Mold removal and fire damage restoration usually can be done using lower blasting pressures than needed for other types of work. Using lower blasting pressure means that you use less soda blast media, making the job of mold removal and fire damage restoration more cost effective. You can also use a leaner soda to air mixture ratio, which again uses less soda blast media.
Labor efficiency is greater with soda blasting than with many other methods, especially with the use of a fan tip nozzle. A fan tip nozzle puts out a flat, blade type spray pattern, which is perfect for cleaning joists, studs, roof decking, brick, cement block or any type of surface, which has mold or fire damage. Use of a fan tip nozzle greatly improves speed for this kind of work. More efficient labor utilization means less time spent on the job site for improved profitability per job.
With more efficient labor utilization, less material usage, and deodorizing ability all wrapped up in an eco-friendly cleaning method, it is easy to understand why more and more mold remediation and fire damage restoration companies are choosing soda blasting to get the job done.
I hope this helps you. In coming posts, I’ll discuss various soda blasting applications in more detail, along with tips and ideas to help you with your cleaning project or business. Thanks for reading!
– The Sodablasting Guy
The Soda Blasting Guy 
I am not sure your still out there. But I like your blog. I am a soda blaster in northern Nevada. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the kind words, Roc! Yes, I’m still out here and getting ready for the arrival of Spring and more soda blasting projects! Good luck to you and thanks for reading. -The Soda Blasting Guy
Awesome article for sure !! I am in Orlando Fl and I just bought a condo with a bit of mold. I am looking to pull all the drywall, including the ceiling, to reveal all the studs and truses.
I wanted to know what kind of compressor I would need in order to clean the mold off the wood studs and beams?
– In regards to Psi, HP, and CFM
Thanks for your help !!
Thanks, Christian. A lot depends on what soda blaster you are using. Each machine has its own cfm requirement for a particular size and type of nozzle. For example, a lot of people use the ACE Model 2-PS with the fan tip nozzle (to get a flat blade type of spray) for mold removal. That particular setup (2-PS/fan tip) requires 30 cfm to operate. Since it has an adjustable pressure regulator, you can dial in the final blasting pressure anywhere in a range of 20 to 120 psi. For mold jobs in general, the effective range of blasting pressure should fall within the 40 to 90 psi range. The trick is to find the lowest psi that gets the job done.
Without knowing the type of soda blaster/nozzle you are going to use, I can only give you a general answer. I hope this helps you, and thanks again for reading my blog.
-The Soda Blasting Guy
Can Any one tell me that in these situations like soda blasting,protein burning,we should get Fire damage restoration services.?
Hi Marria,
I don’t understand your question. Are you asking if your company should get a soda blaster?
We do soda blasting and I am looking for strong reasons and statements that I can use to motivate Restoration companies to use our services. What have you got?
Thanks
Dan
Hi Dan,
The reasons for soda blasting mold and fire damage are laid out in my blog posting on the subject: eco-friendly process, labor efficiency (particularly with a fan tip nozzle), economical material usage, and deodorizing properties of soda blasting versus other methods. That pretty much covers the gamut.
I see that you have some videos on your website demonstrating the process for a number of different applications. With the experience your company has using soda blasting, I would think that if you are pricing your services competitively, you should be able get work in that market.
Good luck and thanks for reading my blog! -The Soda Blasting Guy
Hi I don t have areply but wanted to ask a question. Will a Soda blaster from harbor freight work. its about 4o lbs and cost about $100. requires 1hp compressor. Also what about blaster media containers that hold soda or toher media, sand etc for mold rememdiationn will these work with a a 1 hp compressor. Thanks for your info. NGL a DIY
Hi Nolan,
Thanks for reading my blog. I really don’t know of many good soda blasters that will operate with a 1 HP air compressor. I would guess that your compressor puts out less than 3 cfm. That’s great for some small air tools, but usually not enough for use with a high quality soda blaster. Also, remember that the cfm output determines the size of the nozzle you can use. With less than 3 cfm you would be restricted to a very small nozzle size; a lot smaller than what is typically used for mold remediation. Thanks again for reading my blog. -The Soda Blasting Guy
I have one from Harbour Freight also but there is no way to get much production out of it. If you look at the nozzle it is about the size of the lead in a #2 pencil. The ones from Harbour Freight seem to clog up a lot. Regular size soda blasters normally use a lot more than 3 CFM.
The soda blaster from Harbor Freight is for very small jobs and you will not get much production from it. Great for a someone cleaning small engines like lawnmowers. It tends to clog up a lot. You will get limited production out of it an no way could you use it for a fire job or removing paint from a big job
Hi how effective would soda blasting in the furniture stripping and refinishing industry be?
Check out my latest posting entitled “Eco-Friendly Furniture Refinishing!”
Sodablastingguy – We live in Jacksonville, Florida, and would like to use soda blasting to remediate mold in our crawl space. Can you recommend any contractors that service our area?
Hi Scott,
Thanks for reading my blog. I would recommend that you give a few mold and fire restoration companies in your area a call and ask them if they do soda blasting. It’s a great way to get rid of the mold and deodorize your crawl space at the same time. Good luck! -The Soda Blasting Guy
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Soda Blasting Guy,
I was wondering if you are still keeping up with this blog. If so, I’d like to pick your brain on soda blasting for fire restoration. I had a few questions regarding recommended pressures and media size. Let me know if you’re still around. Much appreciated.
Thanks,
Hunter
Hi Hunter,
Thanks for reading my blog. Yes, I am still around! The trick on fire restoration is to find the best blasting pressure that removes the char and soot. There is no pat answer. Every job is different. I recommend that you start at a low pressure and slowly increase it until you find the pressure that cleans up the damage. As far as media size goes, most restoration companies use a medium maintenance grade. Hope this helps you out. -The Soda Blasting Guy
I appreciate the helpful information. I’ll be using Armex medium grade. By any chance, would you know how much square footage [1] 50lb bag of blast media will yield for soot removal? Let me know.
Thanks again!
Hi Hunter, You’re welcome. The square footage cleaned is a function of the soda blaster being used, the nozzle size and type, the final blasting pressure, and the amount of soot, so it varies. The most efficient removal is done using a fan tip nozzle. A very broad generalization using a fan tip nozzle would be roughly 100 square feet. Hope this helps you out. – The Soda Blasting Guy