Dry Ice Cleaning Is a Restorer’s Dream Come True
Perhaps you’ve heard of dry ice cleaning, and you might have read about it here at Hagerty. Rather than do a deep dive on the process itself (as Craig Fitzgerald does in his excellent piece about this procedure), we will instead take a look at how it stacks up against chemical cleaners we normally use when restoring an older vehicle.
Dry ice cleaning is indeed a service, something the average DIY-er cannot afford to take on themselves. This craft requires specialized tools, a sizable facility buildout, and a fair bit of practice to maximize the benefit of dry ice as a cleaning media. Unlike powdercoating, which offers numerous possibilities once you acquire a used oven, the cost of a dry ice cleaning facility easily spirals above $50,000. That’s where Seth Luague of Dry Ice Detailing Pros enters the story. He picked up the dry ice cleaning technique during the pandemic, earned a stellar reputation in the Houston car scene, and honed his craft into one of the most perfect ways to restore a vehicle.
I liked the cut of Seth’s jib, and his portfolio of detailed cars (with happy owners) impressed me enough to give him a shot. And I had a challenge for him, to provide a frame-on restoration of a vehicle with undersides still in “barn find” condition: My 1974 Mercury Montego MX Brougham, bought for deeply personal reasons.
I was thrilled to purchase the Montego in its partially restored, barn find condition, but I assumed it would be a bit rough under its yellow body. It sat unused since 1986, and miraculously survived both a house fire in 1993 and an engine fire in 2019. The engine fire ensured many factory finishes were beyond saving, but Seth didn’t shy away from the challenge.
Once Seth worked the Montego into his schedule, I visited his shop to perform a chemical clean on a few under hood parts, seen to the left of the blue painter’s tape. I used a Chemical Guys all-purpose cleaner on easy to reach items that didn’t need to be removed, and weren’t caked in grease and grime: rubber hoses, fan shroud (plastic), and the alternator (aluminum). The hoses came out pretty well after multiple applications, but the residue-free fan shroud on the right side (dry ice) looks like a brand new part compared to the left (chemicals) in real life. I could make my side of the shroud this good, had I removed it, scrubbed it down and washed it off with a garden hose. But even then I’d wonder if chemical residues would discolor the factory finish.
Then we had Seth touch up a few parts on the right hand side with his iced-out machinery. Decades of dirt and oil accumulation was blown away from hard-to-reach places I wouldn’t touch with a chemical wipe down: Plastic wiper motor wiring harnesses, A/C compressors, and Ford’s deeply recessed Duraspark ignition module. While I wanted to show dry ice’s value in a different light for this article, you weren’t there seeing me struggle to move dirt around with a shop rag on my side of the engine bay compared to Seth just blasting it all down to the ground on the dry ice side. So instead enjoy the video below of an alternator freshly cleaned by me, but perfected by Seth in the end.
Seth’s quick pass on the alternator did an amazing job removing corrosion. He didn’t have to struggle to jam fingers into tiny spaces, so perhaps the point of dry ice cleaning is made. But there’s more. You haven’t seen it blast away dirt while saving factory finishes:
I was impressed by how much better dry ice had cleaned that spring on the hood latch, but I was blown away when he moved down the body. He eliminated years of grime without damaging the zinc-coated bolts holding that part to the Montego. Sharing this video with the team here at Hagerty Media elicited similar responses of delight. Clearly this service is worth every penny.
Speaking of cost, doing a vehicle of this size takes at least six hours of labor, and the cost of dry ice varies over time. I paid a little under $2000 for this service, but prices will go down if you are detailing a smaller vehicle with fewer decades of decay.
I admit that pictures of the Montego’s fire damaged engine bay may not be the best endorsement for dry ice cleaning. But in real life the engine now presents every corner, edge, and crevice in high resolution detail like a low mile original. For the right owner, this is a priceless experience.
In order for me to replicate what you see in the slideshow above, I’d need to lather, rinse, and repeat every component, after yanking it from the Montego’s body. I have neither the time to live in front of a parts washer nor the interest to inhale those chemical fumes for the next few months, so this service is right up my alley.
Seth kept the Montego at his shop for several days, and my last visit to collect it left me gobsmacked. Credit must be given where it’s due, as Seth provides a service with time-earned skill and precision. You will notice the fender liners still have dirt flick up from moving tires, as I saved a few dollars on something I can clean myself. Or not, because the Montego will likely get driven on a regular basis, occasionally on muddy pavement.
Aside from removing the wheels, there’s no disassembly required. When the car is done, there’s no chemical smell, no messy residues. The dry ice just sublimates, only leaving the need to clean dirt from horizontal surfaces like the shop floor.
While the Montego drives pretty well, what I now see before me suggests it needs a few new suspension bushings, and gaskets for both the rear axle and transmission. Those bits are now easier to handle, and its amazing to see how every factory finish that survived the last 50 years remains intact after dry ice cleaning.
When not working on a tired machine like this Montego (hey, let’s call a spade a spade), Seth dry-ice details everything from modern classics to exotics to off-road vehicles. He notes that retaining factory markings is a “mark” of a good detailer—one that brings the vehicle to like-new spec without removing signs of originality. He’s spent the time to research museum quality examples to make this happen, most notably by using the photo albums in Bring A Trailer auctions for reference.
Finding someone who maximizes the potential of dry ice cleaning is paramount, as Seth notes there’s no credentialing outside of Dryce Nation’s community of independent entrepreneurs. A qualified dry ice cleaner should be able to explain the entire process to you, discuss the types of dry ice they utilize, their hourly rate, and total price.
For Seth, this is a true family business, as he and his wife Kim run Dry Ice Detailing Pros. Both strongly urge would-be customers to check a shop’s online reviews and social media to see the quality and volume of cars they do. These two are a powerhouse duo on Instagram, showing the benefit of dry ice cleaning in hundreds of posts with thousands of likes.
Kim also suggests finding someone who loves dry ice cleaning, as passion is a key ingredient to a thoroughly detailed, finished product. That passion should yield a consistent finish, especially in long, flat areas where a change in technique can eliminate uniformity. Seth passed the test for me, as the Montego’s long underbelly has a uniform color indicative of a proper restoration to factory standards.
Seth makes explaining dry ice techniques rather simple, as he assigns skill levels to tasks. Level 1 is assigned to tasks that detailers can ” touch and see.” Level 2 is harder, as you must rotate the tool to clean a complex shape from every angle. Then there’s Level 3, which takes significant effort to ensure the dry ice gets deep into the body.
“Experience is everything when operating any specialized machinery, especially your technique with a dry ice machine’s gun.”
Seth Luague, Dry Ice Detailing Pros
Seth is also in the beginning stages of laser cleaning, though he believes the technology is currently too aggressive for automotive enthusiasts seeking a vehicle restored back to its original condition. While he is optimistic about the future of lasers, it is likely only intended for taking a vehicle back to bare metal.
Like any good small business, Seth and Kim want their work to withstand anything their customers throw at it over time. As a result, they also offer hydrophobic industrial ceramic coatings similar to what’s available for farm equipment, and petroleum coatings that behave more like a traditional undercoating. While I was never intending to do a follow-up coating, I am so enamored with how the Montego came out that I am seriously considering it.
Well, after I address all the wear items under the body, and get the darn thing fully functional underhood. But now that everything is clean and restored to near perfection? That’s going to happen a lot sooner.
Seth and Kim have earned a fantastic reputation in this space. Excited to see them grow and start branching out!
That’s an interesting process, and although it seems a bit steep at first blush, when one considers the cost of time and elbow grease to get probably inferior results, it starts to make a lot of sense.
VERY impressive!
I’d be a bit concerned about certain rubber parts being subjected to such below-freezing temperatures.
Also — the photos are covering the type in areas.
Rubber isn’t exposed to cold weather for very long, as the fragments of dry ice sublimates almost immediately. If the rubber fails from it, I reckon it had already needed replacement beforehand.
I’ve been wanting to do this to my vehicles for several years since i first heard of this. I wish the equipment was readily available to rent.
Yeah the technology just isn’t there yet, as you need a dedicated facility for all the containers, the power generation, etc.
Don’t forget about ensuring plenty of fresh air circulation. I wouldn’t want to DIY this indoors.
CO2 concentration is not generally a problem. The pellets are being propelled by compressed air, which mixes with the CO2. I’ve had customers use this process in confined spaces, with proper air quality monitoring , and never had a problem.
Great article! Love it. Unfortunately I believe it will be outlawed by the Greenies, because of the CO2 involved. 🙂 🙂 🙂 Hoping to find someone up here in Minnesota that does this just as well. Most impressive.
FYI. Swamibob
Dry Ice Blasting Environmental Facts
https://icesonic.com/dry_ice_blasting_environmental_facts#:~:text=It%20does%20not%20produce%20CO2,and%20inhibits%20mold%20%26%20bacteria%20growth.
I left the underside of my car original when I restored it, knowing that I would be driving it. This prices would be a fantastic way to preserve the factory paint and undercoating, but go back and add rust inhibitor coating and paint to seal it all up. It would be a great alternative to pressure washing with solvents.
I suspect dry ice is far less detrimental than chemical solvents and surfactants.
I’m starting a new project that still has original paint so I would like to have this done on the floor pans. I’ve looked around for a place to do it, and I did find a couple, but IMO, it’s not cost effective for most of us. There may be some places that are more reasonable but $1500 – $2k isn’t to me.
I recently had this done to my ’69 Lincoln Mark III that’d been stored on jack stands (enclosed storage) for about 50 years. Only 11,700 miles on the vehicle, and the car (inside and out) is time capsule clean, except that the underside had significant surface corrosion.
The results are nothing short of amazing. Practically all of the underside corrosion and discoloring has been removed, and without any damage to the body markings, or finish of the fasteners, or paint.
Yes, it’s pricey. Cost me around $3000 at the place in Costa Mesa, CA where I went, called “I Am Detailing.” But, (considering the three days of solid work they put into the cleaning) for a car worthy of being a show vehicle, like this Mark III, it’s actually a decent value. Most places I contacted charge by the hour, so it’s easy to only do as much dry-icing as you want.
As Sajeev wrote, there’s no way you could get this level of original-appearing results from chemical cleaning.
And, my thought: What’s my time & health worth to even attempt all of the required body-contortion & chemical-breathing work, in order to do a thorough at-home traditional cleaning?
Hopefully, as more people go into this business, the prices will come down. It is beyond the typical DIY’er for now, as buying the machinery and consumables require a major expenditure.
My rating: 5 ICE CUBES! (5 Stars, in usual parlance.)
Great comment, Mr. Road Test. Well-written, detailed, and positive! I wish more of the comments on Hagerty’s articles were this good.
I agree with RVette, very well said! Thx
Ouch, $2K! Is an 80’s vintage Montego even worth $2K? smh
That car is mid 70’s and yes, it is worth it. You haven’t seen the priced people want for rusted out junk.
As a perpetual owner of lightly used cars vs the cost of a new copy; this seems like a fantastic option to clean the undersides in prep for a protective coating and still remain well below the cost of new. 5-10 year old trucks and full frame SUVs can be bought for 20-30% of a 2024 copy, even with low miles. $2000 to clean up the undersides and undercoat or fluid film to preserve it is cheap and effective and add many years to a great vehicle.
The Air Force has been using dry ice blasting for aircraft paint removal at its depots for at least 20 years. Think of how much paint stripper it would take to strip a C5 or C17 back to bare aluminum–and the environment mess thus created. Any kind of grit blasting is way too aggressive for aluminum aircraft skin, but dry ice leaves only paint chips, which are vacuumed up and disposed of/recycled.
Saved a lot of taxpayer dollars and helped the environment at the same time. If it works on multimillion dollar aircraft, it’s gonna work on your Mustang or Porsche…
I have used this procedure to clean a main generator in a locomotive, was able to get the years of carbon and dirt buildup removed quickly and without any damage to the insulation and wiring . The results were great and everything was “ clean as new “ and nothing had to be disassembled, if you have a lot of fresh oil or oily dirt it does not disappear it will push it out of the way and it will need to be cleaned up with a rag but the final result is amazing, better than I would have believed. I am sure that the process is costly but this is not that would be used in most cases, the final product is as good as if it were completely disassembled and cleaned.
Vern, when you say that the oil will have to be cleaned up with a rag, is that b4 the blasting? Thx
My first exposure to dry ice cleaning was on Sarah-N-Tuned’s YouTube channel. The results were nothing less than magic, totally amazing. The fact that the process is non-destructive makes it even more impressive. The cost? Expensive, but obviously worth it, based on the results I’ve witnessed. Thanks for sharing, Sajeev. Thanks for posting, Hagerty.
Indeed, it is still worth it to me. Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading.
Dry ice is an amazing process to watch, the results are amazing.
Be selective. get refences and photos. Not all vendors know auto restoration and not all vendors return calls in a timely fashion (seems like some only work when they feel like it or your job is too small).
I purchased a 1957 300SL Rudge Wheel Roadster a few years ago and the detailing done prior to my purchase was unbelievable in particular the Dry Ice Cleaning.
Here is a video showing the entire process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBAZ6dvu_yM
I have spent the better part of $4000 on dry ice cleaning from a mobile service. The results are pretty good, especially considering that it is DRY. No chemicals, no pressure washer water everywhere. No laying in a puddle of water, grease and chemistry.
When it comes to my Morgan, the use of dry ice spares spraying the wood supporting the coachwork, especially the panels making up the rear wheel wells, from water blast, leakage and water damage. The result is just clean wood. Even better, the original markings on the differential cover were preserved, and the axle left clean, if not factory fresh. The process left the leaf springs very, very clean, considering that they were not removed and disassembled. I had three cars done, and the results were good, but not exceptional. This was more the fault of the operator, and the lack of a rack to do the work at my home. More effort needed to be expended, and there should have been less complaining…
The problem with the process is the operator. The person doing the cleaning has to love the work, and want to be thorough, rather than worrying about the profit. Even at $1,600 for a couple of hours, the operators that I worked with thought that they needed more money.
If you want this work done at your home, by a mobile operator, the work may not fully reflect the capabilities of the Dry Ice method of cleaning. I REALLY like it, but it’s expensive . That said, it may be substantially more capable than your pressure washer, and Simple Green auto/aerospace degreaser.
As for its value, it depends on what you think that your car and your time is worth, and what you expect your restoration to look like. Having CLEAN parts on a clean chassis can reduce your labor and improve your results.