Is water used as part of the soda blasting process?
Water is not often used as part of the cleaning process, but more as a dust suppressant. Water is sometimes used to activate the baking soda to allow its cleaning qualities to be realized as well as its virtues as a blast media. For softer substrates such as wood, water reduces any cutting action by as much as 20 to 30 percent thus preventing substrate damage. When water is used with the soda blasting process it is not used to propel the blast media. It is used to provide a moist surface to prevent dust, activate baking soda and reduce cutting action of soda. This results in only a tiny amount of water being used in comparison to water blasting/pressure washing processes. When water is used as part of the soda blasting process, the water literally trickles out of the end of the hose, using approximately 3.5 litres per minute.
