Insurance Restoration with Dry Ice — A Builder's Guide

Restoration work runs on tight timelines and tight budgets. The job of the restoration builder is to minimise both — get the customer back into their home or workplace as fast as possible, and save as much of the original structure as possible. Dry ice cleaning has become a high-leverage tool in both jobs: it physically removes contamination from materials that would otherwise be replaced, and it does so without the rework cost of moisture-based cleaning approaches.

This guide is for restoration builders, loss adjusters and hygienists working fire, mold and water-damage claims. It covers what dry ice cleaning is good for in restoration, what it isn’t, how it fits into IICRC-aligned workflows, and what to ask of any provider you bring onto a job.

Where dry ice fits in restoration

The three IICRC standards most relevant to dry ice cleaning are:

• S500 — Water Damage Restoration. Dry ice plays a role in equipment recovery and post-drying material cleaning.
• S520 — Mold Remediation. Dry ice is a primary physical-removal mechanism for mold from porous and non-porous surfaces.
• S540 — Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration. Dry ice is used for soot removal from timber, masonry, contents and equipment.

Across all three, the value proposition is the same: physical removal without re-introducing moisture, chemistry or abrasion to materials that have already been compromised.

S520 mold remediation

Mold growth on structural timber, masonry, plaster substrate and HVAC ductwork is the classic dry ice use case in restoration. Reasons:

• Mold spores penetrate the surface grain of porous materials. Wiping doesn’t remove embedded growth. Sanding generates contaminated dust. Biocides inactivate but don’t remove.
• Dry ice physically removes both surface and embedded growth in a single pass.
• The substrate stays intact — important when you’re trying to save framing rather than replace it.
• HEPA capture and HEPA-filtered negative-pressure containment keep airborne spore counts down during the work.
• Documentation produced supports hygienist clearance.

Workflow:

1. Containment established — HEPA negative-pressure where required.
2. Substrate-supporting drying complete (S500-aligned) before cleaning starts.
3. Dry ice cleaning per zone, with photo log and surface mapping.
4. HEPA vacuum and antimicrobial wipe-down.
5. Hygienist clearance sampling.
6. Sign-off and documentation handover.

S540 fire and smoke damage

Soot is oily, particulate-laden and fused to the substrate by heat. Wiping smears it. Pressure washing soaks already-fragile materials. Sanding generates contaminated dust. Chemical degreasers smear and yellow over time.

Dry ice lifts soot off timber framing, masonry and contents in a single pass. The substrate is preserved; the soot is captured by HEPA vacuum.

Where dry ice doesn’t replace other work in fire restoration:

• Heavily charred structural members must still be replaced.
• Smoke odour deeply absorbed into porous materials may need ozone or hydroxyl treatment as a follow-up step.
• Salvageable contents that have been water-saturated by fire suppression must be dried before dry ice cleaning.

S500 water damage equipment recovery

Flood and storm-damaged equipment — motors, gearboxes, panels, conveyors — can often be recovered if cleaned fast. The conventional approach is to dismantle, ship to a service shop, water-rinse, dry, reassemble. That’s expensive and slow.

Dry ice cleaning lets you clean equipment in place, without re-introducing moisture, alongside the dehumidification regime. We coordinate sequencing with the drying contractor and the asset owner’s electrical authority.

Documentation pack

Restoration work runs on documentation. Every job we run produces:

• Per-zone photo log. Pre-clean, during-clean, post-clean for every grid square.
• Area map. Zones marked, work sequence, sample locations.
• Procedure record. Equipment used, pellet size, pressure setting, dwell time per surface.
• Surface readings. Where applicable — surface moisture, ATP for hygiene jobs, IR for electrical.
• Operator log. Crew on site, hours worked, dry ice consumption.
• Sign-off summary. Adjuster-friendly one-pager for the claim file.

The pack is delivered as a structured PDF + photo bundle within 48 hours of job close-out.

Working with sub-trades

Most of our restoration work is sub-trade to builders running the broader restoration contract. We slot in alongside:

• Drying contractor — we work after structural drying is complete.
• Hygienist — we coordinate sample collection and clearance scheduling.
• Asset owner / customer — for in-situ contents work, we work to their access schedule.
• Insurance loss adjuster — we provide direct documentation if requested by the builder.

We don’t take over the build. We deliver the cleaning step within the build’s broader sequence.

Insurance certificates

Standard certificates we issue:

• Public liability — $20m, with sub-trade endorsement available.
• Workers compensation — current in all states we operate.
• Professional indemnity — for documentation and procedural sign-off.
• IICRC alignment statement — confirming our procedures align with the relevant standards (we don’t claim IICRC certification per se, but our crews are trained to procedures aligned with S500/S520/S540).

For sub-trade contracts, we issue certificates of currency directly to your insurance broker.

Pricing structure for restoration

Restoration jobs are quoted per scope rather than per hour. Typical structure:

• Per-zone for repeatable units (residential rooms, commercial offices, plant zones)
• Per-surface-area for large facade and structural work
• Per-asset for equipment recovery
• Per-day for very large or unstructured campaigns (rare; most work is per-zone)

Standard restoration rate cards are issued to active builder partners — so you can quote the customer with confidence and sub-trade us at a fixed rate.

When to bring us in

Earlier the better. Specifically:

• Initial scope of works. Bring us in alongside the adjuster’s first walk-through if the claim involves materials or equipment that could be cleaned rather than replaced. Our input shapes the scope.
• Drying complete. Once structural drying is at acceptable moisture content, we slot in for cleaning.
• Pre-clearance. Cleaning happens before hygienist clearance for mold or smoke residue work.

Bringing us in late on a claim usually means materials have already been written off in the scope — when in fact they could have been saved.

How to engage

For a single job: send a brief via the quote tool with the claim details. Indicate the urgency.

For an active builder relationship: email office@dryiceblasters.com.au and we’ll set up a rate card and account structure. Most builder partners run with us on a sub-trade basis with monthly billing.

For declared events: call 0478 111 024 directly. Mobilisation within 24-72 hours in metro areas.