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- March 27, 2007
Baesler's Market at 2900 Poplar has "gone green" in many ways - carrying organically grown foods, using corn-based plastic packaging that biodegrades, carrying natural beef - and now the store has even "cleaned green."
Storeowner Bob Baesler said he recently used a relatively new technology, dry ice blasting, to clean the store's bakery department without chemical cleaning solvents.
"This is definitely an important technology where environmental safety is a concern," Baesler said. "It has applications in the deli and meat departments, in fact, all over the store."
Dry ice blasting uses compressed air to accelerate solid carbon dioxide (CO2) dry ice pellets that literally strip surfaces of residues and dirt. It is the rapid expansion of the high-density pellets into a gas that causes a tiny "explosion," which loosens contaminants. The process is non-abrasive so it is safe for equipment, and it leaves no toxic waste to clean up.
Baesler's contracted with Diamond Equipment of Indianapolis to bring the dry ice blasting equipment into the store. "Everything can be cleaned in place," Baesler said, "and the cleaning equipment can reach into areas that are hard to reach with brushes or chemicals, making it a very thorough cleaning."
Baesler noted that dry ice blasting is intended for industrial uses, but for customers who want to eliminate chemical solvents when cleaning their own homes, the store carries several environmentally safe cleaning products.
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