It is the only CO2 cleaning process that removes particles and organic residues simultaneously without any other assistance. It is a continuous process, not batch like supercritical or liquid CO2. Further, it is non destructive to well bonded overlayers, opposite the abrasive power of pellets. The snow's collisions with surface particulates impacts momentum to the surface particulates and frees them from the surface. The blowing gas just sweeps them away.
Organic removal is by two possible mechanisms, solvency and freeze fracture.
When the dry ice snow strikes the surface, the pressure increases between the surface and the dry ice. Liquid CO2 is an excellent solvent and can absorb large quantities of hydrocarbons readily. CO2 Snow cleaning can also remove silicones, and flux residues under certain conditions. In this process, the desired species are not soluble in liquid CO2 and thus a another mechanism is present. Here, the removal is by freeze-fracture, just by freezing the debris off.