About Sublime
Cleanliness is no longer cosmetic. It's operational.
In modern industrial environments, contamination is no longer a question of appearance. It affects asset reliability, equipment performance, fire risk, regulatory compliance and operational continuity. The cost of getting it wrong has never been higher, and the technology used to address it has never been more sensitive.
Sublime exists because the standard approach to industrial cleaning hasn't kept pace with the environments it serves. Too often, the wrong method is applied to the wrong problem, causing damage, introducing secondary waste, or simply failing to remove what matters.
We take a different approach. We assess before we clean. We select method based on substrate, contamination type, and operational context. And we treat cleaning as what it has become: a critical process in the lifecycle of high-value assets.
Our approach
Method-led, not tool-led
Most cleaning companies sell a method. We assess the task, then select the method.
Contamination is not one-dimensional. It exists in layers (surface, bound, and embedded), each requiring a different approach. Different materials behave differently. Different contaminants respond differently. A single technique applied to every job will either underperform or cause damage.
We work the other way around. We assess the substrate, the contamination type, the depth of penetration, and the operational constraints, then apply the right method for the task.
Today, dry ice blasting is our primary method, chosen because it solves the widest range of precision cleaning challenges without introducing secondary risk. As our capability expands to include laser cleaning and other advanced technologies, our principle remains the same: select the right method for every environment.
Our founders
Built on cross-industry experience
Sublime was founded by Edward Buchanan and James Thorne: two paths to the same conclusion.
Edward Buchanan
Co-founder
Edward's came through Environmental Geology at the University of Sheffield, where a module on decontamination across nuclear, coal and gas power stations made one thing clear: there is no single approach to decontamination. The right method depends on the substrate, the contaminant, the operational context, and the consequences of getting it wrong. That perspective stayed. Years later, working in car restoration, the same lesson emerged in a different form. Abrasive methods (sandblasting, shot blasting, media blasting) offered real advantages, but came with significant trade-offs: residue, secondary contamination, and the need for complete disassembly. Dry ice blasting solved many of those problems. But it wasn't perfect either, and it wasn't right for every application.
James Thorne
Co-founder
James arrived at the same conclusion from a different industry. After running a successful commercial electrical company in London, he saw the same problem repeating across high-value environments: data centres, commercial offices, and critical electrical infrastructure where contamination on live assets carries real operational and financial risk, and where conventional cleaning methods simply aren't viable. Dry ice blasting offered something specific: a non-conductive, non-abrasive process suitable for live electrical applications. But the same caveat held: it wasn't a universal answer.
Sublime was built on that shared recognition. No single method solves every cleaning challenge. The technology matters, but the judgement about when and how to apply it matters more. That principle (method first, technology second) is what Sublime exists to deliver.
Our team
A team built around the method
Our team of specialists combines hands-on operational experience with technical expertise across substrates, contaminants, and cleaning environments. Every project is assessed by someone qualified to make the right call, and delivered by operators trained to execute it precisely.
Looking ahead
Where we're going
Precision cleaning is evolving. As industrial environments become more contamination-sensitive, more automated, and more tightly regulated, the methods used to maintain them must evolve too.
We're building Sublime as a multi-technology consultancy, one that combines dry ice blasting with laser cleaning, hybrid methods, and emerging precision cleaning technologies as they prove themselves in the field. The method comes first. The technology serves the method.
Get in touch
Discuss your environment
Every site is different. The first conversation isn't a sales call. It's an assessment of what you're dealing with, what's at stake, and which approach actually fits.
Request a process assessmentor call: 01736 804118
