When temperatures start to rise and there’s a threat of blackouts, you may have an interest in stocking up on some dry ice.
Dry ice is useful for keeping things cool.
However, it’s not always easy to find places that sell dry ice.
Since dry ice is a bit different from standard ice, you may wonder where you can buy it.
Here are 10 places where you can buy dry ice.
Where Can I Buy Dry Ice? (10 Places)
1. Meijer
If you’re in the Midwest, then one of the best places to get dry ice is at Meijer.
Meijer is a one-stop shopping center.
It has everything from grocery items to household products.
You can even find pet fish and pet supplies at their stores.
Meijer also sells dry ice and regular ice.
You can buy it online for delivery, or you can buy it at your local Meijer store in person.
Meijer sells its dry ice by the pound.
2. Kroger
If you don’t live anywhere near a Meijer, then you may live close to a Kroger.
Kroger has tons of different brands and services.
For example, you can get your prescriptions filled at some Kroger stores.
They also sell dry ice.
Not every Kroger has dry ice available for delivery or pick-up.
As such, if you want to get dry ice at Kroger, you’ll need to head to the store.
3. Reddy Ice
If you find yourself in need of a large quantity of dry ice, then you may want to consider getting it at Reddy Ice.
Reddy Ice is an ice supplier that operates throughout the United States.
It has a few physical stores where you can go and buy as much ice as you need.
It also offers regular deliveries for large quantities of dry ice, depending on your location.
For example, if you want to pick up dry ice, then you can get them at the Reddy Ice locations in:
- Savannah, Georgia
- Shreveport, Louisiana
- Baltimore, Maryland
- El Paso, Texas
- San Antonio, Texas
- Charlottesville, Virginia
If you want to receive large quantities of ice, you first need to make an account with Reddy Ice.
You also need to live in the following areas to qualify for the deliveries:
- Pelham, Alabama
- Northport, Alabama
- Yuma, Arizona
- Denver, Colorado
- New Smyrna Beach, Florida
- Miami, Florida
- Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Eugene, Oregon
- Harlingen, Texas
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Kennewick, Washington
- Moses Lake, Washington
Reddy Ice makes getting dry ice a lot easier.
4. Arctic Glacier Premium Ice
Those who live on the West Coast of the United States can rely on Arctic Glacier Premium Ice.
They deliver ice to you.
They’re able to offer ice to residents, industrialists, and even artists.
For example, they have specialty ice blocks that ice carvers can use to make incredible works of art.
Those who want dry ice won’t face disappointment either.
Arctic Glacier Premium Ice sells and delivers dry ice.
That said, they only have a few locations that can transport dry ice.
If you’re in the following areas, you can buy dry ice from them:
- Tacoma, WA
- Medford, OR
- Modesto, CA
- Vernon, CA
- Bellflower, CA
- Van Nuys, CA
If you need regular deliveries of dry ice, Arctic Glacier Premium Ice can help.
5. Safeway
Another popular grocery store that sells dry ice is Safeway.
You can find it at most, if not all, of their locations.
Safeway is a grocery store that also offers certain services like Pharmacy.
It offers affordable groceries as well as other products to ensure you can find everything you need.
The store sells dry ice in bulk which means you can buy a pound of dry ice.
They also price their dry ice per pound.
If you don’t feel like traveling to your local Safeway store, you can also have it delivered to your home.
You can also pick it up at the store after checking out on the store’s website.
If you need dry ice and have a Safeway near you, you can get your dry ice easily.
6. Publix
Another big grocery store that sells dry ice is Publix.
Like many other grocery stores, Publix does its best to have everything you could need.
That includes dry ice.
They sell one-pound bags.
Publix doesn’t have their dry ice readily available, however.
If you want to buy dry ice at Publix, you need to contact one of the store associates.
They’ll get the dry ice for you.
Then you can check out with it.
Publix does not have a delivery service available for its dry ice, nor does it have a pick-up option for its dry ice.
The only way to get it is to go to the store and speak to an associate.
7. HEB
If you’re in Texas, then you can go to your local HEB to get some dry ice.
Keep in mind though that it isn’t an item that the store regularly stocks.
As such, your particular store might be out of it.
They may also not carry it at all.
You’ll want to go to an HEB that is in a metro area.
They’re more likely to have dry ice than HEB stores in rural areas.
To ensure you’re not wasting your gas, it’s worth calling the specific store ahead to see if they have it in stock.
HEB also does not have dry ice available on their online store.
As such, you won’t be able to order it for delivery or pick-up.
The only way to get dry ice at an HEB store is to drive to one and either look for it or speak to a sales associate.
Although HEB makes you work for it, some of its stores do sell dry ice.
8. Smart & Final
Smart & Final is a grocery store with locations in the western part of the United States.
It also has dry ice available.
They sell dry ice by the pound.
You can buy their dry ice in person at the store or online.
Smart & Final has locations in the following states:
- California
- Arizona
- Montana
- Washington
- Oregon
- Utah
- Nevada
- New Mexico
If you live in one of those states, check and see if you have a Smart & Final near you.
They can be a reliable source of dry ice.
9. Dry Ice Corp
Those who live in the northeast portion of the United States can get their dry ice from Dry Ice Corp.
It’s a supplier of various dry ice products.
Since they specialize in dry ice, you get a few more options through them.
They sell their dry ice products in pellets.
You can get either a 25-pound bag of pellets or a 45-pound bag of pellets.
Since Dry Ice Corp is a supplier, they’ll deliver the dry ice to you.
10. Airgas
A final place where you can get dry ice is Airgas.
Airgas is a dry ice supplier that specializes in selling dry ice to commercial vendors.
They also offer home delivery options.
Airgas focuses on selling high-quality dry ice that its customers can use in industrial and scientific industries.
If you’re buying it for private use, you can expect some incredible quality.
If you need premium dry ice, you might want to consider buying it from Airgas.
How Should You Transport Dry Ice?
If you’ve never bought dry ice before, there are a few precautions you should consider before buying it.
Dry ice is carbon dioxide in solid form.
While it’s called ice, it isn’t made out of water like standard ice is.
Because it’s carbon dioxide, it does pose a health risk for those who handle and transport it.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind to ensure you’re able to buy and transport dry ice safely.
1. Bring Your License
In many cases, stores will require you to prove your age before buying dry ice.
That’s because stores are aware of the dangers that dry ice presents.
If a child were to get their hands on it, they could hurt themselves or others.
They could also, unknowingly, create a dry ice bomb.
To ensure you’re able to buy the dry ice without any problems, you’ll want to make sure that you have some form of ID on you that proves your age.
2. Bring A Solid, Well-Insulated, Cooler
Another important thing to bring with you to the store is a cooler.
You don’t want to leave the dry ice exposed to the air.
It will melt quickly that way.
Instead, you’ll want to preserve it for as long as possible by keeping it in a cooler.
Most coolers can’t support the frigid temperatures that dry ice stays frozen at.
As such, even in your cooler, your dry ice is going to be melting.
Dry ice doesn’t melt like normal ice either.
Instead of becoming a liquid, carbon dioxide becomes a gas.
To ensure you preserve as much dry ice as possible, you’ll need to get a thick cooler.
The thicker it is, the better it is at insulating the temperature within it.
Keep your cooler in the back of your car if you’re unable to bring it in with you into the store.
The lid should be open and ready to receive the dry ice.
3. Wear Gloves And A Long-Sleeved Shirt
Another protective measure you’ll need to take is to wear gloves.
Leather gloves will do fine, but if you can get large, rubber, gloves designed for use with dry ice, that’s even better.
You don’t want your skin to come into contact with dry ice.
While exposure for a quick touch is fine, constant exposure results in burns.
They’re not unlike getting burns from a hot stove or fire.
Because the ice is so cold, it injures and kills the cells on your skin.
If you prolong your exposure to the dry ice, more cells get killed.
You could end up needing your fingers or hands removed since they’re dead.
To avoid that, you’ll want to wear protective gloves when handling the dry ice.
Even if the dry ice comes in a bag, you should still wear gloves.
It’s also important to wear a long-sleeved shirt when handling dry ice.
This is especially true if your gloves don’t roll to your elbows.
If the dry ice is large and you’re trying to hold it, you might end up resting it against your arms as you carry it.
This means your arms become exposed to the dry ice.
They’ll receive burns, too.
A long-sleeved shirt ensures that the fabric covers the skin.
While the dry ice can still hurt you, it’s better than direct skin contact.
For the best case, you should wear protective gloves.
4. Buy The Dry Ice Last
If you have a large grocery list, you’ll want to save buying your dry ice for last.
That’s because dry ice melts fast.
It changes from its solid form into its gas form by 10 to 15 pounds every 24 hours.
That’s when it’s in its ideal conditions.
When you take it out of those conditions, it’s going to turn into its gas form a lot faster.
To get the most use of it, you’ll want to buy it as soon as you’re ready to leave the store.
Once you’ve bought it, you shouldn’t take any detours.
Get right to your car and put it in the cooler.
5. Keep Car Windows Down
Once you’re in your car, you’ll want to put the dry ice in the cooler.
As long as the cooler isn’t air-tight, you can leave it closed.
If it is air-tight, you should consider leaving the cooler lid open slightly.
Air-tight coolers are problematic for dry ice because they can create a dry ice bomb.
When carbon dioxide condenses in its gas form, it takes up more space.
If there is nowhere for the gas to go, the pressure inside the container can reach unbearable levels until it finally explodes.
As long as your cooler can let some gas escape from it, you should be fine.
However, because there will be gas escaping the cooler, it’s important that you have your car’s windows down.
That’s because with the gas filling your car, it’s going to be overtaking oxygen.
You might suffocate.
By having the car windows down, you’re allowing the carbon dioxide gas to escape from your car safely.
This is the best way to transport carbon dioxide to your destination.
How To Store Dry Ice
While knowing how to buy and transport dry ice is one part of the equation, knowing how to store it is another.
If you don’t know how to safely store dry ice, you could face some serious problems.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when storing your dry ice.
1. Avoid Using Metal Or Glass Containers
If you don’t have a cooler, you might consider using a metal or glass container like a jar instead.
You shouldn’t use these types of containers to store your dry ice.
Since most metal and glass containers are also air-tight, you’ll create the perfect conditions for a shrapnel bomb.
Once enough gas fills the container, the pressure will cause the container to explode sending shards of metal and glass everywhere.
You could seriously hurt someone if not yourself.
When storing your dry ice, avoid using metal or glass containers.
2. Keep Dry Ice Out Of Poorly-Ventilated Areas
Another thing to keep in mind is to avoid placing the cooler in a poorly-ventilated area.
You might think that putting the cooler in the basement is a great place since it’s always cool there.
That isn’t the case.
A basement or similar location isn’t very ventilated.
As such, as the gas leaves the cooler, it fills the room instead.
It could even pass through the vents and enter other areas of your home.
This could prove fatal if you tend to enclose yourself in a room for hours on end.
You could suffocate.
Instead, you should leave the cooler in an area that has plenty of ventilation.
This allows the gas to escape harmlessly.
3. Avoid Putting it On Countertops
Dry ice can crack certain types of countertops.
If it’s tiled or has a solid surface, there’s a chance that the freezing temperature of the dry ice might crack it.
You might want to put it on a thick blanket or wood instead.
When looking for a surface to store the dry ice, don’t put it on your countertops.
Conclusion
Dry ice can be a great addition to a cocktail or certain desserts.
It also makes the perfect atmospheric fog for Halloween parties.
You can buy dry ice from the locations listed above, but you’ll want to take great care in buying, transporting, and storing it.
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