In the past, the only way you could remove paint or some other unsightly material from a surface was to chip it off, sand blast it, use harsh chemicals, or sand until your arm fell off, or your equipment failed.
In most cases, after these time consuming or hazardous methods are discarded, the final solution was to paint over it.
Soda particles remove contaminants by the energy released when the particles explode as they come in contact with the surface to be cleaned.
Soda blasting will not damage the base material.