A method for extracting leachable contaminants from ion exchange resins comprises exposing the resin to supercritical carbon dioxide for a sufficient interval of time to allow at least a portion of the leachable contaminant to be solubilized by the supercritical carbon dioxide; followed by removal from the resin of the supercritical carbon dioxide having the leachable contaminant dissolved therein. The method is particularly useful for removing organic contaminants, which may or may not contain sodium or chlorine, from the resin, to thereby provide ion exchange resins which are suitable for critical use applications in the nuclear, electronics, pharmaceutical and food industries.