When dirt, mud, and a man in need strike: KÄRCHER comes to the rescue
How do you clean George Washington’s nose? Obviously: with a Kärcher. After all, all lichens, algae, and moss, as well as organic dirt, must be thoroughly removed so that his presidential olfactory organ isn’t damaged by biocorrosion—which, by the way, also applies to Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
Every landmark gets special, customized treatment!
Don’t worry: KÄRCHER’s so-called “cultural sponsorship” doesn’t involve disparaging dignitaries—it involves cleaning monuments. Just like the presidential heads at Mount Rushmore. It’s one of the company’s many social initiatives. Since 1980, KÄRCHER has cleaned around 200 significant structures free of charge, in close collaboration with art historians. But rather than high pressure, what’s needed here is, above all, a delicate touch. Each landmark receives a specially tailored treatment. The statues of saints at Berlin Cathedral, for example, were cleaned in two steps. First, biogenic growth was removed using high-pressure hot-water cleaners set to the steam mode at 95°C and a reduced pressure of 0.5–1 bar. Next, stubborn encrustations were tackled using a low-pressure particle blasting method with an aluminum silicate abrasive. Such cleaning processes can take anywhere from several months to years, as specific test areas must first be established.
Famous monuments like Cologne Cathedral, the Colossi of Memnon in Egypt, or the Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem aren’t something you just clean on a whim. But what if speed is of the essence? Take the 2021 flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, for example—when rapid assistance is needed? Even then, you can count on KÄRCHER, as Stefan Sorce, Head of Global Logistics at HARIBO, reports. The HARIBO facility in Grafschaft-Ringen in the Ahrweiler district was quickly turned into a supply center and command post for emergency responders to help manage the situation. Basically, everyone pitched in when the need was most urgent—including Stefan Sorce. He uploaded a few photos to social media showing him at work with a KÄRCHER high-pressure washer—which KÄRCHER saw and subsequently reached out to him about. After a brief exchange, it was clear: KÄRCHER would supply steam cleaners to HARIBO to help get things moving on the ground in the Ahr Valley—quickly, without red tape, and free of charge.
