Des Moines City Hall Scrubbed Clean Through German Company's Generosity

DES MOINES, IA — A German-based company that has power-washed everything from Mount Rushmore to the Statue of Liberty has wrapped up a steam-cleaning of Des Moines City Hall. Best yet, the company provided its cleaning services to the city at no cost, saving taxpayers an estimated $80,000.

Karcher Professional USA, which makes pressure-washing tools and wet/dry cleaning machines for personal, commercial and industrial use, donated the materials and manpower for restoration work on the 105-year-old City Hall as part of its "cultural sponsorship" cleaning program.

The family-owned company has completed more than 150 similar scrubbings on public buildings and monuments worldwide in the past 30 years and said on its Facebook page it was proud to tackle the project in Des Moines. It is the only company known to provide the complimentary services.

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"There is no better place to see what our cleaning products can do than in our international cleaning projects," the company says on its website, "from the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin – Kärcher cleans the world."

The steam-cleaning project blasted water heated to more than 300 degrees onto the City Hall stone to strip away a buildup of grime and bacterial material. Karcher plans to return to Des Moines next summer for a restoration project on the Des Moines Police Department headquarters.

Image via City of Des Moines website