Monumen Nasional - Jakarta, Indonesia

Kärcher cleans Indonesian national monument

As part of its international cultural sponsorship programme, Kärcher cleaned the Indonesian national monument, "Monumen Nasional", in Jakarta. The cleaning machine manufacturer from Winnenden had already removed damaging soiling from the 132-metre-high obelisk in 1992.

The 20-strong German-Indonesian cleaning team divided the project into two phases: first, an HDS 6/14 hot water high-pressure cleaner was used to remove deposits from the base of the monument. The dislodged dirt was then picked up when a BD 530 Ep scrubber drier was used to clean the ground, leaving the surface dry and fit to walk on.

In the second stage, two experienced cleaning experts went up high. Ropes were used to haul the technicians up to the visitors' platform 115 metres above ground level. Hot water jets were used to gently remove emission soiling such as soot, grease and oil from the marble surface – entirely without the use of cleaning agents. The hot water required for this was first pumped up to the viewing platform at a pressure of 25 bar and there it was collected in three 1,000-litre tanks which were used to feed the HDS 12/18-4 S hot water high-pressure cleaners. The water passed through 120-metre-long high-pressure hoses to the spray lances used by the operators.

The tower, with its gold-coated flame at the top, was opened in 1975 and is a symbol of Indonesia's independence. The project marked the launch of a series of further cleaning initiatives by the city of Jakarta, initiatives which will be supported by Kärcher.