Archive: The Pressure-Washing Job With Four Presidential Faces

A much larger face wash

Most cleaning crews can finish a day without getting close to a president's eyebrow. In 2005, a team at Mount Rushmore had four enormous faces on the work list: Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Lincoln.

Kärcher's project record says it worked with the National Park Service in South Dakota as part of its cultural sponsorship program. The company dates the project from July 4 to early August 2005. This is a look back at that work, not a report of a cleaning happening this week.

Source 1

The purpose went beyond the photograph

According to Kärcher, the project removed lichen, algae, moss and other organic deposits as part of conservation work. Its account describes the concern as protecting the underlying stone from biological deterioration over time.

That context matters. A dramatic location can make a cleaning job look like a spectacle, while the reason for doing it is care of the object itself. The manufacturer describes a collaboration with the monument's custodians; the project is not evidence that a homeowner should copy a technique on a stone feature.

Source 1

The rangers remembered the practical surprises

StoryCorps later recorded park rangers Donald Hart and Blaine Kortemeyer talking about the job. Its page identifies the interview as recorded in Custer, South Dakota, on July 10, 2015, and the broadcast as July 18, 2025.

Among their recollections: chipmunks gnawing on the water hose and the strange experience of finding themselves face to face with the carvings. These are the participants' memories, not a fresh site inspection by WashWiki. The original audio and transcript are linked below for readers who want the story in their own voices.

Source 2

Worth remembering, not imitating

The appeal for working pros is recognizable even at this unusual scale: the water supply, access and protection of the surface are part of the job, not background details.

This feature belongs in the archive because both the project and the interview are older records. It offers an unusual piece of trade history rather than instructions for rope access or monument cleaning. Enjoy the story through its original sources; leave the methods and access decisions to the qualified people responsible for that particular site.