San Agustin church gets steam cleanup

MANILA,Philippines — The 16th-century San Agustin church and its adjoining convent and museum received a restorative cleanup recently from a Germany-based company that helps preserve historic landmarks all over the world.

 Kärcher cleaning expert Thorsten Moewes said they used steam from hot water high-pressure cleaners, with the pressure reduced by half, to preserve the façade of the church, one of four Baroque churches in the Philippines to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

“With our technology, we are removing the biological growth of algae, mosses, small plants, and emission pollution from the centuries-old limestone. It is our goal to contribute to the preservation of this valuable building by cleaning it,” Moewes said.

The firm cleaned the church from Nov. 15 to 20.

Rev. Fr. Ricky Villar, director of the San Agustin museum, said the façade was last cleaned six or seven years ago and involved manual scrubbing. Kärcher’s system made it easier to clean the church and convent.

“We are very grateful to this partnership with Kärcher. The non-pressurized setting of the equipment is safe for the structure as it uses steam to free the church façade from dark spots or any kind of vegetation,” Villar said. 

“This technology expedites the process, which is beneficial because the church is visited by people everyday,” he added. 

The San Agustin Church is the third historic landmark in the Philippines to be spruced up by Kärcher, which cleaned the Rizal Monument in December 2017 and the People Power Monument in February 2018.