Red Rocks Ampitheatre got a steamy Spring cleaning on Thursday, with Kärcher — an industrial cleaning company founded in Germany — using its products to gently restore some of the venue's iconic sandstone to its original luster.
"With this kind of machine, we're very flexible... We're cleaning in steam mode, which is much more gentle on the surface because its pressure is reduced," said Thorsten Moewes, a Kärcher cleaning specialist.
Moewes and his colleagues are working at Red Rocks for about a week. It appears to be the first steam clean for the world's most attended outdoor concert venue.
Brandon Gonzales steam cleans the steps of Red Rocks Ampitheatre in Morrison, Colo. on Thursday, March 20, 2025. Gonzales, alongside other Kärcher employees, are removing years of dirt, some biological matter such as algae and even some bubblegum.
Red Rocks is the latest site in the company's "Cultural Sponsorship Cleaning" program, which in its more than 40 years has done over 200 cleaning jobs. They include Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, an ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor and the Presidents' heads of Mount Rushmore. Each job is also done free of charge.
While the company was founded in Germany, its North American Headquarters is in Aurora, Colo.
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