Have you ever walked past an old statue or historic building and wondered about how it is cleaned and maintained? Maintaining the UK's heritage is a specialist task.
Great historic buildings and impressive statues aren't just a reminder of the nation's past, they are also very much part of the present day. With some of the country's statues having been in place for hundreds of years, it's no surprise that some of them fall into a state of disrepair.
Treating monuments with the respect that they deserve is vital. A monument that has fallen into a state of disrepair loses it's intended splendour and can become an eye-sore, affecting the entire area in which it is placed.
In a sense, a poorly kept monument or statue often becomes a symbol of the neighbourhood in which it is found.
Cleaning and maintaining monuments is not a simple task. Given the age of the structures and the different materials used in their construction, maintenance in the UK tends to be carried out by commercial cleaning specialists, often appointed by local councils.
It wasn't always the case that the UK's historic structures were dealt with so carefully. In the past, the cleaning of statues, monuments and historic homes often relied upon abrasive cleaning techniques.
Such techniques tended to leave statues looking cleaner in the short term. Unfortunately, they also often led to longer term structural damage. In effect, they meant that statue maintenance was to become more difficult.
Modern solutions concentrate on using non-abrasive methods. These techniques clean monuments without doing damage.
Speaking to one of the UK's leading experts, it also become clear that companies try to avoid using chemicals where possible.
Although chemicals are still required for some jobs, they are seen as being harmful to the environment. As a result, cleaning companies are trying to reduce their reliance on such chemicals.
Next time you walk past a monument, maybe you'll stop to ponder just how much works goes into maintaining it.
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