Rentokil Specialist Hygiene has teamed up with Rosemary Works School in Hackney to unveil their new, environmentally friendly graffiti removal service, called ‘EcoBlasting’, with a special art project.
The partnership saw the school’s Year 3 children tasked with creating their own self-portraits, before four were chosen to be turned into basic outline stencils (measuring 1m2) that were then ‘EcoBlasted’ onto a canal facing wall at the school.
The wall had been subjected to a lot of graffiti in the past, but thanks to Rentokil’s eco-friendly service, it has now been cleaned and all that remains are the images of Dolly, Gowan, Oscar and Matilda (all aged 8).
After the project was completed, Luke Rutterford, Technical Manager at Rentokil Specialist Hygiene, said: “It is widely recognised that graffiti can leave a negative impression for residents, passers-by or customers entering a building, but at the same time, its removal needs to be handled in an appropriate way.
“This new EcoBlasting service offers businesses, schools and other organisations a cost-effective and quick solution for removing graffiti from their property in a safe and environmentally friendly way.”
Rob Dell, Head Teacher at Rosemary Works School, added: “It’s a great incentive for our pupils to see that their work can be turned into permanent pieces of ‘clean’ street art. We hope the many thousands of people that pass by the canal enjoy seeing these portraits as much as we have enjoyed creating them.”
Rentokil Specialist Hygiene’s EcoBlasting service uses compressed air to blast environmentally-friendly abrasives, such as bicarbonate of soda or recycled glass, to remove layers of graffiti. Unlike alternative graffiti cleaning methods, EcoBlasting involves neither corrosive chemicals nor excessive amounts of water, giving it a far smaller environmental footprint. This method, which can also be used for the cleaning of fire and smoke damage, can be used on glass, wood, metal, brick and most stone surfaces, including soft stone, such as limestone, which would be eroded by acidic cleaner.
