Finnish Parliament building undergoes high-pressure steam cleaning after vandalism by environmental activists

Today, the Finnish Parliament building is undergoing an experimental cleaning using high-pressure steam without chemicals. The cleaning is necessary due to remnants of red paint that environmental activists sprayed on the columns last week.

Sari Turunen, the facility manager of the Parliament, stated that this morning, the cleaning of the columns is taking place as per a proposal from the National Museum of Finland. A private company, Ukri, has been contracted to carry out the cleaning.

Turunen explained the aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of steam cleaning. “We are trying to find the most gentle cleaning methods, and this is among the mildest options,” she noted.

The total costs for the cleaning are not yet known, but Turunen indicated that even the crane expenses alone could reach thousands of euros. Last week, Parliament staff performed an initial cleaning using a pressure washer, which also required a crane due to the height at which the paint was applied.

Residues of paint remain on the granite columns, especially in the seams. Some traces are also found on the metallic structures of the doors. Environmental organizations Elokapina and Sweden’s Återställ Våtmarker vandalized the columns of the Parliament building with red paint on Wednesday of last week.