Seattle’s historic ‘chewing gum wall’ cleaned up

The bricks in the wall were at risk of erosion from the sugar sticking to them, which is why the conservators opted for steam cleaning rather than pressure washing. But no one can say just how long the wall will stay gum-free. In the years since, it’s become a popular spot for tourists, with the city of Seattle declaring it a local attraction in 1999. Tourists and citizens alike flock to the wall each year to leave their chewed-up Dubble Bubble and Juicy Fruit. Fernando Soberania uses a tool to scrape layers of gum from Seattle’s famous “gum wall” at Pike Place Market, Tuesday, November 10, 2015.

People began putting their used gum on the wall while waiting for shows at the nearby Market Theater two decades ago. Since then, it has expanded beyond one wall and on to other walls of an alley, pipes and even the theatre’s box office window. Now the gum is being removed with an industrial steam machine, which will melt it until it falls to the ground.

“We’ll find out at the end of the week how right my guesstimate really is”, she said. The cleaning is expected to take three days.

It contains thousands of pieces of chewed gum, a few of which has been arranged to create messages and artwork.

This week a worker in a plastic protective suit and mask used a steam cleaner to blast off parts of the wall where many have used their gum to anchor photos, love notes, business cards and artwork.

Following a busy summer season, market leaders decided now was as good a time as any to wipe the wall clean and start fresh, Crawford said.