--- description: It holds an estimated 1 million pieces of gum title: The Famous Gum Wall in Seattle Is Getting Cleaned After 20 Years image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt26bf624cf58c622e/69886f6ecf40a8796ec407a7/gettyimages-104394815.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Famous Gum Wall in Seattle Is Getting Cleaned After 20 Years by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 3, 2015 9:00 PM CUT  Tourists from all over the world have come to stick chewing gum to a wall on Post Alley near Pike Place Market in Seattle. Tourists from all over the world have come to stick chewing gum to a wall on Post Alley near Pike Place Market in Seattle.Barcroft Media— Getty Images by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 3, 2015 9:00 PM CUT If you’ve ever travelled to Seattle, you’ve likely visited the famous Gum Wall at Pike Place Market. And if you haven’t, you’d better hurry up, because it’s getting scrubbed down for the first time in 20 years. The wall,which was once[ named](http://www.seattletimes.com/photo-video/northwest-wanderings-germy-wall-and-a-healthy-sense-of-humor/ "undefined") the second-germiest tourist attraction in the world, is cleaned regularly with a steamer. But this will be the first time all the gum—an estimated 1 million pieces—will be removed, the Seattle _Times_ [reports.](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/pike-place-market-to-give-post-alley-gum-wall-a-scrubdown/ "undefined") Why? Because the chemicals, sugar and additives in the gum are starting to wear on the building’s brick exterior. The gum will be removed with an industrial steam machine, which will melt it until it falls to the ground. Then a crew of two or three people will collect it in five-gallon buckets. The entire job is expected to cost $4,000 and will begin Tues., Nov. 10. To say goodbye to the original gum, the market is hosting [a photo contest](https://www.facebook.com/PublicMarketCenter/?sk=app%5F565204660299841&app%5Fdata=referer%5Foverride%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252F "undefined") on Facebook where users can submit their snapshots of the beloved wall. After the cleaning is over, people will be allowed to keep the tradition going by adding more gum. “We’re not saying it can’t come back,” Emily Crawford, a spokeswoman for the Pike Place Market Preservation & Development Authority, told the Seattle _Times._ “We need to wipe the canvas clean and keep fresh.” _Read next:_ [_You Asked: Should I Chew Gum?_](http://time.com/4053793/chewing-gum/ "undefined") ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. 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