Washing Chore Balloons on Lawn

In smoggy Los Angeles and environs, what goes up can come down dirty.

That’s why the owner of an aerial advertising and rental company decided to ground one of his fleet of 14 balloons used for rooftop advertisements and wash it on his Woodland Hills front lawn on Wednesday.

“We wash them about once a year,” said Mark Hays, the owner of Aerial Dimensions. “The beautiful Los Angeles air deposits quite a bit of dirt and dust.”

It took a four-man crew using brushes, detergent “and a lot of elbow grease” all day to wash the grime off the multicolored balloon, which is 35 feet tall by 30 feet across, Hays said. The balloon, which costs about $7,000, had been used to draw attention to an El Monte car dealership, he said.

Although this was the third balloon he had washed on his front lawn in the past week, Hays said that he doesn’t make it a regular practice. Still, he said he asked his Califa Street neighbors for permission before the scrubbing began.

Connie Mikkelsen, a neighbor who runs a day-care center for six children in her home, said the kids were fascinated by the balloon.

Hays said the cleaning operation wasn’t great for his lawn, which is now “a little mangled.”

“Next time, I’ll find another place,” he said.