Petrol running through her veins

Riding across the terrain at more than 50 hp, you would cut a very athletic figure. But it takes much more than that to race over hills and tackle steep curves on a motocross bike like Kärcher employee Vanessa Helpert: with a great deal of discipline, skill and perseverance, the enthusiastic motorcyclist has been doing laps on the racetrack since the age of three.

Putting her foot down

Many routines become second nature to the extent you are no longer aware of them: speeding up at the right moment, slowing down, accelerating to the maximum, barely losing balance or nerves … for as long as Vanessa Helpert can remember, motocross has been a part of her. The jumps are the hardest, but also very impressive. “You always have to be 100 % fit, both mentally and physically; every muscle is active,” says the passionate sportswoman. Vanessa is three years old when she sits on a motorbike for the first time. While her peers are learning to ride a bicycle, the Esslingen-born girl is already taking part in regular race meetings. At six years of age she competes in the Supercross in Stuttgart – against eight boys, some of whom are two years older. The audience in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer Hall go crazy as she fearlessly races around bends.

Vanessa is unstoppable, and the number of championships is increasing. She is able to train two days a week during school time. She mostly does her laps on the Rudersberg racetrack in the Rems-Murr district, but she also pursues her passion on other tracks. To this day she spends every spare minute practising the sport. “Petrol runs through my veins. I am totally fascinated by vehicles,” she says laughing. Her parents recognise early on that, in addition to driving skills, physical fitness is also very important for safe fun on the racetrack.

 Motocross drivers compete in a race on the race track in Rudersberg.

difference – Kärcher Stories

Experience exciting stories with Kärcher from digital manufacturing, to cleaning at the Jungfraujoch in the Swiss Alps and handy houshold cleaning tips. difference aims to show you how we make a difference – with our cleaning solutions and beyond. Join us on our journey through the world of Kärcher.

Get off to a clean start and leave nothing to chance

Motocross rider Vanessa Kärcher cleans her motorcycle with a Kärcher HD 5/15 C Plus.

At five years old the young driver attends Taekwondo classes two to three times a week. She also practises this sport with a lot of ambition and discipline. Vanessa still trains regularly today. She has held a black belt since 2020, thus achieving the master grade. “Sometimes it is not so easy to juggle a job and hobbies,” she says.

The time for motocross and Taekwondo has decreased steadily since finishing school; then came university, various internships, a master’s in communication management and finally entering working life. When she starts working in Kärcher’s Corporate Communications department in 2018, it feels like a happy coincidence. “During my childhood I always cleaned my motorbikes enthusiastically using a high-pressure cleaner from Kärcher.” (Pictured here is a Kärcher HD 5/15 C Plus.) 

Kärcher employee and motocross rider Vanessa Helpert performs a technical check on her motorcycle.

An off-road bike is exposed to tough conditions and must be thoroughly cleaned after every trip. “In dry weather sand and clay leave their mark and depending on the soil condition and precipitation, sometimes you have to ride through the mud,” explains Vanessa, who also gladly performs the technical checks herself. “Only when my motorbike is clean am I able to ensure that everything is OK and I will be able to enjoy it for a long time.”

Motocross racetracks are full of bumps, steep curves, bike ramps and hollows. The drivers jump as far as 30 metres, often at frequent intervals. A race is over after 20 or 25 minutes and two laps, and each competition consists of two races. It is not without reason that motocross is considered one of the toughest sports in the world. “After a race day you are completely exhausted, but incredibly satisfied”, she adds. The most strained areas are the arms, shoulders and legs. “The aching muscles are persistent, often lasting several days.”

 

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difference – The Kärcher Magazine

difference aims to show you how we make a difference – with our cleaning solutions and beyond. Join us on our journey through the world of Kärcher.

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Extreme travelling

With around 219 million passengers every year, the Shanghai Hongqiao train station in eastern China is one of the largest train stations in the world. It resembles a labyrinth, the secrets of which only a few people know – Zhu Hongyan is one of them.

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The "crime scene cleaner" in the music world

In the short film "A Rock ‘n‘ Roll Story" the hero is not some singer of a band, but the man who cleans up everything the day after the concert. Max Friedrich cleaned a club in Berlin for a long time – and witnessed and found many things in the process.

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Stuck to the Munich underworld

Nobody knows the underground stations in Munich as well as Klaus Merkel. And this knowledge will also stay in the family for a while because his son Alexander has taken over the advertising company.

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"Spiros has a perfect work-life balance"

Philip Chrobot is studying at the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy – and has won the Kärcher difference Award, now presented for the first time. His inspirational short film "Spiros – Rent A Boat" gives insights into the life and working world of the 58-year-old boat renter Spiros Bardis on the Greek island of Corfu. In this interview, Chrobot speaks about the filming and the competition.

 

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How does the world clean? International Cleaning Study 2018

People around the world spend just over two hours cleaning each week. From a mop and broom, to cleaning with steam, or leaving the chores to a vacuum robot, preferences vary around the globe. But everyone agrees about the "Why": 94% of respondents think a clean home is important.

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Road Trains

They are as much a part of Australia as kangaroos and the Great Barrier Reef: road trains supply remote areas with goods of all kinds. At over 50 metres long and weighing 130 tonnes, they are the kings of the road. But these giants spend their days exposed to extreme temperatures and aggressive dirt. A normal wash system simply wouldn’t be able to cope.

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From ultra-high-pressure to dry ice

Different challenges are in the foreground across all industries when it comes to cleaning. Cleaning methods and appliances vary accordingly. An overview.

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Everdrill

After the Antarctic and the Arctic, the glaciers in the high mountains of Asia are the third largest store of fresh water on the planet. Their meltwater fills the continent’s major rivers and supplies drinking water for billions of people. Due to their high altitude, these areas are particularly affected by climate change. The consequences for the region are fatal, with the threat of avalanches, floods and, in the long term, a significant shortage of water. Geologists use high-pressure cleaners as drills to penetrate deep layers of ice.

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Insights into a good life

Family and friends, education, health and prosperity: in its study of 155 countries, the World Happiness Report indicates that discrepancies in these areas significantly influence our feelings of happiness. The PNAS* study “Buying time promotes happiness”, meanwhile, draws attention to an additional factor that has previously remained hidden: time. Because only those who have time are able to spend it doing things that make them happy. Of course, it is up to each individual to decide whether to treat themselves to a babysitter, a cleaner or special equipment to make housework and gardening quick and easy.

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On the Hunt for Dirt

What is dust actually made of? What exactly is the difference between cleaning and tidying up? And what’s the most effective way to clean your home? We take a closer look and uncover the secrets of a squeaky-clean apartment.

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From advertising specialist to "steeplejack"

School grades and interest were a barriers to the initially planned degree in electrical engineering, so Ulrich Sukup chose Media Psychology and started his career as an advertiser for a large agency. Why he was missing a "purpose in life" and how he ended up in the airy heights of the Vierungsturm of the Votivkirche church in Vienna in order to carry out cleaning work – an exciting tale.

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"Everyone likes it clean"

The world has one thing in common as far as cleaning is concerned: a clean home is important or very important to almost everyone. This shows that household cleaning, whether regularly or irregularly, is simply part of life. But what precisely is behind all this? Who spends the most time cleaning and what aids are used most frequently for cleaning?

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No more cleaning ever again?

Robot vacuum cleaners have long since become a modern-day reality and networked cleaning systems are becoming established in the building service contractor market. But how will it continue?

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Reaching for the sky

Many people aim to reach for the sky in life, but only few follow the path being trodden by Murezi Casanova. At the Benedictine Monastery in Disentis, Switzerland, the novice and trained landscape gardener takes care of the greenery and monastery garden, and will soon add the salvation of his fellow human beings to his list of duties.

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Clean water through the power of plants

Felipe Valderrama is a very busy man. The Colombian works for the non-governmental organisation Fundación Humedales, which, among other things, is committed to providing clean water in remote areas of Colombia. And he is the one who makes it possible.

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Mud, sweat & high pressure

9,000 kilometres, a lot of desert soil almost impassable, and only one goal in mind. Each and every year, it is fascinating to see how the drivers in the Dakar Rally deal with the distance. While they are on their own between stages,The whole spectacle is by no means a one-man operation, though. A look behind the curtains...

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Telescope cleaning at the Stuttgart Observatory

Ulrich Teufel, engineer and passionate amateur astronomer, loved to gaze at the stars through the attic window of his bedroom as a boy, which is why he joined the society that looks after and maintains the observatory early on. He was no longer able to see through the dirty telescope. So he took the initiative: "Today we are going to start cleaning the telescope mirror," says Teufel. And what sounds like a simple task proves to be somewhat more challenging.

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Who is going to clean it all up?

If Santa is not careful, he will also bring dirt into the house as well as presents. We offer practical tips on how to remove this dirt quickly. We will also provide an insight into how Christmas is celebrated around the world – by looking at different Christmas customs and traditions.

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Nature as the Artist

Sparkling ice needles, glinting wafts of mist, white hoarfrost – nature is full of fascinating phenomena. Thomas Rappaport is an artist with an eye for them. In his project "giSCHt – melting sculptures" he artistically accompanies a cherry tree on its terminal way. After 80 years of blossoming, coming to red rich fruition, giving shade und being part of the all-terrain microclimate, the artist creates a unique portrait of the tree.

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Sarah's Quest for Clean Water

In order to make polluted water potable, people in Kenya often boil it – this requires a lot of firewood. This need contributes to the increasing rate of deforestation, which leads to an increase in CO2 emissions. A climate protection project in Kenya is trying to counter this. The project involves distributing water filters to households.

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How does a pressure washer work?

Anyone who has used a pressure washer before knows that cleaning outdoors can be a lot of fun. They can be used to clean practically everything on or around the house in next to no time. But how does a pressure washer actually work? And how is it made? Take a look inside the cleaning machine and come with us on a journey to the Kärcher factory in the Swabian town of Obersontheim, where we make our K 7 Full Control pressure washer.

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Jungfraujoch in the Swiss Alps: right at the top

Up to 5,000 tourists visit the Jungfraujoch in the Bernese Oberland every day – and bring a lot of dirt along with them. The workers on the Jungfraubahn railway use Kärcher cleaning appliances to clean the trains and buildings daily for their guests.

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Dawn of the digital manufacturing world

By combining industrial production with modern information and communication technology, new manufacturing concepts are created. Kärcher is confronting these new challenges and is working with an assembly line which employs Industry 4.0 principles.

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Cologne Zoo

With 1.4 million visitors annually, dirt and rubbish is often left behind in Cologne Zoo. Both the animal enclosures and green spaces must be cared for and the paths cleaned regularly. The MIC 34 municipal vehicle is used at Cologne Zoo to carry out these tasks.

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Cleaning with the experts

From the big spring clean to weekly household cleaning, the questions are often the same: where do I start and where do I stop? And above all: what is the quickest and most effective way of doing it? Question after question: the cleaning experts from Kärcher and domestic economist Urte Paaßen provide the answers.

With backing to success

The number 7 as her starting number has been with motocross rider Vanessa Helpert since she was a child.

“The most important thing is to enjoy the sport,” says the experienced racer with confidence. “Otherwise, you won’t survive.” And because of the constant risk, training rides are also only completed in full gear: with helmet, goggles, neck guard, chest protector, back protector, knee pads, elbow protectors, gloves and boots.

Rituals also provide support. Before a race many people say a quick prayer or put on their lucky charm. Vanessa needs the start number 7, “her” number. And family. Father Hans-Peter gives his daughter a “high-five” when she goes on the track. It has always been like this, and the two continue the ritual to this day. “You cannot practise the sport without the support of family, without a team,” highlights Vanessa. She knows that it has also placed tremendous demands on her parents to support her motocross career over the years and to nurture her talent. Both financially and emotionally.

 

The picture shows Kärcher employee Vanessa Helpert and three other colleagues from the corporate communications department, including one man and two women.

Motocross is a man’s world. For a long time Vanessa is the only girl on the track and races alongside the boys. Later on she also competes at national and international level with other, sometimes older female riders. In 2019 she is runner-up in the Baden-Württemberg Motocross Ladies Cup. But she still prefers competing with the men. Before every race her heart is racing. It beats at record speed beside the competing at the starting gates during the countdown to zero – each second a small eternity for Vanessa. Finally the engines are turned on and the adrenaline pumps through her body.

Now it’s time to step on the gas and speed away … The communications expert also works at full speed in her job. At the Kärcher headquarters in Winnenden, she not only creates cross-media content for various media and manages international projects but also works creatively. Just like in motocross, she also has to be flexible here and never lose sight of the objective.

Vanessa embodies her aspiration to motivate herself to achieve top performances and by enjoying what she does and excelling to the extent that she also meets every challenge at Kärcher full of ambition.

 

On the race track in Rudersberg

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