WATCH: Museum of Natural History's Giant Blue Whale Gets Annual Washing

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — What happens when the world's largest animal needs a bath?

In the case of the gigantic blue whale model at the Museum of Natural History, it's as simple as a good twice-over with the old vacuum cleaner. The museum will be giving the 94-foot-long, 21,000-pound fiberglass model its annual cleaning starting Wednesday at 11 a.m.

And like any momentous occasion in the year 2016, the whale wash will be streamed live.

(Update: The whale got her scrubbing. Skip to 3:00 in the video to see the replay.)

Being suspended from a museum ceiling is a hard day's work, and this whale has accrued a layer of dirt and gunk. To wash the entire whale model, a replica of the largest living animal known to man, the museum effectively shuts down the main attraction at the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life for three days. But the cleaning itself has become a sort of annual show, with whale-fans flocking to see their favorite life-sized model get its yearly cleaning.

The main tool used to wipe away that layer of grime is simply a vacuum cleaner manned by an intrepid museum worker suspended by some sort of lift. Other employees also help wipe away some of the dust using long-handled brushes.

Wednesday's live stream will also be accompanied by the soothing sounds of musical hits such as "Underworld Delicacy" by John Bax, "Giant in Space" by Alan Parker and "Atlantic Blue Whale Call," recorded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Still waiting patiently for the whale wash to begin? Here are some blue whale facts, via the museum:

• Blue whales have been hunted to near extinction.
• The blue whale is the largest animal alive today, but it's also fast. Blue whales can travel up to 30 miles per hour.
• Blue whale calls can be heard 620 miles away.
• The blue whale's diet consists mainly of small crustaceans called krill.

Photo: Wikimeida Commons, author Roland Arhelger