On July 1, Canada Day celebrations get all the spotlight. But there’s another important Canadian milestone that’s celebrated (but only in Quebec) on July 1: Moving Day.

July 1 marks the date when thousands of fixed-term rental leases expire in the province. Although it is no longer legally required to be the only day Quebecers move, the tradition has been in place for decades and sees much of the big cities in disarray the day after the big move. That’s where SpongeTowels decided to capitalize.

The Kruger-owned CPG brand deployed two of its SpongeTowel mascots (better known as Spongie) and some additional moving crew members on July 2 to lend a helping hand by cleaning up the streets of Montreal. The crew was found refining street corners, removing clutter and abandoned furniture, polishing the cobblestones of Old Montréal and more. The brand also donated salvaged furniture to Fripe-Prix Renaissance, which re-purposes donated home items.

The Spongies engaged Montrealers and encouraged them to post photos from the day on social media – those who posted with the hashtag “#SpongeTowels” were entered to win a year’s supply of SpongeTowels.

This isn’t the first time SpongeTowels has done a massive city cleanup – a small team of Spongies was spotted earlier this spring polishing up Toronto after the melt of a major ice storm. This was, however, the first time SpongeTowels has performed the stunt in Montreal and tied it to a traditional event.

A digital video was created to mark the day and Kruger worked with Strategic Objectives on PR and the overall stunt activation, as well as creative agency LG2 and video production house Black Box Productions.