BOSTON -- Boston Mayor Tom Menino wants to wipe the city clean of unsightly graffiti.

NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported Wednesday that crews were out power-washing Boston's top tagged neighborhoods -- Allston, Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston, Mission Hill and the Back Bay. It’s part of Menino's Wipe It Clean Week.

VIDEO: Menino Works To Wipe City Clean

"We want to have pride in our neighborhoods. It's great for the business community. It's about working together," Menino said.

Normally, it’s the city's two graffiti teams that blast tags across the city, but for one week, crews from several city and state departments will pitch in, helping clean up 45 locations.

The week will make a small dent in a backlog of 125 graffiti removal requests.

"It's the broken window theory: Clean one area, and it's going to take care of another. I think the pride of a community shows when you walk down the street. When it's a clean street, free of graffiti, I think that makes a difference," Boston City Councilor Michael Ross said.

"I think as residents and business owners we are responsible for making sure graffiti gets cleaned. I don’t think we should hand that over as a city responsibility. It has to be a cooperative effort," said Patricia Flaherty, of Mission Hill.