What Can I Use To Clean A Stone Fireplace

I have been a genealogist for over 25 years, and I award those whose graves I run across in cemeteries.

How to Clean Old Headstones / Gravestones

Keely Deuschle

Aid Preserve the Past

Cemeteries are where many of us choose as our last resting place. It is the identify where our loved ones will return to pay their respects to u.s.a.. Merely equally time passes, the headstone marking where we rest may become worn, discolored, covered with lichen, or fifty-fifty broken.

If you've been to a cemetery to visit a loved one, you probably noticed many stones, especially older ones, in desperate need of repair or at to the lowest degree a good cleaning. Some may be worn beyond readability, equally well. We can accept steps to ensure that the place that marks where our loved ones prevarication can be taken care of then that our children, grandchildren, and bully-grandchildren tin continue to pay respect to our ancestors.

You may think that because the cemetery is a perpetual care cemetery, the headstones would be maintained under that intendance. Still, perpetual care ordinarily provides for the keeping of the grounds and regular maintenance of the overall cemetery. This may include cut grass, planting and caring for trees, road maintenance, drainage, and sometimes straightening of the markers.

Perpetual care cemeteries really only came into existence about 75 years ago, and, sadly, many old cemeteries accept been lost. Fifty-fifty for those sometime ones that are maintained, more often than not, the stones are in desperate need of help.

The following steps beneath will help you in cleaning gravestones as safely as possible to prevent further harm to the gravestone:

• Acquire proper tools
• Take appropriate precautions
• Recognize headstone types
• Showtime cleaning headstones
• Things to avoid while cleaning

Before you caput out to the cemetery, be certain to take some basic supplies with you. These supplies include:

• Jugs of distilled h2o (or garden hose if water admission is bachelor)
• Spray bottle/garden sprayer (new, never used for any type of chemic)
• Natural bristle castor or nylon brush, varying sizes and stiffness
• Business firm toothbrush
• Sponges
• Craft sticks (to gently remove lichens)

Have Appropriate Precautions

Before you lot attempt to clean a headstone, you must first check its status. If there is prove of any of the following, do not proceed with cleaning:

• Any stability issues any
• The stone or lettering has whatsoever show of flaking or parts of the stone falling away
• Fractures anywhere on the stone
• If anything fifty-fifty slightly suggests that the headstone is fragile or fifty-fifty slightly vulnerable
• If gently borer the rock or the base results in any hollow sound
• A wooden headstone

If the condition of the stone appears to exist okay, keep in mind the following basic suggestions when outset to clean a headstone. It is of import to note, that if the just reason to clean a stone is to remove lichens, algae, etc., information technology is not necessary every bit it may practice more impairment to the rock than good.

Recognize Headstone Types

Near headstones are fabricated up of natural stones that are comprised of salts and minerals. The about common types of headstones existing today are made of sandstone, granite, marble, and limestone. Due to its ease of maintaining a cemetery, flat bronze markers are becoming more than popular in cemeteries, particularly memorial parks.

The natural stone tombstones can withstand varying degrees of cleaning, with nigh early ones being able to tolerate very footling. Limestone and sandstone are very soft stones and were used a lot in early cemeteries because they were easy to carve. (The Mohs hardness scale rates it having a hardness of 3–4.)

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Unfortunately, gravestones made from these types of rock ofttimes wear away faster, with many very onetime ones being no longer readable; this is due to the many environmental conditions that they're exposed to. Additionally, for many sandstone markers, water or moisture would accrue in its cracks, and when temperatures dropped, freezing conditions would cause the rock to crack or pause.

Marble was primarily used for headstones and monuments prior to the 1920s. Its hardness is rated between a four and 7. It is basically a recrystallized grade of limestone. Some preferred marble considering it withstood the elements slightly better than limestone and sandstone but was still fairly piece of cake to carve. The beautiful veining pattern was too a slap-up describe. Unfortunately, environmental elements also affect marble, and as a result, many cemeteries no longer permit marble headstones for exterior markers.

The hardest of the natural stone type of monuments that you volition see in a cemetery is granite, which is still widely used today. Granite has a hardness of between 7 and 9 and tin withstand a piddling more cleaning than the other types of natural rock; however, it still must exist a very gentle cleaning. Most of the upright stones made today are created from granite.

Remember, it's not only the stone itself we need to preserve, merely what is carved on the stone. After all, that is how we will all know who rests below.

Cleaning headstones is a wonderful way to play a small role in preserving history.

Official U.S. Navy Imagery, CC-BY, via flickr

Start Cleaning Headstones

1. Using water with different kinds and sizes of natural bristle brushes volition require some patience, but information technology is the near natural and safest manner to clean stones.
2. To begin, thoroughly saturate the headstone with water. By using a spray canteen or fifty-fifty a pump sprayer, you tin use less water and ensure a clean rinse each time.
3. Begin cleaning the stone starting at the bottom and work upward. This will help to preclude any streaking and/or any boosted staining from occurring than if you worked from the top down. Be sure to rinse the area cleaned often with the water.
4. Information technology is all-time to brainstorm cleaning with the softest brushes possible and only gradually move to stiffer natural bristle brushes if needed. Remember, never utilise a wire or metallic brush.
5. If there are lichens or moss growing on the rock, gently scrape it with your wooden or plastic scrapers. Ofttimes, it volition come off fairly easily; other times, it may need to be repeated.
6. When using a brush on the stone, use random circular motions, which also helps with keeping streaking at a minimum.
7. It is possible to apply not-ionic soaps to further aid in the cleaning, but the types that can be safely used are minimal. Unless y'all thoroughly research the type(s) and how to use information technology, do non employ anything other than water and gentle brushing.
8. Rinse the cleaned area often and thoroughly rinse it when y'all've completed the cleaning of the headstone.
9. Echo for all sides of the marking.

Things to Avoid While Cleaning

When you follow the steps above, you'll exist well on your way to preserving someone's mark longer.

What we practise not want to do is anything that will advance the wearing of the stone, discoloring of the stone, etc. The following tools volition cause that unintended consequence:

• Wire bristled brushes
• Metal annihilation
• Abrasive pads
• Pressure level washers
• Sandblasters
• Power tools
• Bleach
• Acrid or acidic cleaning agents (specially on marble or limestone) - should simply exist used by those properly trained working on not-calcareous stone ^[1]
• Household cleaners including soap, detergents, Borax, TSP, annihilation you'd apply to clean your home ^[i]
• Any type of sealant

A Small but Important Style to Preserve History

And so, now you accept basic guidelines that will assist you lot in helping to maintain the headstones of your loved ones. Remember, though, that despite your all-time efforts, tombstones will rarely look new again. And for certain types of stones, such equally marble, limestone, and sandstone, it is recommended that they not be cleaned more than one time every 10 years since each fourth dimension a stone is cleaned, information technology essentially washes a pocket-size layer away.

I believe it'southward important to get our children involved and help them to empathize the importance of keeping up the resting place of our loved ones; afterwards all, they're the generation that will be keeping upwardly ours.

References

^[one] Walther, Tracy C. Review and Evaluation of Selected Brand Name Materials for Cleaning Gravestones.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the writer's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2022 Keely Deuschle

Eileen Buckham on September xvi, 2022:

Gold writing is fading it's 15years old can annihilation be washed please

Mattosmonuments.com on April 23, 2022:

Thanks and then much for putting out such quality information. As a retailer of monuments and headstones in the bay area, people ever try to just become at the stone thinking its but stone. These are delicate pieces of art, thanks for showing the dearest yous need to keep these headstones beautiful. www.mattosmonuments.com

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on July x, 2022:

Lou Parks, putting a stone back together would be something to talk to a monument company or someone who specializes in that sort of thing. I won't recommend attempting to reassemble one without professional assist as to not farther impairment the stone.

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on July 10, 2022:

John Pigeon, I belong to a few, only I do recording of cemeteries locally and sometimes when I travel. And yes, I am on Detect A Grave.

We have a very large cemetery here with almost 90,000 burials going back to early 1800s. Whenever I do photo requests for Detect A Grave, I record the entire section of the cemetery and add them to Detect A Grave. I don't, however, make clean the stones at that place every bit they provide that service to families.

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on July 10, 2022:

Gloria, no! Please don't paint or put anything on the rock! Anything, including chalk, flour, etc, should not be added to a stone. And rubbings using paper and pencil or crayon should non be used.

One thing yous may exist able to try is to very advisedly place aluminum foil over the headstone. Practice not affix tape to the headstone, rather affix it to other aluminum foil. The thinner aluminum foil is best. And then, very gently, using a pocket-size castor such equally a makeup brush or other minor brush, gently castor over the areas where the lettering is and you lot'll get a relief of the stone which tin can aid you read it.

Another affair to try is to photograph it with light coming from different directions. In photography, lighting straight on (such every bit with a flash) will make everything seem apartment and the depth of the lettering will not be as visible. Attempt lighting from different angles or different times of day.

Gloria on July ten, 2022:

Is information technology OK to retrace the writing with dark paint so, it stands out?

lou parks on July 06, 2022:

how practise you put onetime markers back to geather

John Dove on Oct 17, 2022:

Great Hub! You must accept an ample supply of patience also. Are you associated with whatever organization, due east.g., genealogical society, that has a project the recording of cemeteries? Are you agile on findagrave.com?

dick hohenbrink dhohenbrink@ymail.com on July 28, 2022:

Give thanks Yous for Your commodity. I accept been noticing Markers being painter{ Old Sandstone} Tin can You requite whatever input on the subject area. My Grand Parents marker is from the late 1890 . Cheers.

Shelby Hinson on July 06, 2022:

I'thou non certain, but I think the monument in question is granite or soapstone . It is the gravestone of my not bad grandfather who was in the Great Ceremonious War.

ALISTAIR BAKER on September 09, 2022:

Thanks for the info. I am researching my family here in the UK, and take constitute diverse caput stones dating back to the mid 1880'southward. They all seem to be of a sandstone multifariousness, some very well preserved due to location in cemetery, ie protected from the elements. Others accept non been so lucky, worn and faded letters , plus cracked and eroded faces.

I will follow your instructions on the more than durable ones and see what results I get. Expert point to ask for permission from Local Authority/Town Council earlier progressing. Because of age they may well exist protected and yous could fall foul of local byelaws. So volition make the phone call this Monday and start the ball rolling or not.Regards

Jim mc neill on August 14, 2022:

Would Oxyclean piece of work

SmurfsAunt on May 12, 2022:

Y'all should never ever use any type of castor on any type of headstone.

Louise Greene on April 07, 2022:

Cheers for this commodity. I accept a stone to make clean and had no idea how to become about it.

Corie Neumayer on March 17, 2022:

We discovered an former family tombstone...granite or sandstone . The words are flaking off. Is there anything we tin can do to preserve what is left?

Joe Fiduccia from Monroe County, PA on February 01, 2022:

This is honestly something I had never given much thought to. I appreciate the detail you went into, and will even ne sure to share your advice with our dad in Poland, who cares for several headstones that are in serious need of a face lift. Give thanks yous!

RWW on October 21, 2022:

I accept been cleaning and restoring onetime grave markers for a number of years. When the product Wet and Forget became available [in the United states of america] I was skeptical about using information technology on one-time sandstone or marble markers. I talked to the technical folks at Wet and Forget. I tried it on some erstwhile marble foot markers. Information technology was very effective with no damage. Information technology takes 3-six months to run across results and the results are dramatic.

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on Jan 16, 2022:

Vivian-tmt-hnp, thank you for your kind words!

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on January 16, 2022:

Hi LWhip, very, very true, especially with carved wood markers. I don't know if you had seen the other hub I wrote almost recording a cemetery, simply especially in a instance like yours, this is something that might be helpful if it doesn't already exist.

LWhip on January 14, 2022:

Interesting article. Many of the erstwhile grave markings in our family cemetery are carved woods so nosotros are very reliant on oral and recorded history, some of which is unfortunately incomplete now.

Vivian-tmt-hnp from United states of america. on August sixteen, 2022:

8:21am Friday 16 Baronial 2022

Love KDeus,

I really appreciate your sincere and precious essay.

Vivian

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on August 15, 2022:

CCCBit, I'g so lamentable that you had the experience you did. I would have never thought about that hazard, but thank you lot for sharing it for others to consider and gear up if they think they may be affected. Couldn't hurt to bear gloves and an allergy mask in the kit. Thanks over again for sharing your experience and tip!

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on August 15, 2022:

Pgill, excellent tip. I accept updated the commodity to reflect distilled water. Thank you for taking the time to comment!

Keely Deuschle (writer) from Florida on Baronial 15, 2022:

Barbara, I'm glad this information will assistance yous to make clean your mother-in-police's grandmother'south stone! Good luck with your projection.

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on August fifteen, 2022:

Raitu Disong, thanks very much. I'm glad y'all've found this useful.

Keely Deuschle (writer) from Florida on Baronial xv, 2022:

marion_langley, give thanks y'all! Please just don't apply also much elbow grease!

CCCBit on August 15, 2022:

I would like to circumspection anyone doing this to accept dandy care not to hurt yourself! After cleaning an old stone with h2o and a soft cloth, without gloves, I inadvertently wiped my face with the back of my hand and blew my olfactory organ (with clean tissue!) earlier washing my hands. Presently thereafter I developed a severe rash on my face up, not different poison ivy (and I had not encountered any plants that day). I had to take Prednisone for a calendar week. I do have a respiratory sensitivity to mold, so I doubtable it was carelessness on my part and some blazon of mold. So, employ gloves, take care non to touch any part of your skin, and mayhap vesture an allergy mask if you suspect you might be susceptible to mold allergies. Otherwise, great tips!

Pgill on August 15, 2022:

Thas for a great article.... I would also get as far equally suggesting to but apply distilled water when cleaning stones which will also assist against staining....

Barbara on August 15, 2022:

Cheers for the wonderful information. My female parent-in-police was just request me if we could help make clean and straighten her grandmother'due south headstone. I know I accept info on leveling a headstone but did not have this information.

Raitu Disong on July 23, 2022:

Hello Kdeus, this is a very useful hub!

Thanks for sharing:)

marion langley from The Study on July 03, 2022:

Thank-y'all for the helpful encouragments to utilize a petty elbow grease safely. The pictures were neat! voting up!

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on July 02, 2022:

Spraying anything on a stone, even if it's labeled as safe, would definitely make me nervous, specially if it'southward left there to launder off by itself. I don't take first paw cognition about that product, just will accept to wait into earlier I'd experience comfortable acknowledging it'southward okay. There are several types of non-ionic soaps that can exist used, but unless the readers first thoroughly researched which "specific" ones are rubber, I did non want to suggest using them since one kind may exist okay, while a similar one may non be.

denisefenimore on July 01, 2022:

There is likewise a product chosen 'Moisture and Forget'. Spray one and let the wind and pelting slowly practise the work. Very safe, just not instant results.

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on June 29, 2022:

Hi LensMan999, Give thanks you! I hope this guide helps a lot of people! I've seen likewise many people damage stones by using things that should never be used! Thank you once again!

LensMan999 from Trans-Neptunian region on June 25, 2022:

Cleaning an erstwhile headstone has now get very easy through your hub. Yous have provided with simple instructions that tin exist applied easily. Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful hub.

Keely Deuschle (writer) from Florida on June 23, 2022:

Hullo Dream On! That would be an interesting thought!

Keely Deuschle (writer) from Florida on June 23, 2022:

How-do-you-do Oscarlites, You're more than welcome! I hope this guide continues to help every bit yous come across more than family burial plots!

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on June 23, 2022:

Give thanks you lot, Dream On! Have a bully day!

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on June 23, 2022:

Thank you, FlourishAnyway! Information technology is and then sad to walk into a cemetery that has not been taken care of, or even for those taken intendance of, how in dire need of some TLC the headstones are. I'one thousand glad that you lot find this guide useful! Thank you for stopping by!

FlourishAnyway from USA on June 14, 2022:

Great information. Particularly with so much interest in genealogy, many people are going back to family plots that had been long forgotten and are finding them in disrepair. This provides some direction in case they'd like to accolade loved ones' memories with a clean-up.

DREAM ON on June 12, 2022:

What helpful tips in taking care of something so precious and sacred.Thanx so much.

Oscar Jones from Monroeville, Alabama on May 18, 2022:

Just recently, as I have been involved in photographing family burying cemetaries. I meet some turn of the century markers that are already eroded to the point of being non-identifiable. thanks for the hints from heloise, oops, "hints from KDeus" !

DREAM ON on February twenty, 2022:

I never gave headstones any thought.I would remember after all these years someone would of created a headstone encompass to help protect confronting the elements.This would of perserved some of the older graves that now we tin no longer run across because of erosion over the years.Take a good day.

Keely Deuschle (writer) from Florida on January 02, 2022:

Thanks, J.Due south.! I am glad that you lot found this useful! I've heard of so many people trying to make clean stones using methods that volition damage the stone, so the more pedagogy that is out there to assistance preserve our history, the longer these headstones volition final!

JS Matthew from Massachusetts, U.s.a. on Dec 28, 2022:

This is an awesome guide. Very complete. I have wondered what the best manner to clean memorials was. Upwardly and shared.

JS~

Keely Deuschle (author) from Florida on December 12, 2022:

Thanks, peachpurple for commenting! Sometimes, if the moss doesn't come off easily, fifty-fifty with the plastic scrapers (they habiliment away before they damage the stone), you can even try a poultice that can help to soften the moss and lichen even more than!

Keely Deuschle (writer) from Florida on December 12, 2022:

Thank you, Millionaire Tips! I do the same as you lot do when I photo markers for transcribing a cemetery. I continue a "cemetery handbag" in my machine with all my "tools" which includes several brushes I use to brush away dirt, ant piles, etc. It took some fourth dimension to go comfortable with cleaning a marker, too. Thanks for sharing your comments!

swell from Home Sweet Dwelling on December 12, 2022:

Useful tips on cleaning the headstone. Never thought so much nearly it. We usually use cloth and green scrubs with water to clean off the moss. Thanks. Great hub

Shasta Matova from USA on December 12, 2022:

What a thorough well, formatted article virtually how to clean headstones. When I have photographs, I don't clean the headstones at all, except to gently brush away any leaves or droppings and then that I tin can take the photograph. I am too agape of causing more than damage than practiced.

Source: https://dengarden.com/landscaping/How-to-Clean-a-Headstone-the-Proper-Way

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