Cleaning Old Granite Headstones

They feast on mold mildew and other growth that causes tombstones to look discolored and damaged.

Cleaning old granite headstones.

Clean a granite headstone. Also if you re thinking of cleaning a stone in a very old cemetery will it stand out awkwardly among the other 200 year old gravestones. It s always a good idea to check with the cemetery s staff to make sure you re allowed to clean the headstone s. Headstones can be very porous and can soak up the cleaning solution before it has a chance to work.

However it still must be a very gentle cleaning. Check if you can clean the stone. Soak the stone with a hose or by dumping a bucket of clean water over the entire surface. Hard dark stone such as granite and cast metal markers grow surprisingly hot due to direct sunlight and or higher temperatures which can result in the rapid evaporation of the water you ll need for basic cleaning.

How to clean granite headstones. It works best at 45 degrees and above. Old clean plastic milk bottles work great for transporting water to the markers. Use undiluted for best results.

There are many different types of headstones but if you know that the marker you want to clean is granite and that it s soiled with just dirt and mildew here s a suggestion. Once you have checked out the stone you are ready to start actually cleaning. The steps for general cleaning are as follows. Gallons and gallons of water.

How often it needs to be cleaned will depend on weather conditions and whether there are trees overhead. Perhaps a lighter cleaning would be best in this case. Follow the directions on your cleanser. Steps for cleaning granite headstones.

The hardest of the natural stone type of monuments that you will see in a cemetery is granite which is still widely used today granite has a hardness of between 7 and 9 and can withstand a little more cleaning than the other types of natural stone. Mix it with the proper ratio of water. Before you begin to actually clean the granite headstone remove excess. Therefore you should not try to clean a headstone marker or memorial on a very hot or very cold day.

Dampen your sponges in your bucket of water. Once they are wet gently begin wiping down the surface of the stone. First protect any. Spraying down the headstone first will help maximize the effectiveness of the cleaning solution.