Headstones are also known as tombstones and gravestones, which are used to honor the dead and put in his remembrance at the top of his grave. These can be of various sizes and shapes depending upon the preference of the one who has lost a loved one. This tradition has been followed for centuries, the only progression made or the change that we have witnessed over the years is that new stones have evolved which can be used in making gravestones.
These gravestones contain important information about the deceased including his date of birth, date of death along with his name, a eulogy or a prayer to go with his/ her personality. It is always after the death of a person, that the loved ones start looking up for a gravestone and think of something to be inscribed on the same.
There are several stones that can withstand the weather challenges and can stay steady for as long as forever, however, there are some that might perish with time or might need some maintenance with time. Therefore, it is upon you to do the recce and find out the most suitable stone that can sustain in a particular environment and temperature, only then can you agree upon getting that installed on one’s grave.
Although there are several stones that headstones are made of, but we are going to talk about the ones that dominate this market, such as granite, marble and bronze. In this blog we are going to let out some details on how to clean these gravestones.
It is one of the most common type of stone that is used in making gravestones because of its availability. It is easily available in most countries and cities, and comes in various colours and textures. Also, one can choose to make it in any shape according to their preference. As compared to several other stones that are used in making headstones, granite is one that weathers slowly and can stay on for decades and years.
Also, it is special because the words that are inscribed on it stay as they are for years. So, if you want your next generations to know about the one you lost and want to relate to him in the future, you should use this stone.
We are now going to emphasize on some important tips to clean a granite headstone.
While going to the cemetery for cleaning up the headstone on a grave, here are the essential things you should necessarily carry with yourself:
Here are the basic steps of cleaning a granite headstone, however, the number of times it needs to be cleaned solely depend upon the climatic conditions of that place and the surroundings. Take a look at the steps you should follow to clean the granite headstones:
This is the initial step that you must do while cleaning any stone headstone. Get rid of the debris around the headstone before the cleaning process.
Start by filling the bucket you brought to clean the headstone with half the water you carried with yourself and add some drops of the liquid dishwasher. Make sure the liquid soap is ammonia, lemon or vinegar free, so that the texture of the granite is not hampered. Soak in the cloth rag so that the soapy water penetrates into completely. Now, rub the cloth on the gravestone a couple of times depending upon the dirt that has accumulated on it. This process might need several repetitions depending upon the dirt that has accumulated on the stone’s surface.
While you are using the soapy water for cleaning the gravestone, you might want some more of that clean water that is left with you to clean the soapy texture from the stone. After pouring the water filled with soap on the gravestone, put the leftover clean water on to it and rub it with a clean cloth rag. One thing you must not do is use the cloth you used while cleaning the grave stone with soapy water. Use a fresh cloth rag each time so that the stone gets clean properly and no water stains are left on its surface.
After you are done washing the gravestone, clean it with a dry cloth soon after. If you leave any water marks on the gravestone, it might just lead to adding streaks on the surface of the stone. The cloth that you use to dry the gravestone should have no fibres at all, as they get stuck on to the surface and appear in the sun making the gravestone look dull and dirty.
You might find some dirt stuck on the inlays and the engravings on the gravestone. You will need cotton buds dipped in soapy water to clean those engravings, which will have to be later dried as well. Therefore, it is recommended to carry a lot of cotton buds with you.
You might think that you’ve removed all the debris surrounding the gravestone, however, after cleaning up the stone run your eye around on the surroundings as you might be able to see debris collected in several corners then. Clean the remaining debris from the ground and the surroundings.
Take out a fresh non fibre cloth and use that to buff the headstone and add some lustre to the outer of the stone. Using a new and fresh cloth will remove all the water streaks leaving it clean and spectacular as ever. You will not have any complains with the clean up procedure after that.
Marble is susceptible to stains that can stay for long or for ever if not looked after properly, therefore, it is not much used in making gravestones as much as granite is used. Here are the things that you might need in cleaning up of a marble headstone:
You have to initially figure out the state in which the headstone is. Does it need deep cleaning, or you can do with a simple soapy water wash.
The next step is to examine each corner and see if there has been any growth of algae or fungus on the gravestone. The extra growth has to scraped off from the stone using a spatula or a wooden scraper.
Look around the gravestone and see if there is any debris collected on the ground in its surroundings that needs to be removed. Get rid of it before you proceed to the nest step.
Fill up the bucket with water and add some drops of the liquid dishwasher. Soak in the cloth rag so that the soapy water penetrates into completely. Now, rub the cloth on the gravestone a couple of times depending upon the dirt that has accumulated on it. This process might need several repetitions depending upon the dirt that has accumulated on the stone’s surface.
While you are using the soapy water for cleaning the gravestone, you might want some more of that clean water that is left with you to clean the soapy texture from the stone. After pouring the water filled with soap on the gravestone, put the leftover clean water on to it and rub it with a clean cloth rag. One thing you must not do is use the cloth you used while cleaning the grave stone with soapy water. Use a fresh cloth rag each time so that the stone gets clean properly and no water stains are left on its surface.
The last step is to apply some marble polish on to the gravestone to bring lustre on to it and make it look like fresh and new.
One of the most and widely used material to make headstones and its accessories including the vases, plaques, etc., bronze has been a choice for those who want to place it at mausoleums and some lawn cemeteries. Here are the materials you will require to clean a bronze headstone:
It is easier to clean a bronze headstone than the above mentioned stones. Here are the steps you must follow to clean the bronze gravestones:
This is the initial step that you must do while cleaning any stone headstone. Get rid of the debris around the headstone before the cleaning process.
Fill up the bucket with water and add some drops of the liquid dishwasher. Soak in the cloth rag so that the soapy water penetrates into completely. Now, rub the cloth on the gravestone a couple of times depending upon the dirt that has accumulated on it. This process might need several repetitions depending upon the dirt that has accumulated on the stone’s surface.
While you are using the soapy water for cleaning the gravestone, you might want some more of that clean water that is left with you to clean the soapy texture from the stone. After pouring the water filled with soap on the gravestone, put the leftover clean water on to it and rub it with a clean cloth rag. One thing you must not do is use the cloth you used while cleaning the grave stone with soapy water. Use a fresh cloth rag each time so that the stone gets clean properly and no water stains are left on its surface.
Use a clean and fresh cloth rag to rinse the water off the gravestone and dry it out. Leave no water on the surface for a better clean up of the gravestone.
The last step to clean a bronze headstone is to apply a protective coating to the grave marker.
You might be advised by several people to use bleach in cleaning the gravestone, which is never a good idea as it might leave crystals on the stone if left in the sun, which is the case. It is specially bad to use in the case of porous stones as it is alkaline and might dissolve the stone, leaving nothing at the end. Secondly, the acid rain can even cause further damage to the headstones that have been cleaned with bleach prior to it.
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