TL;DR:
Headstones endure significant environmental stress and improper care can worsen damage. This guide explores weathering factors like moisture and sunlight and offers safe cleaning practices. By using mild products, avoiding harsh chemicals, and offering long-term maintenance solutions, families and monument providers can preserve gravestones for generations.
- Granite is durable, but still vulnerable to damage.
- Avoid acids, bleach, and ammonia when cleaning.
- Use non-ionic soap, soft brushes, and clean water.
- Check cemetery guidelines.
- Weathering sources: freeze-thaw, heat, pollution, rain, wind.
- Offer care plans and sealants to clients.
- Annual gentle cleaning protects inscriptions.
- Expert care builds trust and protects memorials long-term.
Gravestone care and keeping is an essential factor in monument longevity. Without the proper TLC, attempts at maintenance and environmental factors can both cause damage. Granite stone surfaces are even harder than steel, but damaging the stone is still possible. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” may stop the postal service, but they can affect a gravestone.
As monument professionals for over 30 years, we’ll walk you through cleaning a memorial without causing harm. We’ll also dive into the climate-related weathering that monuments can experience. Keep reading to learn how weather affects headstones and how to clean them with care.
How to Care for a Headstone Without Damage
Even though granite is incredibly hard and strong, certain cleaning products can break down the surface. To keep your loved one’s gravestone in good condition, gentle cleaning is necessary. We recommend avoiding strong acids, bleach, and ammonia cleaning solutions to prevent discoloration and erosion.
The Headstone Cleaning Process
Instead of using a power washer and harsh cleaning products, choose a mild, non-ionic soap and soft brush. Ensure the use of clean water, as contaminants can encourage weathering.
Cleaning headstones is permissible, but loved ones should check with cemeteries for product restrictions. Additionally, many cemeteries have guidelines for maintenance and decorations. Encourage your customers to ensure that their tools, methods, and decor are suitable for their site.
Environmental Effects and Memorial Stone Care
Headstones wear down from one or more of the following: biological, chemical, and physical weathering. While chemical and physical weathering are easy to understand, biological weathering is a bit more complex. This refers to the wear that plants cause upon stone.
Researchers are learning a wide variety of environmental causes of gravestone weathering, including:
- Freeze-Thaw Cycles
- Heat and Sunlight
- Pollution, including Acid Rain
- Precipitation and Moisture
- Wind
Thankfully, each cause of headstone weathering comes with a solution which holds opportunities for your business.
Tombstone Care Advice from the Monument Experts
Offering regular headstone care as a value-added service is an excellent way to preserve your monuments. This also helps you ensure a positive customer relationship.
You can provide graveyard-specific sealants as an add-on purchase to prevent freeze-thaw cycle wear. You can encourage proper drainage in gravesites. And you can offer a long-term care plan, ensuring the tombstone remains in good condition with proper care and maintenance.
As you sell monuments, remember to choose materials wisely. Granite memorials can last over 100 years—imagine the possibilities with superior TLC.
Encourage your customers to choose shaded sites when possible and to remove plant matter from the stone. They should gently clean the monument at least once per year to reduce negative environmental impacts. This will preserve both the engraving and their loved one’s memory.
