General Chat

Does anyone have any idea about a good cleaner for white marble grave headstone I have looked on the internet so much stuff advertised ? just doing it up cleaning. putting some pebbles on & making it look respectful .Thanks Barbara x

Ask a monumental mason.

Have done but they are very expensive

You should use a non-ionic deterrent after scraping off mould with a wooden or plastic palette blade and water. You can use a soft bristled nylon brush. Wooden orange sticks are good for getting into inscriptions.

As most non-ionic branded detergents are US based, it's difficult to decide what is the equivalent on the UK market. The cosmetic soap 'Dove' is probably the easiest available Ph neutral alternative as long as it's rinsed really, really, well.

If you've access to Facebook, one of my 'friends' who runs a headstone renovation business in the US posted the following.
https://www.facebook.com/tina.pabst.10/media_set?
set=a.10212191498640052.1073742165.1154378576&type=3&pnref=story

Not on Facebook .x will have a look at info from stone masons & headstone renovation sites.going in September to the grave so hopefully will get some info by then Thanks

Marble cleaner for marble worktops?

i didn't mean to get the mason to clean it, oh dear no, there must be ways to tap into their knowledge without lining their pockets.

Copied & Pasted - remember, she is in America

Plastic or natural bristled brushes, plastic putty knives, plastic trowels, or wooden skewers can be found there. A plastic bristled grout brush works great for those tough spots but shouldn’t be used to clean the whole stone. A garden pump sprayer comes in real handy but never if you have used it previously for any kind of chemical spraying.

When cleaning gravestones you never want to use any metal tools such as wire brushes or scrapers. Also do not use any mechanical means such as attachments to a drill. We do not recommend the use of pressure washers especially on marble or sandstone markers. Using tools like these can permanently scratch and damage the stone. Be very careful when using metal shovels and bars as well. Plastic trowels can be very handy when working close to the stone.

Usually 60%-70% of the stone will come clean with just water. So many years of pollution accumulation may never come completely off. We use a very mild soap called Orvus to give us some suds. NEVER use any household cleaners or chemicals on the stones as this may cause permanent damage. Bleach will react with marble and literally eat the stone away. It may leave a yellowish color and ages the stone as well as making it feel rough to the touch.

My technique for cleaning a stone is to first take a brush or plastic putty knife and remove all loose material. Some sources say to clean from the bottom and go up but if the whole stone will be cleaned at that time we always go from the top down. Next I wet down the whole stone using our sprayer so it can be soaking. If you don’t have a sprayer then wet down the side you will be cleaning from a gallon jug. I then like to use the putty knife again which will remove a lot more material once it is wet. With that done you are now ready for your scrub brush.

(cont)
I like to keep dipping my scrub brush into a bucket of water, that has a little Orvus soap in it, as the extra water helps to wash the dirt down the stone. Scrub in a circular motion or up and down and then right and left so you clean all areas of the stone. Use the putty knife or grout brush for hard to remove areas. Popsicle sticks, tongue depressors or wooden shims work well also. We use wooden skewers to remove material from the lettering when brushes aren’t getting it. Rinse the stone often so you aren’t grinding the dirt back into the stone. Rinse the whole side when you are all done before proceeding to the next side.

When you think you are all done check all sides and edges to be sure you haven’t missed anywhere. Now it is time for one final rinse. The last thing we do is to spray the stone with D/2 Biological Solution. This is a biocide and will kill any plant or animal growth and will also work on the areas that initially did not come clean. We suggest to use it full strength. You must be patient with this product to see its results. Rain reactivates its action so it will continue to work and the rain washes off the old growth and stains. If there is a lot of growth on the stone it may turn a marble stone orange - don’t panic, it will wash off in time.

This is an expensive product so we do not suggest to use it as cleaner as the directions suggest. A little also goes a long way. It can be bought on-line and Atlas Preservation.com is as reasonable as we have found. It is a very good product tested by the National Park Service and used by the Veterans Administration to clean over 3.5 million gravestones. Again, it may take a month or more to see the full results. Not all stains will come off easily or at all so another spraying could be done at a later date.
.....

note - one of the UK museum sites (might be V&A?) mentions D/2 Biological Solution

No problem Sharron :-) Thank you so much DT you have been a great help .x when you look at cleaning products some have a lot of chemicals in .Through you I have a good chance of making the Grave clean .I live 200 miles away so don't go as often as I did it looks neglected ..really appreciate your help Barbara :-)

You can buy Orvus soap in the UK. It seems to be advertised mainly for washing quilts, or, in large sizes, for horses! :-) :-)

There you go then - Andysmum has found you a stockist!

Thank you will have a look :-)

..off to Scats, then? :-D :-D :-D
(or 'Mole' as a lot are called now)

We had the same problem with my father's marble stone. It is just a flat square stone covering an ashes interment and had been fine for nearly 40 years until about 2 years ago when it all of a sudden went very black and could hardly be read (we think it must be because of the amount of wet weather we have had in the last couple of years).

Anyway, after ringing the monumental masons who supplied it, we found that they would only clean it if they could lift it, clean it and then re-set it. This was going to cost hundreds of pounds. I thought that I couldn't make it any worse than it already was no matter what I did, so I simply took 2 Brillo pads and a bottle of water with me next time I visited and scrubbed it as hard as I could. It came up a treat, and apart from a small amount of dirt around the edges that I couldn't shift, the rest of it looks almost like new. Job done!!

Kath. x

My late daughter's small headstone is looking very sad now as the yew tree it is under has grown so much, there is no sunlight and just constant drips from the tree and the rain, plus squirrels eating the cones from the yew and dropping them down part chewed. It's been in place for over 43 years and I used to be able to make it look nice. I have some stuff from Kleeneze to use when I get a chance but don't hold out a lot of hope of getting it really nice again.

The council won't cut the tree back as they used to, as they say it's not unsafe! When another 4ft branch comes down, I will tell them it hit me, maybe then they will change their tune. I have the stone insured against damage but obviously not general wear.

Because of the tree any little plants, like miniature roses bushes etc no longer grow, so whatever I put there just dies from lack of light. Only the snowdrops that have spread over the area she is in, come up each year, whatever I plant gives up.

It makes me sad

Lizx

Liz, how very sad for you.

Something sprung to mind.

If the cemetery is managed by the local authority, perhaps you could try approaching your councillors and asking them if the lower branches of the yew could be lopped so that people can visit the graves under the tree without danger of catching themselves on lower branches. Of course, I don't know how low the branches are but you could also point out to the councillors that lopping the lower branches would allow some dappled sunlight into the area and allow other flora planted by relatives to grow.

If the cemetery is attached to a church the incumbent is your first port-of-call. He can approach the powers-that-be (chancellor if necessary) with your request.

I would also point out that your daughter's stone is insured for damage and damage from falling items, be it branches or whatever, could result in intervention by your insurance company. Wear and tear would be construed as weathering in my opinion, not from items falling onto the gravestone. A possible comeback could be that high branches falling could result in more damage - my reaction would be that removing the tree would be the better option.

By the way, I am not advocating wholesale tree removal but in sensitive cases such as this, I would point out that is it not better to cater for people who have bought the land under the tree if the tree is in danger of adversely affecting the land (ie burial plots) owned by others?

If there are other stones under the tree, perhaps more people would join in your request.

I, for one, am entirely sympathetic to your cause and I wish you success in your quest. Would you let me know the outcome, please?

There use to be trees around the churchyard Liz.. x but a lot were removed as it was difficult to see memorials .& graves .My Gran Granddad & Mum are in this grave gran died in 1952. so its been there a long time ..when I lived near by would go 4 times a year .after my mum died in 1982.so it was always clean. .but over the years its gone black & grimy looking .it should be white .will see how it goes in September when I am down again before the winter & I can clean up & hopefully be back next spring Barbara ( Liz hope you get it sorted for your sake thinking about you x,.Kath a cousin enquired but as you say it would have cost a lot of money x Barbara <3

I seem to remember a thread on here that recommended one of those Magic Eraser pads that you can buy in pound shops etc..it was used for cleaning grave stones in that case.

It made me go out and buying for general use and I find it very good for cleaning cupboards and paint work.

It's just a suggestion and it may work., and won't break the bank!

Thank you for your kind thoughts. I might try one of those erasers.

It's only a small headstone as the grave is small. Initially my baby was buried in a common grave, I hadn't really understood what was happening as I was in shock from her premature birth and subsequent death 3 days later. When I found out the grave was in an old area of the cemetery and could have been opened again for another baby, I was very upset but found out I could buy the burial rights so I could put a headstone there and stop any reopening of the grave for 75 years. That seemed a long way off but now there are only 32 years left! I certainly won't be around then, unless I can live to 102 lol

Because it's an old area of the cemetery, there are only other old re-used graves there that aren't marked, seems there are mainly babies buried there - it's not a very nice area and with the dark tree, it's a bit gloomy and unloved, especially with no flowers growing.

It could be worth another call to the council, in case I can persuade them to trim some branches. I will keep you posted.

Lizxx

Be very careful if you use 'Magic Erasers' on marble. The last thing you want to do is to apply a potentially harmful chemical to the surface. It needs to be as Ph neutral as you can get, Nor should you use anything abrasive as it scratches the surface. That will allow water to penetrate the surface and encourage erosion.