Restore Tombstones
Tombstones are important markers that commemorate the final resting place of those who have died. They may be simple or intricate, but over time they all suffer from erosion and from being out in the elements. If you are interested in restoring one tombstone or in taking care of an entire graveyard, learning clean gravestones is important. A careless move can destroy an old tombstone. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Determine whether you should touch the tombstone at all. If you see signs of flaking, scaling, chipping, or deliberate vandalism, it may well require the touch of an expert in masonry. According to the Association for Gravestone Studies, problems like these should be handled by professionals.
2. Determine what the tombstone is made of. The proper method of cleaning is safe for all types of tombstones, but if you need to go further, the type of stone might be important. For instance, while marble can handily be cleaned using this method, you will find that a solution of calcium hypochlorite can be used as well.
3. Scrape any stubborn lichen off the stone with a plastic scraper. The scrapers that you use should always be plastic. Otherwise, you risk damaging the stone.
4. Fill a pump sprayer with a solution of water and a small amount of non-ionic detergent. The detergent bottle should tell you how much to use.
5. Spray the tombstone down with the pump sprayer. This will allow you to save water and to carefully wet down the areas that you want to work with.
6. Scrub the tombstone gently with the soft scrub brush. Use a circular motion and clean from bottom to top, as this will prevent the runoff from staining the tombstone.
7. Rinse the detergent from the stone with clean warm water when you have cleaned the stone as much as you can.
Tags: pump sprayer, Restore Tombstones, stone with
