Cleaning Old Gravestones

[Jayson]

There are two headstones in Devon which I went to see a couple of years ago.  One of the stones in question had a beautiful rose bush right in front of it, and the stone itself was covered in lichen.  In spite of all the obstacles time and nature presented, I was able to obtain the details without adopting any harsh methods, which of course I wouldn't even think about doing.  Although I do confess to having used water in the past.

The other stone - in the same churchyard in Bere Ferrers and opposite the main one - was completely illegible.  However when the sun moved position what was invisible became wonderfully clear.

Jayson

[drakhan1]

I am going up to Norfolk along with my wife  to inter the ashes of her sister.
On the gravestone are the names of her parents and grandparents. They are unreadable but my wife knew were the grave was and i researched the family tree to get the details.
We are not going to clean the gravestone as there are no letters to bring up.
We are just replacing headstone.

[ThomasJames1918]

Hi
Can someone help me with a question, sometime I am going to go down to my great uncles and aunties’ grave to try and clean of the moss and other dirt. Does anyone know what I can use to remove it maybe a spray or should I just use hot water with some brushes.Thanks

Thomas   

[seahall]

Hi Thomas.

This may be of help.

http://www.rootschat.com/links/0mk7/

Sandy

[ThomasJames1918]

Thanks for that I can’t make up my mind if I should use some kind of bleach as I don’t know what type of stone it is. Or should I just stick with soapy water

Thomas

[JenB]

I can’t make up my mind if I should use some kind of bleach

No, no, no! Never use bleach!! Or any other proprietary cleaner come to that. You could well do irreparable damage to the stone.

The very most you should use is some water.

If unsure, please let well alone! Please bear in mind that gravestones can be fragile, and any sort of cleaning can possibly cause damage.

[ThomasJames1918]

Oh ok thanks i am going down there today to clean it. I will take plenty of Water!

Thomas 

[Guy Etchells]

Be very careful if the stone hosts lichens (as the photo seems to show) you hold yourself open to a fine and or imprisonment for up to two years.

It is now considered a serious offence to destroy protected species.
Cheers
Guy

[stanmapstone]

Cleaning gravestones so as to not cause damage is not a job to be undertaken by an amateur. Where cleaning is felt to be necessary for an inscription to be made legible, this can be achieved by using a soft brush and plain water. A few lichen species are specially protected by law and collecting (or damaging) them is an offence.
Have a look at
http://www.thebls.org.uk/content/chlich.html
and http://www.ctgravestones.com/Conservation/cleaning.htm

Stan