Hillside Erosion and Leaning Stones
Fayetteville is built on ridges. Most cemeteries here are on a slope. When an Ozark storm hits, water tears down the hill and cuts the dirt out from under the markers.
We see headstones tipping over constantly. Gravity takes them down. Shoveling dirt under the high side is a waste of time; the next rain just takes it. During cemetery plot maintenance, we have to hoist the stone up. We dig a flat shelf into the hill and pack it with crushed rock. We build a level pad that won't slide when the ground gets wet.
Stubborn Ozark Lichen
The mountain air is clean here. Lichen loves it. It grows thicker here than anywhere else. It forms hard, crusty plates on the granite.
This lichen digs roots right into the stone. If you scrape it dry, you rip out divots of rock. It leaves ugly pits. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me often cause damage with wire brushes. We soak it first. We force the lichen to let go. Then we scrub it off. We save the stone surface, not destroy it.
Native Limestone Blackening
In historic spots like Evergreen, many old markers are carved from local limestone. It is soft and porous. Over time, it turns pitch black from mold and pollution absorption.
You cannot pressure wash this stone. It is too soft. The water stream will cut right through the carving. We use a slow-acting biological cleaner. It soaks in and kills the mold deep inside. The stone lightens up gradually over a few weeks. It returns to its natural gray-white color safely.
Ice Splitting (Spalling)
Winter here brings ice storms. Water gets into tiny hairline cracks in the stone. It freezes solid and expands.
It pops the face of the stone right off. We call this spalling. We check for these cracks before winter hits. We seal them tight. You have to keep the water out. If you don't, the ice will split the marker open from the inside.
Red Dirt Stains
The soil in the Ozarks is red clay and rock. It is full of iron. Rain splashes that red mud onto the white marble bases.
It leaves a rusty stain that won't wipe off. Soap is useless. Bleach makes it permanent. We use a chemical rust remover for grave site cleaning services. We dissolve the iron oxide. The rust runs off, and the white stone shows through again.
Tree Sap and Pollen
We have big oaks and pines shading the cemeteries. Spring here means a thick layer of yellow pollen dust. Then the sap drips on it.
The sap glues that pollen to the stone. It turns into a black, hard varnish. Rain won't touch it. We use organic solvents for cleaning stone gravestones. We melt the resin down. We wipe away the gunk to reveal the name underneath.
Overgrown Ivy
In the older, wooded cemeteries, ivy takes over. It climbs over the stones and wraps around the crosses.
The roots dig into the mortar. If you yank the vines, you can pull the stone over. We cut the main stems at the dirt line. We kill the vine first. Once it is dead and brittle, we crumble it off. This gets the plant off without wrecking the monument.
