The Cajon Pass "Blast Zone"
Fontana lives in the Cajon Pass wind tunnel. This isn't a breeze; it is a sandstorm. Heavy grit hits monuments at 60 mph. It blasts the polish right off the stone face.
The granite looks "frosted" and dull. If you are searching for headstone cleaning services near me because the marker has lost its shine, that is wind erosion. You can't wash it back. The surface is physically gone. We apply stone enhancers to fill the pits and seal the surface against the next wind event.
This is mechanical erosion. The wind drives sharp silica sand into the stone. It grinds away the factory polish. Once that sealed layer is destroyed, the granite becomes porous. It sucks in water, dirt, and smog. The deep black contrast of the lettering turns into a flat, dusty gray.
Our protocol is protection. We clean the stone deep in the pores. Then, we apply a penetrating stone enhancer. This product fills the microscopic craters left by the wind. It restores the wet-look color. Finally, we apply a sacrificial coating. The wind attacks this coating instead of the stone. This keeps the history legible.
Diesel Exhaust and Road Grime
This is the logistics hub of the Inland Empire. Diesel exhaust from the I-10 and local trucking routes creates a heavy, black sludge on headstones. It bonds to the surface.
Rain just smears the oil. It creates a waterproof barrier. We use industrial degreasers in our grave site cleaning services. We lift this petroleum film chemically to reveal the stone underneath without scrubbing away the inscription.
Diesel soot is sticky. It isn't just dust; it is unburnt fuel and oil. When it lands on a hot headstone, it bakes into a hard varnish. This "traffic film" seals the stone. It traps moisture inside. It attracts more dirt, creating a thick black crust that hides the name and dates.
Household soaps cannot break this bond. We use a specialized surfactant. It dissolves the petroleum binder. The oil lifts out of the granite pores. We rinse it away with low pressure. This restores the natural shine. We don't use harsh abrasives that scratch the finish.
Seismic "Walking"
The ground here is active. The soil vibrates from the nearby fault lines and the heavy truck traffic. This constant shaking cracks the adhesive seals on monuments. We call it "walking"—when a headstone shifts on its base.
Our tombstone repair and restoration teams check for these loose joints. We re-align the stone and secure it with flexible epoxy that can handle the movement.
Rigid cement fails in Fontana. The vibration creates micro-fractures in the setting compound. Once the seal breaks, the heavy tablet "walks" across the base. It creates a gap where water enters. If it walks too far, the center of gravity shifts, and the monument topples.
We fix this by upgrading the adhesive. We remove the old, brittle cement. We level the base. We install a high-strength, flexible epoxy. This acts like a shock absorber. It allows the stone to ride out the vibrations from the fault and the freeway without breaking the seal. This keeps the monument safe and upright.