The "Green Monster" (Moss and Lichen)
Connecticut is damp. Old oaks block the sun in many cemeteries. The stone stays wet. In this climate, that means algae and moss take over immediately.
You see thick mats of growth on the granite. It destroys the surface. The roots burrow into the pores and hold water like a sponge. Ice hits that water in January and pops the stone open. Families looking for grave site cleaning services often grab putty knives to scrape it off. That scars the stone. We use a biological cleaner instead. It kills the spores down to the root system. The growth dies and washes away. This cleans the stone without forcing us to scrub the polish off.
Historic Brownstone Delamination
Our oldest cemeteries are full of Portland Brownstone. It is a soft, sedimentary rock quarried right here in the state. It looks beautiful, but it fails over time.
Water gets inside the stone layers. When it freezes, the pressure pops the face of the stone right off. We call it delamination. You see layers of the marker lying in the grass like peeled bark. You cannot power wash this stone; it will disintegrate into sand. We treat it with a stone consolidant. This liquid soaks deep into the sand grains and hardens. It glues the layers back together and stops the stone from turning to dust.
Frost Heaves and Tilting
The ground here doesn't stay put. Frost heaves are brutal in New England. The dirt freezes and shoves the monument upward. When it thaws, the stone drops, but never back to level.
This movement throws monuments off balance. A heavy stone starts to lean. Eventually, the internal pins snap and it falls. We provide comprehensive grave stone cleaning services that include leveling. We don't just push it back up. We dig out the foundation. We replace the dirt with deep, angular gravel. Gravel drains the water away so the frost can't push the stone around anymore. It keeps the marker straight through the winter.
Leaf Tannin Stains
In the fall, wet leaves pile up on the flat markers. They sit there for months under the snow. Rotting leaves release tannins.
It leaves a dark brown shadow on the marker. It looks like an old coffee stain. You can scrub with soap all day, but that dye is deep inside the rock grain. We use a specialized poultice. It draws the brown stain out of the granite pores like a magnet. We clear the debris and clean the stone so the inscription stands out again.
"Sugaring" on White Marble
Many Civil War era stones in Connecticut are white marble. Acid rain and industrial pollution attack this stone chemically.
The polish dissolves. The surface gets rough and feels like sandpaper. We call this "sugaring." If you scrub this too hard, you rub the name right off the stone. We clean these very gently. We use a soft biocide to remove the black mold without scrubbing. Then we apply a consolidant to strengthen the sugary surface so it stops eroding.
Tree Sap and Pitch
Maples and pines drop sticky sap all year. It lands on the headstones and hardens in the sun.
Dirt sticks to the fresh sap. It turns into black, tar-like spots. Scraping it scratches the stone. We use a solvent that melts the resin. We wipe it away by hand. It takes elbow grease, but it gets the black gunk off without harming the memorial.
