Jet Exhaust and Oily Grime
Dover is defined by the Air Force Base. We have massive C-5s and C-17s flying overhead constantly. Those engines burn a lot of fuel. The exhaust settles on everything below, including the cemeteries.
It creates a greasy coating on the stone. Rain runs right off it. Dust gets trapped in that oil and builds up. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me often wonder why the stone looks dull even after a storm. It is coated in aviation soot. Water won't touch it. We use industrial degreasers. We cut through the oily residue. The granite shines again once the grease is gone.
Fertilizer Dust and Algae
We are surrounded by farmland. When farmers spray or plow, the wind carries dust into town. That dust is full of fertilizers.
When it lands on a damp headstone, it feeds the algae. We see green growth exploding on stones here fast. If you scrub it, you just move the algae around. It grows right back. We use a biological cleaner that kills the organism completely. We clean off the dust so the algae has nothing to eat.
Fragile Colonial Marble
In the historic spots like Christ Church Square, we have markers from the 1700s. The marble is "sugaring." It feels like rough sugar to the touch because the binder is gone.
If you touch this with a pressure washer, you will erase the name forever. A stiff brush will ruin it. We clean these by hand using very soft bristles. We get the mold off so you can read the name, but we don't try to strip the stone down to fresh white marble. We preserve what is left.
Sinking in the Coastal Plain
Dover is flat and the water table is high. The ground is soft. Heavy monuments don't float; they sink.
We see markers where the bottom dates are buried in the mud. Adding topsoil is a waste of time; the stone just pushes it down. During cemetery plot maintenance, we hoist the monument out. We dig out the wet mud and pack in a base of crushed stone. The gravel locks together and supports the weight. It keeps the marker visible.
Lichen on Granite
The humidity from the Delaware Bay keeps the air wet. Lichen loves this climate. It forms crusty green and orange circles on the granite.
Lichen digs roots into the stone minerals. If you scrape it off dry, you pull up divots of rock. It leaves pits. We soak it with a surfactant first. The lichen dies and releases its grip. We brush it off gently. This saves the polished surface from damage.
Red Clay and Iron Stains
Even though we are coastal, we still get iron staining from the soil. Heavy rains splash rusty mud onto the bases.
The mud washes off, but an orange band remains. Families try bleach, but that sets the stain permanently. We use specialized iron-removing agents for grave site cleaning services. We dissolve the rust chemically. The orange fades, and the base matches the rest of the monument.
Tree Sap Buildup
In the older cemeteries like Lakeside, big pines and oaks drop sap. It lands on the hot stone and hardens.
It becomes a black glue. Dirt sticks to it, and it looks terrible. Water is useless against it. We use heavy-duty solvents for cleaning stone gravestones. We melt the resin. The sticky mess wipes away, leaving the inscription clear.
