Leaf Rot and Tannin Stains
Newark is full of big oaks and maples. In the fall, they drop a heavy blanket of leaves. If those leaves sit on a flat marker through the winter, they cause damage.
Wet leaves rot against the stone. They release tannins—a brown, acidic liquid. It works just like tea. It dyes the stone a deep brown color. Soap won't touch this because the stain is deep in the pores. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me often think the stone is permanently ruined. We use a poultice specially made for organic stains. We draw the brown color out of the rock. The stone looks like stone again, not like old leather.
Creek Valley Moss
The humidity from White Clay Creek settles in the graveyards. In older, shaded spots, the sun never dries the dew off the monuments.
Thick green moss grows on the north side of the stones. It creates a wet sponge that freezes in winter and cracks the stone. We don't scrape it off dry; that scars the stone. We use a biological cleaner. We kill the moss down to the root system. It turns brown and falls off on its own. We clear the growth without hurting the historic finish.
Road Salt Damage
Newark uses a lot of salt on the roads in winter. The spray hits the cemeteries near the street. Salt is poison for masonry.
The salt water soaks into the granite. When it dries, the salt crystals grow inside. They push the stone apart. You see the surface crumbling into dust. We use a drawing poultice to suck the salt out. We flush the stone to stop the chemical rot. If you ignore this, the face of the stone will eventually pop off.
Traffic Soot and Grime
With I-95 cutting through, we get a lot of exhaust in the air. It mixes with the dust and pollen. It settles on the headstones as a sticky gray film.
Rain doesn't wash this off. It bonds to the surface. It makes polished granite look hazy and dull. We use heavy-duty degreasers for cleaning stone gravestones. We strip that traffic film. We get down to the real surface so the polish shines again.
Iron Soil Stains
We are right near Iron Hill. The name is accurate. The soil here is full of iron minerals. Storms kick that mud up onto the stone bases.
You can wash the mud off, but an ugly orange stripe stays behind. That is rust. It soaks right into the stone. Bleach is the worst thing you can use here. It locks the rust into the stone permanently. We use iron-removing agents for grave site cleaning services. We dissolve the rust chemically. The orange band washes away, and the white marble or gray granite looks natural again.
Lichen Infestation
On the rough edges of granite markers, lichen digs in deep. It forms crusty green and gray circles.
It eats into the minerals of the rock. If you try to wire-brush it off, you pull up pieces of the stone. We soak it first. We make the lichen release its grip. Then we brush it off gently. This saves the stone from looking pitted and rough.
Sinking Flat Markers
The freeze-thaw cycle in Delaware heaves the ground. In the spring, the mud is soft. Flat markers sink.
We see markers where the grass has grown over the edges. The mower hits them because they aren't level. During cemetery plot maintenance, we lift the stone. We don't just put dirt back. We install a gravel base. Gravel drains water and doesn't heave like dirt. It keeps the marker flush with the ground and safe.
