Red Clay Staining
The soil in Athens is heavy red clay. It is famous, but it is a pain for cemeteries. When it rains, that red mud splashes up against the monuments.
The stone sucks up the water, but the iron in the clay stays behind. It dries into a hard orange stain that looks just like rust. Regular soap won't touch it. Families looking for headstone cleaning services near me often try bleach. That is a disaster. Bleach sets the rust stain into the stone for good. You can't scrub it out after that. We use specialized chelating agents. We dissolve the iron chemically. The red washes away, and the granite or marble goes back to its natural color.
Invasive Privet Growth
Chinese Privet is a plague in Clarke County. It takes over the edges of older cemeteries like Gospel Pilgrim and Brooklyn. It grows into a thick wall that hides the graves completely.
The roots go under the monuments and lift them up. We don't just trim the tops. We cut it down to the ground and treat the stumps. If you don't kill the root, it grows back five feet in a season. We clear the brush so you can actually find the grave again during our grave site cleaning services.
Iron Fence Rust
Athens has beautiful historic cemeteries with lots of iron fencing. Oconee Hill is full of it. But iron rusts in this humidity.
Rainwater runs off the rusty fence and lands on the stone coping and bases. It leaves bright orange streaks. You can't scrub this off. We use a chemical that targets iron oxide specifically. We strip the rust stain out of the stone without burning the surface. It stops the orange bleed from ruining the look of the plot.
Magnolia Leaf Buildup
Magnolias are everywhere here. They look great, but they drop heavy, waxy leaves and seed pods that look like hand grenades.
These leaves don't blow away. They sit on flat markers and trap water. They release acidic tannins that etch the polish on granite and stain marble brown. We clear this debris regularly. We clean the surface to stop the acid from eating the finish. It keeps the marker legible and shiny.
Tree Sap and Pollen
The tree canopy in Athens is dense. In spring, the pollen coats everything in yellow. Then the sap falls.
The sap turns into glue. It catches the pollen and dirt, forming a black paste that fills the lettering. Rain runs right off it. We use organic solvents for cleaning stone gravestones. We break down the sticky resin. The grime releases, and we rinse it away. The letters become sharp again.
Lichen on Granite
We are close to the granite capital of the world (Elberton). Most local stones are gray granite. Lichen loves that surface.
It forms crusty green and orange circles. It digs roots into the stone grain. If you scrape it dry, you leave pits in the rock. We treat it with a soaking agent. The lichen dies and lets go. We brush it off gently to protect the stone face.
Ground Settling
The rolling hills of the Piedmont mean water runoff moves the soil. We see headstones tipping over as the ground washes out from under them.
Putting loose dirt back in the hole doesn't work. The next storm takes it away. During cemetery plot maintenance, we lift the stone and pack the void with heavy gravel. The water drains through the rocks, but the foundation stays solid.