Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Ankeny

Lifting Sunken Markers and Cleaning Construction Dust in Ankeny

Ankeny is built on open prairie farmland. The wind here never stops. It picks up dirt from the surrounding fields and the constant new construction projects. This dust hits the monuments in Ankeny Memorial Gardens and Oralabor Cemetery. It drives deep into the engraved letters. It packs so tight that rain cannot wash it out. It turns the inscription into a solid block of dirt. You lose the contrast, and the names become unreadable.

The ground is also soft. The deep black loam that makes this area good for farming is bad for heavy stone. Flat markers sink. We see thousands of bronze and granite markers that have dropped below the grass line. The turf grows over them. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to find these buried markers, lift them back up, and scrub the construction dust out of the lettering.

Lifting Sunken Flat Markers

In Ankeny Memorial Gardens, flat markers disappear quickly. The clay-loam soil gets soft in the spring. The heavy stone pushes the mud aside and sinks. Grass grows over the edges, and soon the marker is gone.

We fix this by changing the foundation. We cut the sod back. We pry the heavy marker out of the mud. We dig out the black dirt and replace it with crushed, angular gravel. We pack it tight. Gravel locks together and holds the weight. We reset the stone flush with the grass. It stays visible because it sits on a solid base that drains water.

Cleaning Impacted Dust

Pressure washing does not remove the dust packed into the letters. The dirt is too fine, and it is packed too hard. High pressure just bounces off or chips the stone.

We clean this by hand. We use a surfactant to soften the dirt plug. Then we use wooden picks to scrape the dust out of every single letter. We flush it clean. We clear each character individually. It is slow work, but it makes the inscription sharp and black again.

Neutralizing Fertilizer Salts

The lawns here are kept green with fertilizers. These chemicals contain salts. When they hit the porous base of a monument, they soak in. As the water dries, the salt crystallizes. It creates a white, powdery crust that eats the stone surface.

We remove this chemically. We use a specific cleaner that dissolves the salt and pulls it out of the stone pores. We wash it away. Then we apply a sealer to the base to stop the stone from absorbing more lawn chemicals.

Refinishing Oxidized Bronze

Winter snow sits on the flat bronze markers for months. The moisture destroys the clear coat. The bronze turns green and chalky.

We restore the finish on-site. We strip the green corrosion and the failing lacquer. We sand the surface to reveal bright bronze. We heat the plaque with a torch to dry it out. We spray a new industrial sealer on the hot metal. It bonds instantly. The marker looks dark and new.

Fixing Frost-Heaved Foundations

The frost in Polk County goes deep. It lifts the concrete pads under upright monuments. If the pad is too thin, it snaps. The monument tips over.

We replace the broken pad. We hoist the monument. We dig out the old concrete and the clay. We fill the hole with compacted gravel. This disconnects the stone from the heaving soil. The ground can move around it, but the stone stays level.

Repairing Mower Scuffs

Mowers run tight to the stones. They hit the corners. We see black tire rubs and chipped granite edges.

We clean the rubber marks with a solvent. For chips, we use diamond files. We grind the sharp, broken edge into a smooth bevel. It looks finished and prevents the mower blade from catching that same jagged spot again.

Service Costs in Ankeny

We don't need to visit the cemetery to give you a price. We have fixed, transparent pricing for all our services, including raising sunken markers and bronze restoration. Check our subscription builder to see the exact cost for your plot.