Cleaning Jet Exhaust and River Silt in Kenner
Working in Kenner means working under the flight path. The planes coming into Armstrong are loud, but they are also dirty. In cemeteries like Garden of Memories or Jefferson Memorial, the headstones get coated in the fallout. It is a sticky, oily grime that comes right out of the engines and lands on the family plots.
The ground is the other problem. Kenner is stuck between the river and the lake, so the soil never really firms up. It's just wet sand. It has zero strength. We spend a lot of time raising flat markers that have sunk completely out of sight. The grass grows over them, and families can't even find the plot anymore. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to cut the grass back, lift those sunken markers, or scrub off that sticky airport grime.
Airport Exhaust Film
If you touch a headstone in Kenner, your hand usually sticks to it. That oily film grabs every bit of dirt blowing in the wind. Over time, it turns into a black crust that covers up the dates and names.
Water just spreads the oil. It makes a bigger mess. We use a strong cleaner that dissolves the grease. We scrub it and rinse it until that sticky feeling is gone and the stone is clean.
Disappearing Flat Markers
The soil here is like mush. Heavy bronze or granite markers slowly push the dirt down. After a few years of heavy rain, the marker sits below the soil line. Then the St. Augustine grass grows over the top.
We get calls from people who think the headstone was stolen. It's usually just buried. We probe the ground to find the corners. Then we cut the sod back, lift the marker, and pack fresh sand underneath it. We bring it back up to grade so the mower doesn't hit it and you can read it again.
River Silt and Ant Mounds
Near the levee, the wind blows fine river sand everywhere. It packs into the etched letters of the headstones. It looks like the writing has faded away, but it's just filled with dirt.
That sandy soil is also perfect for fire ants. They build mounds right against the stones. The acid in the soil they move can stain the granite orange. We flatten the mounds, clean out the letters, and wash the stone to get the red stain out before it sets permanently.
Mower Damage
Because the ground is soft, the landscaping equipment sinks in. If a marker is sitting low, the mower blade hits it. We see deep scratches across the bronze plaques and chunks knocked off the granite edges.
I can't buff a deep scratch out. It's permanent. I can seal it to stop the rust, but the real fix is raising the stone. We have to set it flush with the ground so the mower deck clears it instead of hitting the edge.
Service Costs in Kenner
digging out a buried marker takes labor. Cleaning oily exhaust residue takes specific cleaners. I can't give you a price until I know if the stone is just dirty or if it is buried under six inches of sod. We have an online tool that helps. You pick the cemetery, tell us the problem, and you get a clear price instantly.
- Exhaust Cleanup: Removing sticky jet fuel residue.
- Marker Raising: Lifting sunken flat stones back to grade.
- Silt Removal: Cleaning fine river sand from engravings.
- Bronze Restoration: Fixing oxidation and mower damage.