Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Jackson

The Yazoo Clay Problem

Jackson sits on Yazoo clay. That dirt never stays put. It moves enough to crack a thick concrete house foundation. Pushing a headstone over is easy work for this ground.

We see monuments at Cedarlawn and Greenwood that look like they are sliding away. The ground literally moves out from under them. We provide professional grave site cleaning services that include leveling. We don't just push dirt back in the hole. We dig out that unstable clay and pack in a base of angular gravel and sand. It creates a cushion that drains water so the stone stops moving every time it storms.

Red Clay Stains

The dirt here is red and full of iron. When it rains hard, that red mud splashes up onto the base of the markers. The sun comes out and bakes it right into the stone pores.

Soap won't touch that stain. It turns into a permanent orange band around the bottom. We use a chemical poultice that draws the iron out of the rock. We let it sit and work. When we wash it off, the orange goes with it, and the stone looks white again.

Pearl River Humidity

We are right on the Pearl River. The humidity hangs in the air almost all year. In the shaded parts of the cemetery, that moisture feeds thick black mildew and green algae.

It covers the lettering so bad you can't read the names. If you try to power wash it, you risk blowing the face off the older marble. We use a soft-wash method. We apply a cleaner that kills the mildew at the root. It dies and rinses away, leaving the stone clean without any damage to the carving.

Fire Ant Damage

Fire ants are a real headache here. They love building mounds right next to the headstones. They tunnel underneath the concrete base to make their nests.

This creates hollow pockets. Eventually, the heavy stone tips over into the ant bed. We treat the area to move the ants out. Then we fill the void with packed stone to stabilize the marker again. It keeps the monument upright and makes the plot safe for visitors.

Pine Pollen Glaze

In the spring, we get covered in that yellow pine dust. If it lands on a wet marker, it turns into a thick sludge. The sun bakes it until it sets up hard.

Regular water won't cut it. It sticks like superglue. We use a specialized wash that breaks down the pollen bond. It lifts that yellow haze so we can wipe the stone clear and bring back the shine.

Historic Marble Sugaring

Jackson has a lot of history. The old markers at Greenwood Cemetery are mostly marble. Over a hundred years of rain and heat have made them soft. The surface feels rough, like sugar.

Scrubbing these stones is a mistake. You will rub the name right off. We handle them with extreme care. After a gentle cleaning, we apply a consolidant. It soaks into the porous stone and hardens it back up. It stops the grains from falling off and preserves the history.

Heat Cracking

The Mississippi sun is brutal. Dark granite stones get incredibly hot. When a summer thunderstorm dumps cold rain on that hot stone, the thermal shock can crack it.

We see hairline cracks turn into splits. Glue won't hold up in this heat. We provide grave stone cleaning services that include repair. We use a specialized stone adhesive that can handle the heat. It moves with the stone as it warms up and cools down, so the repair holds tight and keeps the water out.

Lichen on Rough Stone

On the rough edges of the bases, we get hard, crusty lichen. It digs deep into the rock. It holds on tight.

Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me often try to scrape it off, but that leaves scratches. We use a solution that softens the lichen. It turns into mush that we can rinse away easily. The stone stays rough and natural, just like it was meant to be.

Service Costs in Jackson

Pricing depends on the issue. Leveling a stone in Yazoo clay is a bigger job than washing off pine pollen:

We go to the site. We check the ground. Then we give you a price.