Headstone Cleaning Services & Grave Care in Lorain, OH

Lake Wind Erosion

The wind off the lake never really stops. It blasts these stones with sand and ice all year round. It works just like a sandblaster, only slower.

Over time, it strips the polish right off the granite. The letters get shallow and hard to read. You can't fix that with a rag and polish. We provide professional grave stone cleaning services that include sealing. We clean the stone and apply a protective coating. It won't make it look brand new, but it stops the wind from eating any more of the stone away.

Steel Mill Fallout

We are a steel town. The mills ran hard for decades, pouring smoke into the sky. That smoke was heavy with iron dust. It settled on the headstones in places like Elmwood and rusted there.

It forms a rough, rusty scab that bonds to the rock. Rain just rolls right off it. If you try to scrape it, you're going to scratch the stone. We use a chemical paste that targets the iron. It pulls the rust out of the pores. We wash it away, and the stone looks gray again instead of that dirty orange color.

Seagull Droppings

The lake brings seagulls. They land on the headstones and leave a mess. That waste is full of acid.

On marble, it burns dark spots right into the surface. The sun bakes it until it feels like cement. We apply a cleaner to soften the mess. It turns that hard crust into sludge we can wipe away. Then we flood the stone with water to wash the acid out of the pores.

Sinking in Sandy Soil

Near the lake, the ground is sandy. It shifts around a lot, especially when the water table moves. We see markers that have sunk halfway into the ground or tilted sideways.

We provide grave site cleaning services that include leveling. We lift the stone up. We dig out the loose sand and pack in a base of heavy crushed stone. This gives the monument a solid footprint that won't slide around when the ground gets wet.

Moss and Lake Dampness

The lake humidity hangs over everything here. In the shade, the stone stays wet all day. That creates the perfect spot for green algae and moss to take over.

This stuff holds water against the stone, which causes freezing damage in the winter. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me often try bleach, but that eats the stone. We use a biological cleaner. It kills the moss down to the root. The growth dies and falls off, and the stone stays clean longer.

Winter Freeze Pops

Our winters are wet and cold. Water gets into the seams of the base or into tiny cracks in the tablet. When it freezes overnight, it expands.

That pressure pops corners off and splits bases. We fix this by cleaning out the broken area and injecting a stone adhesive. It bonds the pieces back together into one solid block. It keeps the water out so the ice can't do any more damage next year.

Shipyard Grease

With the shipyards and the port, there is always oil in the air. It creates a greasy film on the stones that grabs dirt and holds it.

"A year ago I traveled to Ohio and visited the cemetery where most of my family is buried. I was appalled at the condition of the gravestones for my loved ones. Because of this, I came back home and decided to look for someone who could clean and maintain those gravestones. I saw an ad in FaceBook of Tending and was thrilled to contact them. I am soooo glad I did. They were easy to work with; they did exactly what they said they would do; they charged exactly what they said they would; and, I have been so very impressed with their business and their work ethic. I am very pleased with this company and recommend them to anyone who could use their service."

— Beck, Ohio

Water won't cut through that. You need a real degreaser. We use a solvent meant for industrial grime. It breaks down that oily layer so we can rinse the dirt away. You'd be surprised how bright the stone is once that gray film is gone.

Mower Scuffs

The grass grows fast in the summer. Mowers hit the stones. We see black rubber marks on the corners of almost every flat marker in town.

That rubber melts into the stone texture. We use a solvent that dissolves the smear instantly. We wipe it clean. Then we trim the sod back to give the mowers a buffer zone so they don't hit it again.

Service Costs in Lorain

Pricing depends on the job. Lifting a stone out of sinking sand costs more than just washing off bird droppings:

We inspect the site. We check the sinking. Then we give you a price.