Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Bethlehem

Removing Hardened Steel Soot in Bethlehem

The steel mills in Bethlehem pumped out smoke for decades. That exhaust coated every headstone in Nisky Hill and Memorial Park. It isn't just surface dust. It is a thick layer of carbon and sulfur that hardened into a black shell. It hides the white marble completely.

We also deal with the flat "ledger" stones found in the Moravian cemeteries. These heavy slabs sit right on the dirt. Over time, they push down into the soft ground. The grass grows over the edges until you can't see the marker at all. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to strip off that industrial crust and to pull their ancestors' markers back up to the surface.

The Blast Furnace Crust

Industrial pollution reacted with the rain here for years. It created a black gypsum coating on the monuments. This crust is harder than the stone underneath. It traps moisture inside the marker, which makes the stone soft and rotten.

Wire brushes destroy the stone before they break the crust. We use a chemical poultice. It is a thick paste that we smear over the black spots. It draws the carbon out of the pores. We rinse the sludge away, and the stone looks white again.

Sunken Flat Markers

Bethlehem has many cemeteries with flat ledger stones. These markers are heavy. They settle deep into the mud. Grass grows over the edges until the marker is completely buried.

We locate the buried corners and cut the sod back. Then we lift the entire stone out of the depression. We pack the hole with crushed gravel. This drainage layer stops the stone from sinking back into the mud. We set the marker flush with the ground so it stays visible.

Limestone "Sugaring"

Acid rain from the industrial days ate into the local limestone markers. The binder holding the stone together dissolved. The surface turns to sand. If you run your hand over it, the inscription crumbles away.

We stop the erosion. We clean the loose grains off with a soft bristle brush. Then we soak the stone in a consolidator. It creates a new bond between the sand grains. The stone gets hard again, and the lettering stops falling apart.

Mower Tire Damage

Landscapers mow right over the flat stones. The tires spin on the granite, leaving melted black rubber streaks. Sometimes the mower deck hits the edge and chips the stone.

We wipe the rubber marks off with a solvent. It melts the tire residue without hurting the stone. For chips, we grind the sharp edges down to smooth them out. It prevents the mower from catching the same spot next week.

Red Lichen on Sandstone

The humidity from the Lehigh River feeds biological growth. We see stubborn red and orange lichen on the brownstone markers. The roots dig deep into the stone.

Pulling dry lichen takes chunks of stone with it. We kill it first. We soak the stone in a biocide that travels down the roots. The lichen dies and releases its grip. We wash it off with water, leaving the stone surface intact.

Splitting Slate Stones

Slate markers are common here. They are built in layers. When those layers separate, the stone fails. We see large flakes of slate lifting off the face of the marker, taking the lettering with them.

We clean the dirt out of the cracks. Then we inject an adhesive that bonds the layers back together. We cap the top edge to stop water from getting in again. It doesn't fix the crack visually, but it stops the stone from shedding its face.

Service Costs in Bethlehem

Removing a hundred years of steel soot takes expensive materials. Lifting heavy ledger stones requires a crew. We need to check the site to see how deep the sinking or staining is before we give you a price.