Valley Green (Black Algae)
It is a steam bath down here. The stone sweats.
This heat breeds "Valley Green." It looks like black soot, but it roots into the granite. People searching for headstone cleaning services near me usually grab a pressure washer. That is the wrong move. High pressure drives the roots deeper. The mold grows back thicker.
We use a biocide soak. It seeps into the rock. It kills the roots. The black stuff dies and rinses off with a hose.
Sugar Road Dust
Pharr is surrounded by fields. The wind carries dirt mixed with agricultural chemicals.
This isn't dry dust. It is sticky. It lands on the monuments and bonds to the polish. Rain beads up on it. Smearing it with a rag just spreads the grease.
We use an industrial degreaser for grave site cleaning services. We strip the sticky film. Once the chemical residue is gone, the stone washes clean.
Fire Ant Acid
Fire ants love the warm stone. They pile dirt against the base.
This dirt is acidic. It sits against the polish and burns it. It leaves a dull, rough ring around the bottom. You cannot wash the damage off; the finish is eaten away. We treat the ground. Then we use alkaline cleaners for cleaning stone gravestones. We stop the acid burn.
Rio Grande Water Scale
We irrigate constantly to save the grass. The river water is salty.
The sun bakes the water dry in minutes. The salt stays. It builds a hard, white crust on the base. It is like cement. Scrapers scratch the stone. We use a buffered acid wash. It dissolves the crust. We rinse it away.
Mud Dauber Stains
The heat brings the wasps. Mud Daubers build nests under the edges of upright monuments.
They use red clay for their tubes. Even after the nest falls off, the red stain stays. It looks like a shadow on the granite. Water won't move it. We use surfactants to pull the red clay particles out of the pores.