Grave Cleaning & Headstone Restoration in Kent

Cleaning Valley Fog and Warehouse Soot in Kent

Kent sits low in the valley. The fog hangs here long after it burns off in Seattle. That dampness is trouble for the cemeteries like Hillcrest and St. Patrick's. The stones stay wet for half the day. That constant moisture creates a heavy layer of green moss and black algae. It turns the granite slick and hides the inscriptions.

Then you have the industrial side of town. The warehouse trucks kick up a lot of diesel exhaust and road dust. That oily grime settles on the headstones. It turns into a black paste that hardens on the polish. Families searching for headstone cleaning services near me call us to scrub off that greasy valley grime, cut back the blackberries, and lift the markers that are sinking into the soft river soil.

Removing Diesel Soot and Road Film

The black staining in Kent isn't just dirt. It is oily exhaust from the traffic on the valley highways. You can't hose this stuff off. It is grease. The rain hits it and runs right off, leaving the dirt stuck to the stone.

We use a degreaser to cut through it. We apply the cleaner and let it work on the oil. It loosens the grip of the soot. Then we scrub it. You can see the black water running off the stone. It takes a heavy hand, but it gets the grey granite back to its original color.

Lifting Markers from Soft Soil

The valley floor is soft. The ground shifts when it gets wet. We see heavy flat markers that have sunk three or four inches deep. The mud washes over the edges and covers the names.

We dig them out. We cut the grass back and pry the stone up. We don't put it back on the mud. We build a base of crushed gravel underneath. The gravel locks together and drains the water away. It keeps the marker from sinking back down next winter.

Killing the "Valley Moss"

The fog keeps the moss alive here year-round. It grows thick on the tops of the upright monuments and fills the letters on the flat stones. If you scrape it, you leave the roots, and it grows back fast.

We kill it. We soak the stone with a biocide that goes deep into the pores. The moss dies and turns brown. It releases its hold on the stone. We brush it off, and the stone stays clean because there are no roots left to regrow.

Clearing Blackberry Vines

In the older, outer sections of the cemeteries, blackberries take over. They love this wet soil. They throw out long, thorny canes that bury the plots and scratch the monuments.

We cut them back by hand. We are careful not to drag the thorns across the polished stone surfaces. Once the stone is clear, we dig the root ball out. If that root stays in the dirt, the vine comes right back.

Fixing Scuffs and Chips

The maintenance crews have a lot of ground to cover. They hit the stones with the mowers and string trimmers. We see chipped corners and black plastic marks on the bases.

We clean the plastic marks with a solvent. For the chips, we use diamond files. We grind the sharp, broken edge down to a smooth bevel. It looks finished and stops the equipment from catching on that jagged spot again.

Service Costs in Kent

We have flat-rate pricing for Kent, Auburn, and Covington. We don't need to visit the cemetery to give you a price. Check our subscription builder to see the exact cost for your plot.