RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

This is in response to those warn against the cleaning of grave markers. The warning should be against improper cleaning. A visit to any number of sites under a search of "how to properly clean a tombstone" will provide useful guidance; much of which is common sense, do not use harsh chemicals or abrasive materials and tools. The solution that is often being recommended now is D/S Biological . This is put on the grave, usually with a spritz bottle, and after a short amount of time to work, is cleaning off with a water soaked sponge. The grave marker cleaning sites will provide more detail. I have been to cemetery clean up workshops and have used this stuff myself. It isn't cheap, but it does work. I can't see how letting nature continue to take its course letting the lichen, fungus and other organisms erode the stone is preferable to safely cleaning them.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

I have no objection to cleaning a monument if I know exactly what it is made of, and what kind the dirt, mold, or other substances are in question. A plant-based, so called biological detergent is not likely to hame a stone unless it reacts with whatever has formed in it overthe years. Of course, some ceremtars have rules and regulations governing such activities. Chalking or the use of abrasives is not advisable in any case

Many cemetaties are owned or regulated by religious congregations- churches, synagogues, and othere houses of worship and have their own protocols and religious tenets regarding decorum at gravesites. Mostof these cemeteries that I have visited are well maintained by theses groups and funds are collected from families for additional maintenance and gardening. The military cemetery and sections I have visited at Arlington Va., Cypress Hill (New York) and a few others are also well maintained. On the other side of the coin are ancient burial grounds, abandoned church graveyards, and
"Potters Field" kind of place. Those are another story. I have seen a few with wooden markers, crosses made of lead plumbing pipe with small rusting plaques or tags, or tombstones that are badly eroded. Any harsh treatments can easily distroy or totally deface them.

Some of my family members are buried in a cemetery on Long Island where most of the stones are made of Barre Granet. Despite air pollution in the NYC metropolitan area and the harsh winters and hot summers, there are stones in there that are 100+ years old and look almost as good as new! That stuff must be impervious to everything. When I visit my mother's grave, I just give the stone a quick dusting with a fiber cloth and it still shines! Mom passed away in 1957.

Maybe I am paranoid or watched too many Mr.Bean movies. Remember the one where he attempts to clean the painting of Whitler's mother and the entire image dissolves, so he replaces it with a poster? This is why, when I post here, any kind of cleaning suggestions I do so with an abundance of caution. People sometimes tend to overdo things. So, some guy is gonna try to restore Great Grandma's tombstone, decides to hit it with a splash of Draino, and the whole thing disintegrates in front of the entire family. Granny is gonna come back and haunt somebody! Or, some poor well-intended soul is gonna be harmlessly dusting off and shooting a gravestone and mistakingly arrested for vandalism because there has been a rash of destruction in the local graveyards. Bad things happen to good people! The graveyeads are full of them!

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

I too am a member. People appreciate it. And a good excuse to grab a camera and go.