Caring for your new monument

Once your memorial has been places in the cemetery it will be exposed to the elements. The biggest factors that contribute to dulling the look of the stone are; dirt, grime and hard water or calcium deposits. The good news, all stones can be cleaned and maintained to keep their like new look year-round. Different colored stones will act differently to the elements, dark stones such as Black, Blue Pearl, India Red and Green will appear aged much faster than lighter colors such as Pink and Gray. It is a good idea to keep in mind the amount of maintenance each color will require when picking out your memorial.

Ways you can keep you memorial clean

The best thing you can do to insure your memorial stays in like new condition year-round is to take a few minuets each time you visit to clean it and remove any dirt, grime or calcium that may have accumulated. This can be done with a simple stiff bristle brush and some soap such as Dawn. We don’t recommend using ANY type of chemical cleaners on monuments as they can damage the surface of the stone. If you are unable to clean the monument for large amounts of time you will notice that there will be a much heavier build up of calcium and grime, for this type of cleanup we recommend reaching out to your nearest monument company to ask for advice before attempting the cleaning on your own. Traditionally, pumice stones are used to remove the calcium and grime from the surface of the monuments, while this is a great way to clean the surface there is a chance that you will scratch the polished surface of your monument, leaving you with small hazy spots that are unsightly. If you choose to use a pumice stone ALWAYS start by testing a very small area of your monument to insure you are not scratching the surface. If you are unsure about any part of the cleaning process reach out to your local monument company for advice before you begin.