Memorial Cleaning Services

Keeping the memorial headstone of a lost loved one tidy will be of utmost importance to relatives and friends of the deceased. Gravestones can need regular upkeep as they are left outside to contend with the elements, and may become weathered or dirty. Flowers and decorations will also deteriorate over time, and will need to be replaced to maintain the appearance of the grave.

After a number of years, marble memorials may need a ‘machine clean’, which grinds out and polishes the top skin of the marble to remove the pores filled with dirt. This will then leave a fresh, clean white surface exposed. Our masons are able to provide this service and although some deep stains may persist in the marble and will not be able to be removed, our cleaning services can almost restore the memorial to its original condition.

Cleaning Tips for Marble and Granite

Whilst our cleaning services are very thorough, regularly giving a memorial a quick clean will help ensure that thorough cleans are needed less often.

Depending on the material used for the memorial, different cleaning methods will need to be adhered to, and a guide to different gravestone materials can be read here. It is recommended that when caring for a gravestone, you clean from bottom to top, in order to prevent acids from moulds and lichens running down the memorial and causing further stains.

Marble memorials should be regularly washed down with soapy water. No neat chemicals such as bleach or detergent should be used as this will damage the texture of the stone and increase the rate of future weathering.

In contrast, Granite memorials will not need regular cleaning as their highly polished surfaces are largely maintenance free and most dirt will be removed by wiping with a simple damp cloth. However, this will not be true of granite memorials that have a matt finish as their surfaces will not be as highly polished.

Repair Work

For both marble and granite memorials it is possible that the lettering finish will deteriorate over time and may need repair work – this can easily be carried out by AK Lander masons as part of our memorial renovation services.

It is very important that headstones are maintained in order to increase the longevity of the memorial and with plenty of experience in carrying out memorial care services, AK Lander can give you piece of mind when carrying out renovations.