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Cleaning mineral deposits off of granite tombstones

Article Number: 1786 | Rating: Unrated | Last Updated: Fri, Apr 17, 2009 at 12:00 AM

Q.The family cemetery is watered by well water with lots of minerals..particulary calcum and Iron. We want to clean the stains off as much as possible. any help would be appreacieted.

A.Hello Folks-Here are some basic guide lines to clean off your tombstones. Make sure to use soft bristle brushes on plenty of water.A god non ionic cleaner would be a kodak product called photo flo.A good biocide is d2 I forget who makes it but you can google it.

Good Luck.

Granite: Clean water, non-ionic detergent, biocide solution.

Modern Polished Granite: Clean water, non-ionic solution, biocide solution, Acid based granite cleaning solution, include with links. It is most common in a dry crystal form and is mixed with water to form a solution. Its strength may be varied based on the amount of crystals added. Please be very careful, as eye protection and rubber gloves should be worn. Also it may kill grass or plantings in the area around the stone being cleaned.

Unpolished Modern Granite: The same as polished. Additionally plain old fashioned cleanser may be doing the best job of all. Comet or common dry cleanser without the extra cleaning crystals works wonders when cleaning unpolished modern granite monuments. Do not use cleanser on polished granite as it may scratch the finished surface of the stone

On polished granite tombstones, calcium deposits from hardened water often leave a hazed coating on the surface. It is recommended to use a heavy duty non-metallic scouring pad to remove these calcium deposits. You can also purchase one from a grocery store. Just make certain it is safe to use on granite. Using a non-ionic soap or detergent and water you can scrub the polished surface thoroughly with the scouring pad to remove the deposits.

Stu Rosen

www.mbstone.com

www.stoneshine.com