The Importance of Preserving Gravestones
A class on cemetery preservation and tombstone cleaning was offered as part of the spring 2022 Lifelong Learning series. Two hours of classroom presentations with questions and answers were followed by hands-on time at Hillcrest Cemetery in Fulton for stone cleaning. We thought we should share some of the basic Dos and Don’ts for cemetery preservation. With the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, many people will visit cemeteries to honor and remember lost family and friends.
DO
Trim trees, shrubs, and vines
Encourage visitors and interpretative activities in the cemetery
Use the gentlest means possible to clean markers
Trees, shrubs, vines, and flowers planted in cemeteries add beauty, or a specific type of plant may have been a deceased person’s favorite. When planted, they are small and pose little danger to the markers. However, they can become a threat to the markers or visitors as they grow. Keeping them trimmed helps alleviate the damage.
Visitors to cemeteries deter vandals. If a cemetery has visitors regularly, vandalism of stones is less likely to occur.
Always use natural bristle brushes to hand clean markers. Nothing motorized or with metal bristles should be used. Do not use household bleach or abrasive techniques.
DON’T
Pull vines from markers
Take rubbings
Do anything which will damage original surfaces
Use chemicals (cleaners, pesticides or herbicides) on or around monuments
Scrape, clean, repair, or reset markers without monuments conservation training
Instead of pulling vines, you should cut them off near the bottom of the marker, allow them to die, and come back later to remove them. This will keep the plant parts that have attached themselves to the stone from breaking pieces of stone loose when you pull them off.
Rubbing the stone abrades the surface damaging the stone no matter how lightly you rub. Instead, use mirrors to reflect sunlight or a flashlight to make the carving more legible.
Most stones have a polished surface. Removing the patina from stones promotes additional weathering. Even tiny nicks made by weed eating can remove the patina. When weed eating around stones, always use a string that breaks easily to reduce the chance of damaging the finish on the stone.
The use of chemicals on or around markers can cause damage. Use only chemicals that have been tested and approved for use on cemetery markers, such as D2.
The best of intentions for cleaning and repairing monuments don’t work. If you can purchase it at a local hardware store, it is probably unsuitable for use in preserving old stones. This includes adhesives like construction glues, cleaners like bleach, and waterproofing materials. Latex or acrylic bonding agents or additives are generally inappropriate because they reduce the vapor permeability of the repair. Epoxy repairs provide an ineffective load transfer – the repair cannot support the weight of the stone and fails. Seek professional assistance for major repair work.
