Local Cemetery Conservation: How to safely clean a Cemetery Monument

[@andrewc.2952]

Neat fact: around Baltimore in Maryland, you'll see so many townhomes, chapels, and grand old buildings that have marble steps. I had a native Baltimorian tell me that years ago, people cleaned their marble steps with comet cleanser. They actually took pride in keeping their marble steps looking white and beautiful. So yeah, that's what this community used before the invention of D2. 😊

[@thomilo44]

Thank you for making this. It is really well-presented, a clear and detailed explanation with a live demonstration. This is all very useful information. I'm looking to start cleaning and restoring local cemetary monuments and this series will be very helpful.

[@ronaldbaker9709]

Good presentation of the tools needed to clean the headstones and the proper techniques to apply to the job. Also enjoyed the historical discussion of the types of stone used over the ages.

[@jomercer21113]

Photo documentation is so important. Some early 19th century stones in my family's rural cemeteries that were legible when photographed 20 years ago are now so much more weathered as to be nearly unidentifiable.

[@jkidwell2344]

Great information and presentation. Very helpful. Thank you for all that you do.

[@pbcanal1]

Really really nice presentation. Please ask permission before cleaning. Because of the high cost of D2, I use Orvus WP soap to clean and then treat with the D2. Orvus is non ionic and safe.

[@kim_b_fiddle]

Who do we go to for permission? I’m assuming the ppl who own the cemetery? My apologies for asking; I’m new to this.

[@horsdevors4559]

Watched my first video of you. Immediately I thought you were a professor teaching a class.

[@IrishAnnie]

Quick fact. The world has 15,000 varieties of Lichens. They cover 7% of the earths surface and produce oxygen. They are a combination of algae and fungus. One feeds off the other. They LOVE wet stones because they thrive on the moisture. I love to see them on my palm trees here in Florida.

[@guttergirl5939]

Love all your vids,I have a squeegee in my arsenal of cleaning tools, it works great for scraping

[@IrishAnnie]

I’ll give them a try! Soft.

[@carolvalenta]

Where do you buy D2?

[@kevfirey7799]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge , very helpful

[@hrhdianednum7203]

What if you have black marble do you use the same cleaner… smooth and rough black marble?

[@susanharris2526]

Great tutorial. Thank you so much!

[@stonecoldrestorations4591]

thanks for the tutorial!

[@IrishAnnie]

I got some mucker shoes from Walmart on line and they wipe off after I clean stone. I get filthy!

[@allthingselderly]

Nice video. Do you need insurance when starting a business? How to you get permission from cemeteries? Thx.

[@johnm7899]

What if u already cleaned a granite stone with diluted white vinegar or bleach? Will is damage the stone over the years? Is there a way to clean the vinegar or bleach off?

[@raynonabohrer5624]

What is your name of this person. Is a headstone. Who's grave

[@rickcamacho9079]

Thanks for taking time. Tutorial great about equipment. Great because then we can see words in action. Action first would be harder to get a grasp of as to content. People frustrated with the prep talk lenght should close mouth and open ears. This is a very important personal subject dealing with loved ones. Great job.

[@kellymarquardt8971]

Do you know what the ingredients of D2 are ? You say ammonia is bad. What bout isopropyl alcohol ? How bout plain dish soap ? Well these are the main ingredients of D2..

[@Troy-Echo]

One reason the colors change after applying the D2 is there are over 13,000 species of lichen and various species will change to different colors, while some others will not have a color change. You should open the nozzle to more of a fan spray versus a stream. A lot of the D2 is splashing off the stone and it's a waste of an expensive product. D2 will also kill plants and grass as it will kill the bacteria in the soil, and these bacteria facilitate the transfer of nutrients into the roots. And since D2 has an afterlife that continues to kill these bacteria, you can starve the plants. My last step in cleaning is to thoroughly flush the surrounding vegetation with water to dilute anything in the soil.

[@Boodieman72]

Pulsed laser would be the best method to clean monuments as they it's a non-destructive cleaning method.

[@horsdevors4559]

Your Videos are quite entertaining...But, think about using fast forward when you're doing the menial tasks that you do.

[@daleromdenne]

D2 is so pricey

[@kellymarquardt8971]

Use isopropyl alcohol dish soap and ammonia. These are the ingredients of D2. Look them up..

[@horsdevors4559]

More than cigarettes...or booze???

[@horsdevors4559]

Nice thing about your video, you can get up and walk away for 10 or so minutes, come back, and you're still talking about what kind of brush to use....

[@camerongarcia3128]

when you say you don't want to use a steel bristle brush, then how abuot brushes used to detail vehicle wheels, wehre they're mostly plastic or a thick man made fibrous brush material. And how about a brush drill that is used to clean the upholstery of an automobile? I think that its' time to really look at what can be used to clean stones, instead of pooh pooing the idea that all mechanical equipment is bad.....

[@1959Berre]

The secret of making an interesting video: don't lecture, just do it and explain as you demonstrate. Nobody wants to see a talking head.

[@Simon250212]

ITS NOT CLEAN THOUGH. Useless.

[@annekline4054]

The D2 keeps on cleaning with the sun after you finish cleaning. It sometimes takes a few months for the D2 to kill all the biologics.

[@landthatilove6556]

Two years ago my family and I found the gravesites of our great great grandparents in a small cemetery out in a field in Crawford county Illinois. Their gravestones were nearly black. She had died in 1879 eight days after one of their sons. He died in 1903. We cleaned them with D2 which is a biological cleaner that works after you leave. We went back 18 months later, and they're absolutely beautiful. We were back in the area during the April 8 solar eclipse. Their gravestones still look fantastic. I then decided to clean 2 large stones (Icabod and Nancy Graham) a few feet in front of them. As we were walking out of the cemetery I noticed a baby's gravestone with a lamb at the top. We cleaned that one too. I look forward to returning soon to see how they look now.

[@shaunmccauley5129]

Interesting but he never stops talking 😅

[@peroperic5678]

Speaking, speaking, speaking... unbelievable how much you can speak. And to the end of video you didn't clean a monument properly.

[@jamesbass9797]

Good grief man. Just clean the stone already. Way to wordy.

[@BradenPedigo]

Cleaning a stone with improper techniques will actually damage the monument, defeating the whole purpose of trying to clean it in the first place. You should really pay attention to what the man is saying...it's spot-on accurate.

[@jamesbass9797]

@@BradenPedigo -- I've been cleaning head stones for over 30 years. I think you should re-read what I said. I said nothing about the accuracy of the information. I did say it was too wordy and it was. You can either like that or not. Matters not to me.

[@noeraldinkabam]

@@jamesbass9797You are wordy too.

[@edwardference3979]

Really ! Just watch or not

[@bunnysthndr]

For those of us that are not Experts not like yourself, 🙄but want to be an Expert like yourself, 🙄, can only become an Expert,like yourself, 🙄by listening to ALL THE INFORMATION, by the Teacher. Why don't YOU become a Teacher, LESS WORDY of course,and share all that Expert Knowledge 🙄, with us! Now That's A THOUGHT!🤣🤣

[@lillypad9960]

Darn, he talked for over a third of start of video. Work and talk, please. Had to mute him.

[@ahmadhussain-Fitness]

Oops so much talk and that too to clear a stone۔ 😮🤔

[@pbcanal1]

Too much talking? He is doing a presentation. Is he supposed to mime it all?

[@_Julie_Bee]

How can you do a "how to" without talking?!

[@Poshypaws]

How to clean a cemetery monument safely.