Maintaining a tomb or a vault is important to honor the memory missing relatives.
But it is also essential to ensure that the burial remains in good condition.
Be careful though, not all stones are maintained the same way.
Caring for an antique headstone can be tricky.
Some are more fragile than others!
So how do you restore and clean a blackened gravestone?
Here is how to properly clean and maintain a grave easily in 13 steps . Watch:
Before cleaning a grave, you must first get rid of the spent flower bouquets and remove the flower pots.
With garden scissors, cut off the faded flowers. If the grave and its surroundings are overgrown with dead leaves, use this trick to pick them up without getting tired.
Put everything in a trash bag.
Also take the opportunity to remove all the bad ones around the tombstone. To do this, pull them out by hand.
Or even better, use white vinegar to kill all the weeds. Find out how here.
But be careful not to spray vinegar on the marble surfaces!
With the passage of time and humidity,moss tends to invade everything.
And the grave can quickly turn green.
Not only is it not very pretty, but it can also end up damaging the tombstone or the funeral plaque.
And the restoration of a tomb goes through the stripping of the moss.
Fortunately, there is a very simple trick to remove the moss and clean the tombstone.
And you don't need harsh chemicals for that!
Just dilute 3 tablespoons of bicarbonate in a liter of lukewarm water.
Soak a brush in your mixture and scrub the foam-covered parts. Then rinse well.
Lo and behold, the foam is gone! Simple and effective, isn't it?
Note that you can also use black soap to remove the foam.
The maintenance of blue stone is quite simple, as it is a hard and non-porous stone.
Cleaning with clear water is often sufficient.
If the bluestone grave is really dirty, you can add a little black soap or washing up liquid .
You can finish by rinsing thoroughly with clear water.
For stains, use hydrogen peroxide or Sommière clay for greasy stains.
During the year, due to humidity and pollution, the granite headstone may become dirty and black.
To clean it, avoid using a stripping product which could damage the stone of the tomb.
It is better to use a mild natural product such as black soap.
For that, it's simple. Pour the water into a bucket and dilute the black soap in the water.
Then dip your brush in it and scrub the stone. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft cloth.
This solution is perfect for a tombstone in terrazzo (mixture of stone and cement) or raw granite.
It is also a solution that works for soft and porous stones, or marble whether it is light or dark, black or white marble, when it is not too dirty.
Another possibility:do a quick cleaning with a magic sponge moistened with water.
Cleaning a marble funerary monument is tricky, especially if the dirt has been embedded for a long time.
Above all, do not use acidic products, such as vinegar or lemon, on marble.
Otherwise, you will strip it and damage it.
As marble is limestone, an acid product would attack it and cause it to lose its shine.
To clean dirty marble and make it shine, you can make a mixture of 70° alcohol and black soap, as explained here.
Then simply apply this homemade cleaner to the marble surfaces to be washed.
All that's left to do is wipe to find a clean, spotless and shiny marble.
You can also mix Meudon white 2 two drops of turpentine.
With a cloth, take a little of your mixture and pass it on the marble.
Marble tends to tarnish over time. To restore its shine, there is another very effective grandmother's trick.
The trick is to clean it witha paste made with soda crystals and Meudon white.
To prepare this paste, put on gloves to protect your hands.
Then in a basin, put 2 parts of Meudon white wine and 1 part of soda crystals.
Add two parts water and mix. Spread the paste obtained on the marble and leave to act for 1 hour.
Then with a clean, dry cloth, wipe off the paste. You will see, the marble regains all its brilliance.
It is ideal for cleaning small surfaces, such as commemorative plaques.
Marble is a porous stone:it tends to absorb stains and dirt.
Stains on the marble must be treated separately, taking care not to damage the marble coating.
You can use clay stone to emphasize stubborn stains.
Dampen a sponge with the clay stone.
Rub stains with it, rinse and dry! Simple, isn't it?
The clay stone can be found in all DIY stores, organic stores, supermarkets (Auchan, Leclerc, Carrefour, Castorala...) and here, on the Internet.
You can also make your own clay stone by following this recipe.
Another solution for removing encrusted stains from marble:a paste of baking soda and pumice powder.
To do this, mix in a container 1/3 baking soda and 2/3 pumice powder.
Apply this paste on the stains and let it act while it dries.
Then clean it with black soap diluted in water. Rinse with clear water and dry with a cloth.
To discover: La Terre de Sommières:the Magic Trick to Remove Grease Stains from Granite and Marble.
Are the stains on the marble gone?
The marble tombstone is now clean and shiny? Well done!
To prevent it from getting dirty too quickly and scratching, you can protect the marble by using encaustic or wax milk using a cloth.
To finish, wipe the surface with a soft, thick cloth.
A rust spot may form on the ornaments, on a plate or on a marble or granite slab.
hydrogen peroxide is the miracle product you need to make it go away.
Begin by rubbing the stain with an abrasive pad. Then soak a cloth in 20 volume hydrogen peroxide.
Run it over the rust spots. Finally, using a damp sponge, rinse thoroughly.
Bad weather and the sun always end up weakening enamelled porcelain urns.
For them to regain their shine, simply clean them with clear water and a soft cloth to maintain them.
The inscriptions on the tombstone may fade over time.
They are often made with gold paint.
Not easy to renovate these inscriptions on the marble slabs! Here's the trick that an employee of the funeral home told me.
Start by cleaning the hollow letters with a brush dipped in white spirit or acetone.
Remove excess with a damp cloth. Then carefully protect the marble.
For this, use cardboard, thick paper or painter's tape to hide the marble and leave only the letters visible.
Use spray paint to repaint the letters and re-gild them. Don't put too much! Wait for the paint to dry a little and remove the covers.
If there are any drips, wipe off the spilled paint with a clean rag. It remains only to wait until the paint is completely dry.
To protect the writing when the paint is completely dry, then apply clear varnish over it.
You can also use a marker or grease pencil on the letters to color them.
A crack in the marble can weaken the tombstone. Better fix it ASAP!
To fill it, take a candle and light it. Let the hot wax drip into the crack.
Let dry and remove excess wax with a spatula. The crack is now invisible!
A bit of washing-up liquid , water and a sponge are enough to clean a resin souvenir plate .
You can also use window cleaner.
Or if stains are deeply embedded, rub a sponge on the clay stone and pass it over the plate.
Rinse with clear water and dry with a soft cloth.
You can finish cleaning by applying colorless wax to protect it.
We all like to put flowers on the graves of our deceased loved ones, especially on All Saints' Day.
The rest of the year, we often prefer to put artificial flowers.
It's very practical when you live far from the cemetery and you can't come often to maintain the grave.
Considering the prices, we can't always afford to maintain a remote grave!
To clean them, use a damp sponge soaked in washing-up liquid or black soap .
You can also soak them in soapy water to loosen the dirt.
If mud has dried on the flowers, remove it with a sponge dipped in the clay stone.
- black soap
- baking soda
- Meudon white
- pumice powder
- land of Sommières
- turpentine
- white spirit or acetone
- 70% alcohol
- hydrogen peroxide 20 vol.
- magic eraser
- dishwashing liquid
- sponge, soft brush, cloths
- bucket, basin, garbage bag
- shears, gloves
- The more regularly the maintenance of a tomb is done, the more efficient and faster it is to do.
- Do not use aggressive products to clean the graves of your loved ones. You risk causing irreparable damage.
- Never use bleach for grave maintenance. Certainly, we get a quick result. But as it dries, the bleach leaves deposits of crystals, which degrades the stone quickly.
- On marble, absolutely avoid using acidic products such as vinegar.
- Even if it is effective, it is better to avoid using a karcher to clean a natural stone grave:pressurized water can disintegrate the stone.
- Also be aware that metal brushes can scratch the stone and the commemorative plaques.
- If you have to do work on a funeral plot, know that you need an authorization. Check with the town hall.
In France, the law does not require you to maintain a grave.
But leaving a tomb abandoned or in poor condition is not without consequences...
Indeed, after 30 years, the municipality where the cemetery is located has the right to take back the land granted.
