When you are the person in charge of maintaining the grave-site of a loved one, it is essential that you know what you need to do to keep the marker looking its best. That is not always a simple thing to do. Many people are unsure of how to clean materials like granite or marble. If that is something you are worried about and are not sure about how to clean a marker, there are some tips that directors of funeral homes in Cincinnati, OH want you to remember.

One of the first things you want to do is assess the entire grave-site. If you see that the marker is damaged in any way, whether it has crack, flaking, crumbling, or anything else, you want to avoid cleaning it. It can only make things worse. You want to remember not to use hard-bristled brushes, power-washing equipment, or chemicals like bleach since it can end up staining the marker. You want to use only sponges, soft brushes, soap, and water.

For a marble grave marker, it is important to first wet the stone completely. Marble is porous and it will absorb liquid. You do not want it to absorb the cleaning solution so use water first. You then want to see if there is algae or other growth forms. If there are, you want to add a little bit of ammonia to the water and use that on the sections where the algae is. Only do this for a marker that is light in color. If you have a dark marker, you want to turn to soap and water only.

If your loved one’s marker is made of granite, you want to begin the same way as you would with a marble one. Remember not to use ammonia with granite, however, since that can cause damage. Use only gentle detergent, adding an ounce into five gallons of water. You want to also rinse the stone thoroughly once you are done. Remember not to clean the marker when it is dry, since that can cause flaking.

You want to remember all of these things when maintaining a grave-site. You do not need to clean the marker more than every two years, so it is not something you should stress about. It is always a good idea to reach out to the provider of the marker and ask them about how to maintain it, since they will have the best idea of how to do this. If you want to know more about the options you have for markers or if you want to be sure that you do not damage the marker once you clean it, you can reach out to a Cincinnati, OH funeral home like us. We are here to help you with the exact kind of guidance you need so be sure to contact us. You can give us a call or you can visit us today to learn more about what we can offer.