[clifford]

evening chaps! one of my commercial cleaning contracts is in a monumental masons,have been there today but am due back there friday. if ya can wait i will have a word with them,  i know they sell cleaning products for it so will get prices etc if interested and could always post them on 4 u???

[geefree]

Gary,
Absolutely not my intention to cause offence, but sincere apologies if I have done.
Mike

Hi Mike,

im not normally sensitive, and i like a good laugh, i was just upset the other day... sorry too mate... and accepted.

cheers.

and thanks for all help to everyone.

Gary

[TVCS]

try having a word with the local diacese. I'm sure that is spelt wrong.
The local vicar to me told me to contact them regarding all church related cleaning and work. 
I never did get round to contacting them but this thread has reminded me.
Hope all goes well gazza

[johnny_h]

i clean my dad grave stone with puse water whick i use for window cleaning it contains no chemicals and gives it a nice sheen

[classycleaningco]

i know just the ticket......... go to www.stonesandroses.ltd.uk - fabulous company who specialize in cleaning and are based in Hertfordshire. Lovely ladies

[rich hand]

recently cleaned an old family gravestone which was white marble but over the years had gone black was trying for ages with scrubing brush not much joy then the cemetry caretaker came over and said use parazone bleach neat but not any other brand dont know why so igot a couple of bottles put it on and it came up a treat

Is anyone any further on this topic? Parozone bleach btw is ph 6 -8 so  this maybe why the caretaker recommended this lower ph bleach.

[GWCS]

http://www.ctgravestones.com/Conservation/cleaning.htm

[stalwart]

Gentlemen this is one area of cleaning you really have to do your research on,get it wrong and your in a world of hurt.
I'll start 1st with the subject of cleaning marble and granite,one of the best ways is with.........
Baking soda   yes baking soda
Rub baking soda into the marble with a damp cloth. Then, rinse with water; towel dry; and you're done!
Baking soda is a light abrasive and a natural disinfectant, so it's tough on stains
why use it?
its cheap for a start
its a sanitizer
good stain remover
won't etch marble

DO NOT USE vinegar, lemon or other acidic stuff to clean marble – this can lead to etching

The lettering,this can be made up of anything from lead slate or the gold stuff i wont go into this alot but do your homework(google) on it as this is the most important part.

For other headstones you really have to find out what the stone is,some are sandstone,limestone,the list go's on you can get away with pressure washer the harder stone but for god sake not the softer stone.

OK,why do i give this warning,i like some of you thought about doing this a few years back,got asked to do one and without any knowlege slightly buggered up the top edge of the headstone using to much pressure beleive me the grief i got from another family member  

It really is one very delicate bit of work to do,think about it,if someone came along and damage your  family shrine......................... how would you react?

[stalwart]

http://www.ctgravestones.com/Conservation/cleaning.htm

thats a good pointer and quite a bit of help GWCS i did find that about a year ago,problem you got there is thats in the USA they dont import stone as much as we do so they get slighty different probs  then we do in UK.

Also this will make you laugh,in some grave yards they have become some what of a conservation area beleive it or not  some lichens that grow on certain headstones are a protected species and  it's illegal to clean them off! Don't ask me which types though, as I haven't a clue got told by the local green save planet earth man,lol

[The Great One]

Hi

How about Microsan?

It is a Biocide, Fungacide, Insectacide and a virucide. it smells ok and may get rid of what you need to do?

Regards

Martin

[drive surgeon]

have seen a good few vans knocking round lately with graves on.  think its the new trend to have your grave cleaned. a guy by me has the whole cemetry on his books like a contract for vandalism and regular cleans. he charged 10 quid a grave he said but there are thousands in a cemetry.  you could get 30 done a day he said for 300 quid!!

[simoncollins]

This seems an interesting topic and I wondered if the Motor Scrubber might help out?

It's a battery powered machine so is fully portable and could be used for scrubbing headstones etc. I don't know how effective it might be as I have never tried, but it might be worth considering?

We sell them all-in for around £700 including full accessory sets.

The US website is packed with info, take a look at http://www.readingconsumerproduct.com/

We are based in Hertfordshire. If anyone wants to try one out we have a demonstrator, so would be happy to pop along and see if it actually works.

Cheers,
Simon

Industrial Floorcare Machines (UK)

[stalwart]

This seems an interesting topic and I wondered if the Motor Scrubber might help out?

It's a battery powered machine so is fully portable and could be used for scrubbing headstones etc. I don't know how effective it might be as I have never tried, but it might be worth considering?

We sell them all-in for around £700 including full accessory sets.

The US website is packed with info, take a look at http://www.readingconsumerproduct.com/

We are based in Hertfordshire. If anyone wants to try one out we have a demonstrator, so would be happy to pop along and see if it actually works.

Cheers,
Simon

Industrial Floorcare Machines (UK)

For a minute then,i thought i tuned in to the shopping channel,£700 for that,24v strimmer with a brush on the end

[Nathanael Jones]

£700?

How about one for £70?

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Black-Decker-GPC900-cordless-18v-scrubber-brand-new_W0QQitemZ260458378890QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM?hash=item3ca487768a&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

[stalwart]

And that one is 18v ,some how dont think i'd have the guts turning up on a job with one of those

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

my mate is a stonemason.......his advice is "dont even think about it unless you know what kind of stone it is,  once you have determined the type/grade etc then you must gain advice on best cleaning method"

his advice is to consult a stonemason of all things......imagine that....business must be bad, he is touting for new work on cleaning forums......commision led by me of course.

what i couldnt believe is the price these guys charge....he earns a whopping 100-200 quid, PER HOUR.......i am in the wrong job.

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

its a cause of grave concern this post, as all the other posters seemed to have died since last night....but dont worry too much, i will make sure the headstones are cleaned regularly with fairy liquid