A HEADSTONE RETAINS ITS DIGNITY WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE
By regularly maintaining and cleaning your headstone it will remain representative for decades. What is needed to clean the headstone depends mainly on the placement of the stone and the surface treatments used.
A polished surface is easier to keep clean. On rock pitched surfaces, it’s easier for moss to gather. By cleaning the headstone every year, you can make sure the stone’s dignity is maintained from generation to generation.
Don’t place candles too close to the stone, it is very difficult to remove candle wax from the stone. In lantern stones with inlays for candles, only oil-based candles should be used.
Maintaining polished or honed stone surfaces
Clean the dirt with water and a rag. For difficult stains, like dried candle wax, you can use a diluted detergent, thinner or white gas. If you use these, you will need to clean the whole surface to maintain a uniform color. Always rinse the surface carefully after cleaning. Pay attention to gilded and painted inscriptions and carvings.
Maintaining sawed, sandblasted, flamed and pitched stone surfaces
Clean the surface with water and a brush. Darkened surfaces can also be cleaned with some dishwashing liquid or another eco-friendly weakly alkaline detergent. Moss that has grown on a pitched surface can be removed with a steel brush. Afterwards take care to carefully rinse the surface of any metal particles that might have rubbed off from the brush, as they might remain and start to rust.
Maintaining gildings, paintings and metal lettering and decorations
Clean the gilded and painted carvings with extreme care by wiping them. Do not use a brush or a pressure washer. Follow all general rules for cleaning metal lettering and decorations.
It is possible to engrave additional names into a headstone. While engraving additional names, the headstone can also be given a complete refurbishment. Loimaan Kivi can accommodate our clients in anything that has to do with the service or maintenance of headstones.
Righting and uprighting headstones
A headstone can with time start to lean due to the earth around the headstone compacting, roots growing, another grave being dug et cetera. Since stone is so heavy as a material, even a small tilt can be dangerous for people working at the cemetery or friends and family that take care of the grave.
Uprighting a headstone is best left to Loimaan Kivi’s professionals.