There are sites on the internet that deal with this subject. All the good sites suggest the use of Kodak Photo-Flo to clean stones. This product seems to do the least amount of damage if used correctly. http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp/repairtoolbox.html http://waynesville.k12.mo.us/Schools/LEAPworld/Cemetery/Restoration/Re storation%20Techniques.html http://members.aol.com/ctgravenet/dosdonts.htm There are many sites. Some better than others. I do not clean stones. Those I find difficult to read are either buried or are so old as to contain cracks which can retain harmful chemicals. What I do instead to read the inscriptions is to use distilled water. I do not suggest using tap, rain or bottled water because of the mineral and chemical content. Pour the distilled water slowly over the face of the area you want to read using a soft new natural bristle paint brush to spread the water on the surface. Here is the key to all this. The surface will dry first. The inscription and cracks will dry more slowly. Watch the stone as it dries and you should see the inscription start to appear. At several points during the drying process, digital photographs are taken so a comparison can be made. The idea is to wet the stone only once so not to further any present damage. Please do not do this when the temperature can drop to freezing. This was done on many stones with great success. One example was a stone in the Benson cemetery in Newcomb, Talbot County, Maryland. It was almost next to impossible to read the name on the stone. It appeared the inscription read "Charlotte Morling who" on the first line. The initials C M were at the top of the stone. Using the distilled water, this proved to be the case. Using different viewing angles and times of day also proves helpful. Here something to sit on comes in handy as one should be eye-level with the stone. The best time appears to be when the sun is low in the sky, either early morning or evening depending on the stone orientation. Most, but not all, of the early stones should have their inscriptions facing west. It also helps to record the transcription and have another person listen to/read the recording while looking at the stone. Many errors have been caught this way. When I visit the cemeteries of my ancestors, many are in bad shape and sitting in fields that have been farmed. I find damage done by farm equipment, stones that have been plowed under, knocked over, broken or simply removed and even used as paving stones. Some have just disappeared (stolen?) or have sunk. What will become of these old cemeteries is yet to be determined. Some stones have been moved to more permanent locations. To restore a cemetery is a major undertaking requiring expert knowledge, careful planning and a considerable investment as many are sitting on private land. What will happen to the monuments of our ancestors? WyeOak