I too am of the "puritan" view of avoiding application of any kind of chemical, including water, to a headstone. Taking the long view of at least 700 years, any chemical is going to accelerate deterioration over that time. About the only thing that would help preserve a headstone is to enclose it to protect it from the weather. The next thing to help preserve it is to bury it ... no kidding. I know that both procedures aren't practical, but I'd like to present evidence of the beneficial effects of burying headstones. Take a look at the headstone of Constant Woodworth, who died in 1777, at the URL http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~woodworth/stones/Constant_Woodworth.j pg. This headstone was discovered after being below ground for about 175 years and flat (from falling over) in the yard of a new home near Lebanon, CT. The homeowner re-erected it by the driveway next to the road. It was in pristine condition and perfectly legible. However, headstones of the same period in the nearby town cemetery which were continually exposed to the weather were mostly illegible. And I believe I found two descendants of this Constant Woodworth. They were pretty happy about the find. Woody Woodworth ~~~~~~~<>~~~~~~~ [email protected] writes: > I'd like to add, that I'm one of those "puritans" who prefers to leave > stones alone rather than cleaning them and taking a chance on further harm. > But since many don't feel that way... ;) > > Kimberly Powell > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Kimberly Powell, Genealogy Guide at About > [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Friday, November 15, 2002 10:17 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: RE: [NEWGEN] Please, hit us with the answers! > > > The most important thing to remember when cleaning a tombstone is to be > GENTLE. The first priority should be to make sure that nothing you do to a > stone will cause harm. > > 1) Be sure that the tombstone is sturdy and stable, and not wobbly, > flaking, > chipping, or crumbling. > > 2) Clean the tombstone with plain water and a soft bristle (natural or > nylon) brush. > > 3) Scrub the stone from the bottom up to avoid streaking and staining. > Flush > well with water as you go. > > 4) If lichen is stubborn then soak it well with water and gently scrape > with > a wooden craft stick/tongue depressor or a plastic putty scraper. > > 5) Stay away from chemicals and bleach on older stones. While these may > provide immediate results, the chemicals may cause deterioration of the > stone over time. > > 6) Don't aim for perfection! > > There are a lot of great tips for cleaning gravestones safely on the Net. > You can find a list of some of the better ones here: > http://genealogy.about.com/cs/cemeterytips/ > > Hope this helps, > > Kimberly Powell