Why Do Headstones Turn Black?

Phillipsburg Memorial Company has been in the business of creating custom headstones to memorize loved ones who have passed on since 1939. We promise our customers that we will help them find the headstones that best fit their taste preferences and budget. After all, we could not be in business if it weren’t for the loyal customers we deal with every day. 

One of the things our customers sometimes ask about is why their beloved headstones turn black over time. We want to look at this today. 

Why Headstones Turn Black Over Time

Many factors go into making a headstone appear different over time than it originally did when it was first put up. It is often the case that the headstones that are originally set up are subjected to algae and other bacteria that begin to turn it black with time. A few of the culprits include:

• Lichen
• Moss
• Mold
• Algae
• Mildew growth
• General stains

All of these things can combine in some cases, and it is possible that this will make the headstone turn black even faster than it otherwise might have. Thus, it is necessary to consider using tombstone cleaner to bring things back to their original glory. 

Gravestone Cleaning

It is possible to effectively and respectfully work on getting a headstone cleaned up. You will need to look for chemicals that can be used on the headstone that aren’t overly abrasive and that have the ability to actually make some progress on the cleaning of the headstone itself. This means looking at potentially using surface cleaners that don’t leave streaks behind and making sure that the chemicals attack only the invading species such as the mildew, mold, and other dangerous bacteria that are taking away from the glory of the headstone. 

The right kind of cleaners may help bring the headstone back to a place where people are proud to look at it and realize all of the good work that they put into making sure the gravestone looked just the way that the deceased would have wanted it to look.

Headstones are for those of us who still walk the Earth to look at and remember our loved ones fondly. Your dearly departed is not going to put a judgment on you based on how their headstone looks. Still, it may be a nice sign of respect that you show them what they meant to you by ensuring their headstone remains in the highest quality shape you can get from it. 

Make sure you take some time to pay your respects to that person in your life that you have lost, and get yourself out to their gravestone to show them the respect they deserve.

Categorised in: Headstone Repair