I will be going on vacation and I have a 12 hour layover in Newark, NJ. I will be getting a day room at one of the airport hotels. My grandparents are buried in a cemetery right next to EWR airport. I want to go visit their grave site and clean up their headstone. I need some recommendations to what product i can use that will fit into my suitcase and be under 4oz per TSA. I’m thinking vinegar and some toothbrushes. What other cleaning products would you use? Thanks.
Best way to clean a headstone
- Thread starter Finklejag
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I think some dish washing soap, water, and a soft brush. With 12 hours, can you make it to a supermarket to buy some Dawn or similar dish washing soap?
My parents were born and raised in Newark. They moved to California in 1968 and never went back, don’t blame them. I’m not going around looking for a market in Newark. The hotel butts up to the cemetery. I will be in and out and back to the hotel.
There is a list of a few government approved cleaners , that are the only type approved to be used in cemeteries like Arlington. Power washing isn't an approved method, and certain cleaners can cause structural damage according to one company , where that's what they do. Getting the stone wet, them brushing with a soft bristle brush seems to get the job done. Depending what the stone is made of, mild cleaners is generally what gets the best results. I will be hiring a company to clean my fathers headstone in a few weeks, so I'll report back on the results.,,
There are dedicated cleaners, however, use a very gentle/mild cleaner if you don't have the ability to get one. Otherwise, you risk long-term irreversable damage when the goal was just to clean the headstone. Also, use distilled water with the cleaner.
Good for you! That shows great respect for them.
My brother and I traveled to our hometown last year and cleaned our grandparents and parents tombstones dating back decades - gray granite with increasing black & green mold - they are together under a beautiful tree.
We used Dawn dish soap and a medium nylon brush in a bucket of water, thoroughly scrubbed, rinse, and repeated with clean bucket of new soap & water.
The large amount of dirt & mold removed was surprising, and they looked great afterward.
We bought 9 gallons of water at Walmart and used almost all of it for 2 double headstones on granite bases.
The best part of the project were the memories of them as we worked, and the new memory of doing the task with my brother.
My brother and I traveled to our hometown last year and cleaned our grandparents and parents tombstones dating back decades - gray granite with increasing black & green mold - they are together under a beautiful tree.
We used Dawn dish soap and a medium nylon brush in a bucket of water, thoroughly scrubbed, rinse, and repeated with clean bucket of new soap & water.
The large amount of dirt & mold removed was surprising, and they looked great afterward.
We bought 9 gallons of water at Walmart and used almost all of it for 2 double headstones on granite bases.
The best part of the project were the memories of them as we worked, and the new memory of doing the task with my brother.
Simple green concentrated would work well. But i would worry about carrying weird colored chemicals that are not in the original container, through an airport.
I'd buy something local. Simple green is a good benign product.
I'd buy something local. Simple green is a good benign product.
I did some research on this recently. There are dozens of videos on youtube. If black mold is the problem the two best products are Wet & Forget it and D2 Biologic solution..Wet & forget is at some Lowes...D2 has to be ordered (& is approved for use at Arlington military cemetery)...both are fairly expensive but non caustic. .. they will kill the mold or lichens and then allow some scrubbing to remove most of it. Some folks just wet the headstone with these agents and leave. Over the course of some months the mold dies and weathers off. There are dramatic videos of this occuring but my experience has been that it takes a few trips. Given your TSA and time restriction I would probably take some dish soap or maybe car shampoo. And a dish brush or other nylon bristle brush...no stiff tile or metal brushes...headstones can be damaged with the wrong tools and chemicals. Vinegar & bleach probably not a good idea...A toothbrush will take a long time. Of course a lot depends on the condition of your grandparents markers. I have seen thick black mold that is virtually baked on..like teflon..a plastic putty scraper could come in handy. Good luck! A worthy endeavor. And yes, you will need to bring sufficient rinse water...
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probably could source everything from dollar general. 1 gal cleaning bucket, 2-3 gal's of distilled water one for washing one for rinsing, toilet brush and a small bottle of dish detergent.
You're not really going to have a bucket of water or a hose, either, when you get to the cemetery, so, I would ask the hotel housekeeper to borrow the bucket and water.
You could bring 3.4 Oz of your cleaner in a polyethylene bottle - which would be TSA complaint. A couple bucks, tops, for a TSA compliant bottle on Amazon.
Soft bristle brush is also no problem.
But you're still going to need some additional support when you get there.
You could bring 3.4 Oz of your cleaner in a polyethylene bottle - which would be TSA complaint. A couple bucks, tops, for a TSA compliant bottle on Amazon.
Soft bristle brush is also no problem.
But you're still going to need some additional support when you get there.
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Wet and forget, and a 32 ounce Zep spray bottle from Home Depot or Lowes. Use plenty of Wet and Forget. Do not use bleach.
4WD
$50 site donor 2025
Tablets. Bring 2 empty spray bottles - hotel has tap/bottled water
https://www.amazon.com/BLUELAND-Multi-surface-Friendly-Products-Cleaning/dp/B0CGCVXTN5/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rvHi3XCbjVS14uk1qKQycc7Ug9R5yDf0OyxwCwsb0gts-SNxw1O9fAR4mJqfWX1iwS7KwVQUWbKNQAqTgUIMKr5NKPNw5sMMqgx7r_34_g5XCJM0JyUesV7mnGrD7QK9e5Peb0yJKNR21Yo5pvEIak7Dk_gUY_5JvrM7I6LFrrPXNRC_oZ8r6VzulvwP_TKfcwerJEkBgcD4ozmlAIOA_ZE2IESJEf_zYD6QRdG8HLpDRIuGAbYmXPf9_RLAIkLXCqBqiZNfuv906DkiQbcqAyA4hR-8zI-4qbMvW04Se-g.2Ckrbd0YwM4AkuDL4XIl3_OZX4afXmtY0OTlgUUwEBo&dib_tag=se&keywords=concentrated+cleaner&qid=1743736464&sr=8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/BLUELAND-Multi-surface-Friendly-Products-Cleaning/dp/B0CGCVXTN5/ref=sr_1_3_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rvHi3XCbjVS14uk1qKQycc7Ug9R5yDf0OyxwCwsb0gts-SNxw1O9fAR4mJqfWX1iwS7KwVQUWbKNQAqTgUIMKr5NKPNw5sMMqgx7r_34_g5XCJM0JyUesV7mnGrD7QK9e5Peb0yJKNR21Yo5pvEIak7Dk_gUY_5JvrM7I6LFrrPXNRC_oZ8r6VzulvwP_TKfcwerJEkBgcD4ozmlAIOA_ZE2IESJEf_zYD6QRdG8HLpDRIuGAbYmXPf9_RLAIkLXCqBqiZNfuv906DkiQbcqAyA4hR-8zI-4qbMvW04Se-g.2Ckrbd0YwM4AkuDL4XIl3_OZX4afXmtY0OTlgUUwEBo&dib_tag=se&keywords=concentrated+cleaner&qid=1743736464&sr=8-3-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1
Nobody asked what's the material? A bunch of my relatives are buried in a local cemetery, and that section are all are flat stones. All theirs are granite, but quite a few are bronze.
Someone mentioned national cemeteries. I've visited a few, but the one I remember had upright marble.
Someone mentioned national cemeteries. I've visited a few, but the one I remember had upright marble.
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This is what I've done with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and brothers headstones. Works very well.
We have used Wet and Forget which can be bought in a premixed jug at Lowes. It does no immediate cleaning but it kills the algae which will weather off over time.
Can also have something shipped to the hotel you are staying at
Thanks for the advice guys. I bought this for $9.00. I will probably toss it after I use it, no big loss for $9.00. I will bring simple green with me and fill these up. I will also bring an empty spray bottle and old microfiber towels.
https://a.co/d/8KgR8xO
https://a.co/d/3R20EVa
https://a.co/d/8KgR8xO
https://a.co/d/3R20EVa
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He’s got to carry this on, and it has to be TSA compliant.
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