Cleaning Gravestones with Bio-Shield®
How To Clean Marble, Granite and Concrete Gravestones
Gravestones are an important connection to our past. Unfortunately, they frequently become discoloured by algae and lichen. Furthermore, cleaning them can be difficult due to their remote locations.
A single application of a good mild exterior cleaning solution can remove the unwanted algae and lichen without the need to scrub them down, whilst also preserving the integrity of the surface.
If a gravestone receives this treatment every 12 to 24 months, it will stay clear of these infestations.
The Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association initiated a project to clean every service person's grave in New Zealand. The Remembrance Army was created from volunteers who have now cleaned over 70,000 war graves in New Zealand with Bio-Shield
Application
The best time to apply an exterior cleaning solution to a gravestone is on an overcast day. If the forecast says it is going to be sunny or hot, early morning and late afternoon is the best time to apply it. Avoiding the hottest part of the day slows evaporation and speeds up the treatment process.
After filling your sprayer with the correct dilution of your chosen exterior cleaning solution, pump the sprayer to pressurise it.
Begin application to the surface in slow, even strokes. Make sure that you saturate the entire surface and all of the moss and lichen. You are looking to saturate the surface to the point that it will stay wet for 10-15 minutes.
If you have applied enough of the solution, after this time period it should produce an orange/brown runoff. This is good and indicates that it has penetrated the algae cell membrane and die-off is inevitable.
Maintenance
Once this initial treatment has been performed, over the next few months the surface should clean up. The speed at which this occurs is dependent on the amount of rainfall the surface is exposed to. It should be noted that particularly infected surfaces may take up to 12 months to fully clean up.
The Remembrance Army uses Bio-Shield solution to scrub the graves clean, so get an instant clean up, before undertaking the final restoration work.
The more rain the surface receives, the faster it will clean up.
It is best to reapply the treatment at the first signs of regrowth. This usually happens every 1 to 2 years.
Regular removal and treatment will ensure that after the initial clean, subsequent cleans are fast and efficient.
Returned Services Association - National War Graves Restoration Project
Gravestones are an important connection to our past. Unfortunately, they frequently become discoloured by algae and lichen. Furthermore, cleaning them can be difficult due to their remote locations.
A single application of a good mild exterior cleaning solution can remove the unwanted algae and lichen without the need to scrub them down, whilst also preserving the integrity of the surface.
If a gravestone receives this treatment every 12 to 24 months, it will stay clear of these infestations.
The Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association initiated a project to clean every service person's grave in New Zealand. The Remembrance Army was created from volunteers who have now cleaned over 70,000 war graves in New Zealand with Bio-Shield
Returned Services Association - National War Graves Restoration Project
Gravestones are an important connection to our past. Unfortunately, they frequently become discoloured by algae and lichen. Furthermore, cleaning them can be difficult due to their remote locations.
A single application of a good mild exterior cleaning solution can remove the unwanted algae and lichen without the need to scrub them down, whilst also preserving the integrity of the surface.
If a gravestone receives this treatment every 12 to 24 months, it will stay clear of these infestations.
The Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association initiated a project to clean every service person's grave in New Zealand. The Remembrance Army was created from volunteers who have now cleaned over 70,000 war graves in New Zealand with Bio-Shield
Returned Services Association - National War Graves Restoration Project
Gravestones are an important connection to our past. Unfortunately, they frequently become discoloured by algae and lichen. Furthermore, cleaning them can be difficult due to their remote locations.
A single application of a good mild exterior cleaning solution can remove the unwanted algae and lichen without the need to scrub them down, whilst also preserving the integrity of the surface.
If a gravestone receives this treatment every 12 to 24 months, it will stay clear of these infestations.
The Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association initiated a project to clean every service person's grave in New Zealand. The Remembrance Army was created from volunteers who have now cleaned over 70,000 war graves in New Zealand with Bio-Shield
Returned Services Association - National War Graves Restoration Project
Gravestones are an important connection to our past. Unfortunately, they frequently become discoloured by algae and lichen. Furthermore, cleaning them can be difficult due to their remote locations.
A single application of a good mild exterior cleaning solution can remove the unwanted algae and lichen without the need to scrub them down, whilst also preserving the integrity of the surface.
If a gravestone receives this treatment every 12 to 24 months, it will stay clear of these infestations.
The Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association initiated a project to clean every service person's grave in New Zealand. The Remembrance Army was created from volunteers who have now cleaned over 70,000 war graves in New Zealand with Bio-Shield
Returned Services Association - National War Graves Restoration Project
Gravestones are an important connection to our past. Unfortunately, they frequently become discoloured by algae and lichen. Furthermore, cleaning them can be difficult due to their remote locations.
A single application of a good mild exterior cleaning solution can remove the unwanted algae and lichen without the need to scrub them down, whilst also preserving the integrity of the surface.
If a gravestone receives this treatment every 12 to 24 months, it will stay clear of these infestations.
The Royal New Zealand Returned Services Association initiated a project to clean every service person's grave in New Zealand. The Remembrance Army was created from volunteers who have now cleaned over 70,000 war graves in New Zealand with Bio-Shield
Gravestones are frequently discoloured by algae, and lichens and the often remote locations can make cleaning difficult.
A single application of Bio-Shield to the gravestone will kill and remove the algae and lichens - No wash down or scrubbing is required.
If the gravestones are treated with Bio-Shield every 12 months on your anniversary visits, they will stay clean and protected from regrowth.
- Easy spray-on application - 1 coat is enough.
- No Water Blasting or Scrubbing
- Bio-Shield® protects from algae and lichen regrowth
Bio-Shield Mixing Ratios
| Clean Water | Bio-Shield Concentrate | Diluted Bio-Shield |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Litre | 50 ml | 1.05 Litres |
| 10 Litres | 500 ml | 10.5 Litres |
| 15 Litres | 750 ml | 15.75 Litres |
| 20 Litres | 1 Litre | 21 Litres |
Application
Application is best done on an overcast day at any time of the year, or early morning and late afternoon in summer if a warm sunny day is forecast. This slows evaporation and speeds the treatment process.
Fill your sprayer with the premixed Bio-Shield® solution and pump it up to pressure.
Begin application to the surface in slow, even strokes ensuring saturation.
Aim for the surface to stay wet for 5 to 10 minutes after application.
If you have achieved correct coverage the runoff should have an orange-brown colour - this is a good sign and indicates that the Bio-Shield® has penetrated the cell walls of the fungal growths and that their death is unavoidable.
Maintenance
The treated surface may clean up over the next few months providing it is exposed to rainfall; however it would not be unusual for a very dirty surface to take up to 12 months to fully clean up.
The more rain the surface receives, the faster it will clean up.
It is best to reapply Bio-Shield® at the first signs of re-growth. Typically this will be every 1 to 2 years.
Once the surface is clean Bio-Shield® will give optimal results with regular removal treatments. This will prevent the build up of moss, fungal and lichen growths.