CERT- Confederate Emergency Response Team

"To preserve, protect and do no harm!!"

How to clean a monument/grave marker!!

1.Make sure you get permission first!!!

2.Check the condition of the stone. If the stone is hollow or cracked, seek advice from

professional stone handlers.

3.Wet the stone with water.

4.Scrape the stone with soft flexible plastic scrapers.

5.Rinse well.

6.Wet natural fiber brush and apply two thumbnail sized drops of Orvus Soap to the brush.

7.Begin at the top of the stone and gently scrub in a circular motion to the bottom of the

stone.

8.Rinse thoroughly and allow the stone to dry. If time is an issue at this point you may take a

leaf blower to speed the drying process.

9.Once the stone is dry, apply a light coat of D2 biological solution.

Graffiti Cleaning on Monuments

1. This process is to be used on stone only. The two chemical choices for graffiti removal are

Elephant Snot and Tagonator. Neither chemical will harm the stone in any way. We at CERT

prefer Elephant Snot, because it works in temperatures from 30 degrees and it also has a

lower rinse pressure. A garden hose will rinse it thoroughly.

2.Open the Elephant Snot and stir vigorously. Always make sure you have protective eyewear

on.

3.Brush the Elephant's Snot onto the graffiti area. You can lightly scrub if necessary.

4. Let it cure for 20 to 45 minutes depending on the temperature.

5.Rinse the stone.

6.If there is a shadow, depending on how long the paint was on the monument and the type

of paint used, it may be necessary to use Shadow Max.

7. Shadow Max sprays lightly on the shadow. leave this on for 15 to 20 minutes to cure. Then

rinse as you did with the elephant snot.

8.When the paint and shadow has been removed, you will clean the entire monument as

described above.

Note: Always file a police report. Always have a paper trail so if the perpetrators are caught

they can pay for the cleanup. Never post damage of a stone on social media. Use a secure

method to share information to your Camp members. We do not want to give our enemies

any free publicity. No site on social media is completely secure. If you must post a picture wait

until you are finished cleaning and post that. Then say what a wonderful day in Dixie!!

Florida C.E.R.T. Training

Recommended List of Equipment for Headstone Cleaning

D/2 Biological Solution

Orvus WA Paste Cleaner

Spray Bottle for Water to rinse

Soft Natural Fiber Brush

Plastic Scraper (Putty Knife)

Bamboo Skewers with pointed end

The D/2 Biological Solution is available from atlaspreservation.com or gravestonecleaner.com.

Walmart.com also carries a 32 oz spray bottle of D/2 for $31.50.

Orvus soap is available at Tractor Supply for $34.99 for 7.5 lbs.

The remaining supplies are available at most hardware stores, Walmart or the cemetery supply

websites listed above.