How To Clean And Read Old Tombstones

A little elbow grease goes a long way to clean an old tombstone.

That’s according to Laure Adams, president of the Metamora Association For Historic Preservation.

Laure showed a group of volunteer caretakers at other local cemeteries how to clean and read old tombstones at Oakwood Cemetery on Sunday, May 18, 2025.

How To Clean Old Tombstones

Cleaning an old tombstone is fairly straightforward and requires no harmful chemicals.

First, let’s look at what equipment is needed for cleaning a stone.

Recommended Equipment

1. Spray pump filled with water
2. Dawn Powerwash
3. Soft bristle brush
4. Shaving cream
5. Squeegee
6. Rag
7. Pad
8. Stool or chair

Now that we have our equipment, let’s get to work.

Process For Cleaning Tombstones

1. Spray the tombstone down with water. Alternatively, cleaning after a good rain will help to make cleaning easier. If lichens have grown on the stone, spraying with Dawn Powerwash will help break them down.
2. Scrub with a soft bristle brush.
3. Rinse with water. If needed, repeat another cycle of scrubbing.

At this point, you should notice the tombstone getting cleaner.

How To Read Old Tombstones

Even after removing the growth, reading a tombstone can still be tricky. That’s why Laure recommends applying shaving cream to it.

Simply apply a small amount of shaving cream, then grab your squeegee and pull the shaving cream across the face of the stone.

For tombstones that are harder to read, Laure recommends a few things:

1. Common sense. Even if all of the letters or characters aren’t legible, you can make some assumptions based on the context. For example, we noticed today that it was tough to make out an “A” in “Aug.”, but we could see the “ug” well enough to assume that the date on the tombstone referred to August.
2. Take a photo. You might be able to blow a photo up on your phone or computer to help you read it better.