Headstone Cleaning & Grave Care
Gentle, stone‑safe cleaning that brings a weathered marker back to life — and ongoing care for the graves you can’t get to yourself.
A headstone is often the last thing that still carries a loved one’s name. Over the years, moss, lichen, and grime creep across the stone until the name is hard to read — and a grave that once felt tended starts to feel forgotten.
Bear Roots restores that dignity. We clean headstones, monuments, and markers by hand using safe, proven methods, document the before‑and‑after, and — if you’d like — keep watch over the grave season after season, even when you live states away.
Do it rightCleaned the safe way — the way national cemeteries do it
Grave cleaning done wrong causes permanent damage. Bleach, vinegar, pressure washers, and wire brushes may look effective for a week, but they etch the surface, strip the finish, and speed the stone’s decay for good. There is no undo.
Our method is patient and reversible‑safe: the same gentle approach trusted by the National Park Service and U.S. national cemeteries — a pH‑neutral biological cleaner (D/2), soft brushes, wooden tools, and plenty of clean water. It keeps working for months after we leave, and it never harms the stone.
We never use bleach, acids, household cleaners, power washing, or metal brushes on a monument. Ever.
What a cleaning includes
- Condition assessment of the stone before we touch it
- Gentle removal of moss, lichen, algae & biological growth
- Careful hand‑cleaning of inscriptions so the name reads clearly again
- Safe treatment for granite, marble, limestone, sandstone & bronze
- Light clearing of overgrowth around the base
- Before‑and‑after photos sent to you
Simple from start to finish
Tell us
Share the cemetery, the name, and a photo if you have one.
We assess
We locate the stone, check its condition, and confirm a plan and quote.
We restore
Hand‑cleaning on site with safe methods — no shortcuts.
You see it
Before‑and‑after photos, and an option to keep it cared for.
The graves you can’t get to
Maybe you’ve moved away. Maybe travel is hard now. Maybe the family plot is three states over and no one has stood there in years. We’re in the Quad Cities, and we can be your hands at the graveside — cleaning the stone, laying seasonal flowers, and sending you photos so you can see that your people are being remembered.
Two ways to work with usChoose the care that fits
One‑Time Restoration
From $150 · single visitWe bring a neglected stone back to life in one visit and send you the before‑and‑after. Perfect ahead of a reunion, anniversary, or homecoming. Larger monuments and family plots are quoted after we see them.
Seasonal Grave Care
Plans from $300 / yearScheduled visits through the year — re‑cleaning as needed, fresh flowers for holidays and anniversaries, and photo updates each time, so the grave is never left untended.
Straightforward pricing
A one‑time restoration cleaning starts at $150 for a standard upright or flush marker, and seasonal care plans start around $300 a year. Because a small marker and a moss‑covered family monument aren’t the same job, larger or more delicate stones are quoted after a quick, no‑obligation assessment — so you always know the price before we begin.
Let’s bring their name back to light
Tell us about the grave you’d like cared for — where it is, whose it is, and what it means to you. We’ll handle the rest, gently and respectfully.
Request Grave CareMonument care for organizations
We also partner with cemeteries, funeral homes, and senior living communities on volume monument cleaning and restoration, and as a trusted local referral for the families you serve. Start a conversation →
All work follows each cemetery’s rules and is done only with the right of the family or owner. Bear Roots Genealogy · Serving the Quad Cities and beyond.