Headstone Cleaning - Does Wet & Forget Really Work?
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- Опубликовано: 20 май 2024
- Breaking the mold for the channel (do we even have a mold?), I have family history discussion and some work to do cleaning up some ancestral headstones going back over one hundred years. Forgive me for my rambling, but I thought this was a good thing to do. Maybe a hundred years from now, someone will scrape some moss off my humble grave marker.
For the record, I am not a person who believes where you came from, who your ancestors were, or what they accomplished (or screwed up)... I am not a person who believe any of that gives your life more or less value than anyone else's. It's just interesting to me.
We'll get this channel back to normal REAL SOON. 
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Love that you involve your kids in honoring your ancestors this way!
I respect the hard lives that people had and still found a way to provide for their offspring and make a way for me to be here.
That is so nice of you to clean up the headstones!! I love hearing about my ancestors, more so out of curiosity. It seems to clean up the headstones good. Love the old church!!
It's one thing to know you're where you are, but it's pretty interesting to look back and learn why and how you got there. Neat stuff for sure. I had to sneak a peek through the window. It appears to be intact inside, but definitely hasn't had a service in many years. I wish I knew the story there...
I live in Georgia. The Union army came through here and devastated this area, there are 276 private cemeteries in Cobb County alone, with Confederate & Revolutionary War headstones all over the place. I've became kind of a local celebrity for the restoration work I do and W&F is a great, safe protection product I use.
Keep up the good work! We would all be better people by understanding our past and respecting the people who struggled through it so we could be here today.
I really like what you folks do . I'm a retired monument builder and can appreciate stones kept clean .
I don't idolize my ancestors, but I think keeping their grave markers legible is a small honor to give to the legacy of those who brought life to me. I believe you understand that more than most.
That was a lot of children in that blended family!😱
Don't get any ideas... six is plenty!
Great content. My 11 year old son and I clean headstones for our channel also here in Virginina. The oldest I think we have clean is died in the late 1890s. We have yet to use wet and forget, but our before and afters with D2 have been pretty amazing.
D2 is widely considered the best, but it's also a little high $$$. I tried wet and forget... I was impressed, but I've heard D2 is even better and lasts longer.
In the spring, I'm going to be driving about 250 miles to visit my paternal great great grandfather's grave. I don't have a picture of it so there may not even be a headstone. He was born at sea on the way over to America from Ireland in about 1834. He ended up in Las Animas CO and I live in central KS. I've heard good things about both Wet & Forget as well as D-2 Solution. Thank you for your demonstration as well as your memories. I enjoyed your video.
I'm sure he lived an interesting life. I absolutely wish you the best at finding whatever will give you a good deal of peace in your endeavor. I wish I could find more definitive information about my ancestors. It's pretty cool thinking of all the lives, all the work, all the struggles... love, war, sacrifice, and travel that brought me to where I am. Thank you for watching and commenting!
You're lucky to find intact headstones. I had to drive waaaay out in the middle of nowhere and hike through the woods to find the stones had all been destroyed by a tornado. I doubt anyone had been out there in years. So I felt so sad.
On one hand, I believe all of this is temporary. Our souls are eternal but everything here fades away. On the other hand, I want to pay respect to the people that created opportunity for me to live and thrive. If I can preserve their memory... or even just a physical memorial of their lives with a little effort, I will put in a little effort. It is sad when people simply don't care anymore when so much love and respect was once shown to memorializing a man or woman's life and legacy. I've been trying to get to the grave of my oldest traceable American ancestor who is buried on private land. The husband recently passed away and was unable to take care of the small cemetery for years leading up to his death. I've been trying to respectfully work with the widow to help, but I understand she's got a lot of other things on her mind. We'll see if it works out.
@@FabbedFun I agree with you 100%. I also like how you mentioned you weren’t really into genealogy, neither am I that much. I do however want to respect the people that made the decisions that placed me where I am in life and raised me with their vaues. You worded it perfectly in the video. I like to honor veterans too. They signed that blank check for our freedom for Americans to be able to make decisions!
Thanks for sharing some of the history of your family Logan and really nice job on cleaning the headstones. I used the Wet &Forget on the house wall that faces north and it did a good job 👍🏻. Have a great week 🙋🏼♂️👍🏻🙂
Thank you for watching! I'm eventually going to learn some editing tricks and fun stuff like what you do. For now, I'm doing well to edit out all the awkward moments of myself... haha!
@@FabbedFun thanks for the kind comment Logan 🙂👍🏻 🙋🏼♂️
Your comment at about 10:40 - the organic growth you're mainly removing is lichen. The flat growing plants. They are tenacious and have a micro-filament root system. Once wet, they are not too difficult to remove, and the W&F will kill the remaining roots that cannot be cleaned with plastic scraper or brush. I cleaned roofs and other exterior surfaces for over a decade and know these plants well. There are over 13,000 species of lichen and moss (each), and some moss falls off easily, where others have root systems that hold on firmly. You could have done a better job if you'd brought some Orvus soap. You'd probably not scrub any more than you already did, but it does a great job of cleaning things that are not organic growth such as tree sap, bird droppings, and other environmental contaminates. Orvus is bought online or at the Tractor Supply store, and approved for cleaning tombstones and monuments. Orvus comes in a 120 ounce jug, and you mix something like 1 ounce of Orvus to 1 quart of water, so it goes a LONG ways. That one 120 ounce container will last you years, maybe decades LOL. It's labeled (and loved) for washing delicate items like lace, as well as horses and pets. A LOT of tombstone cleaning can be done with just water and soap without any biological cleaners. A lot of the stains on that batch of markers would have come clean. You could save a bit of money too. You have massive amounts of runoff that is just going to waste. Typically it doesn't matter if you spray from the bottom up or top down, but with your spray method, bottom up would likely save product. Typically I spray top down, especially on roofs and houses as the excess runs down onto dirty sections, and a decade of practice has taught me how to apply product without flooding and having much runoff. :0) You could spray a 2-3 inch swath, skip a few inches and repeat. As the runoff trickles down, it will cover the bare spots and once you're at the top (or bottom), you can go back and fill in what is still dry in the voids. Temperatures make a big difference in how quickly the organic growths go away. Imagine having a piece of raw meat outside in 95 degree weather, another in 70 degree A/C, a 38 degree fridge, and a 0 degree freezer. The cooler it is, the slower the decay of organic growth. Thank you for treating these stones with kid gloves and not being too aggressive. I've seen some very professional looking websites telling people how to clean stones that are FULL of bad information. They were saying to use flour to make a paste/poultice, but flour is a Nutrional product that will just help the moss, lichen, mold, mildew, and fungus grow more. They were using products containing salts, and using peroxides too. I did not see you do a single thing that would be damaging, so kudos! And I'm glad the kiddos were there and seeing that maintaining family stones is both a privilege and responsibility.
Great! Thanks for the info! It's good to see more input and experience shared for everyone's benefit.
@@FabbedFun Oh, I forgot to mention that Orvus soap is drastically cheaper for cleaning that first layer of growth on the outside. At one ounce per quart of water, that makes 30 gallons of soap for about $35-$40. The W&F is a harsher chemical. The SDS stats you should wear PPE, protective gloves, clothing, and eye protection as it causes minor skin irritation, and severe eye irritation. This is the 1.65% mix. The concentrated mix is much more harsh. www.wetandforget.com/downloads/SDS_USA_WetForget_OutdoorReadytoUse_05182022.pdf
Awesome work and thank ya for sharing this video
Thank you!
I have much respect for what you are doing! Keep sharing your videos.
Thank you! It was a very wholesome feeling being able to serve with a simple cleaning. Thanks for watching!
That is a nice cemetery & great results for you!
Thanks! I hope to revisit this summer for an update!
@@FabbedFun Take more with you and just spray down for maintenance and you should be fine.
Nice cleaning job. I have been using Wet and Forget this summer on many headstones. They have been turning out great. On some really bad ones, after 4 weeks, I will treat one more time. Great stories.
Thank you, and thanks for the comment! I'm glad you're having good experiences. This kind of work brings a sense of genuinely good accomplishment that's hard to explain. Thank you for serving!
That stuff did great! Enjoyed the family history, all this is important to document for the younger generations. Take care!
Yeah, I find it super cool that so many generations are sprinkled in southern Indiana and I didn't even know. Thank you for the kind words and always watching my channel.
I am a genealogist as well as a find a grave member..I hope to meet those of the past some day…I also help others with their genealogies..everyone I have helped I ended up related to them…
If you go back far enough, we're all related.
I volunteer as a photographer for FaG. I've been a member for I think 5 years now.
Good evening Sir, I miss driving a Jeep 😊👍 That was a Great video Sir 🙏😇 Cheers 🍻
There is something about driving a manual Jeep with the top off... like a sports car with very little sport haha! Thanks for watching!
@@FabbedFun My early years in the service was in the infantry and became very quickly the driver of the commanding officer of my regiment, so I drove various types of truck, car and Jeep and the one that I like the most was a German design ( Iltis model with a quattro transmission ) that same ( jeep ) was outstanding !!! and yes the feeling an open top and manuel transmission was great !!! Cheers 🍻
How's she goin'? An interesting video. Looks like the 'wet and forget' is a good product!!! Nice to be able to attend to your family's history this way!! Take care!!!
Thank you, and thanks for watching!
really enjoyed the video, thanks!
Thank you! I appreciate you watching and commenting!
Very very lucky for you to have!! All the graves, pictures, and stories and linkage. Graves for me only go back to my 2nd greats, and pictures are practically nonexistant. It's a lot harder for me since I'm Polish & Filipino and ancestry isn't as huge compared to the United States, plus WW2 cutting off a lot of things. However I'm very grateful for my ancestry and although most of it's a mystery, whenever I find something new it's always extraordinary. Great video and lovely stories! :)
Yes, I feel the same way. It's enriching... like adding a little flavor to life. You don't have to know everything precisely to still have fun exploring the possibilities. Polish and Filipino is a unique combination! Pretty cool! Most of what I have found for myself was English, Irish, and Scottish.
I just did my first set of stones. I rinsed, scrubbed, and rinsed a few times with water. After wards I let it dry some and applied the Wet and Forget....and walked away to let nature do the rest. I was very happy with the immediate results and look forward to checking back in a few weeks.
I'm hoping it continues to work well after my last visit! Thanks for watching!
I have used wet and forget and d2. Out of both I like the D2 better but wet and forget works ok. Great video and coming to you from Chattanooga TN
I've heard a few people say D2 can't be beat, but wet and forget works (budget friendly and available locally).
@@FabbedFun yeah I order mine from atlas preservation
I wonder how effective it would be to prevent mold buildup, if you sprayed headstones with a sealer? Tim in northern TN
I'm sure any effort to seal the porous nature of the stones would improve their resistance to growth like that... But, could it discolor the stones over time?
You can use it on the sail of a weight shift microlight and it doesn't effect the sail material on the wing, as a new sail for a GT 450 is 6,000 pounds Uk.
Sounds like an inexpensive way to maintain your stuff too! Thanks for watching!
Spray some D2 over that and it will become white. You can also use more pressure when cleaning. As long as stone is stable.
I hear D2 is amazing stuff but it is higher than Wet and Forget.
I just found your page and recently started to clean some of my ancestors grave stones. The first stone in your video looks like the same style on my mother and fathers grave. I used another recommended product and I'm looking for information on other products. Are you using Wet and Forget Outdoor? Are you using it straight or diluting it to the recommended six to one mixture? I bought the same plastic scrapper and the same scrub brush. I also used a wooden paint stirrer as recommended on another site. I found a smaller brush that looks like a big tooth brush that is good for getting down it the letters and other carved details.
I believe I was using regular Wet and Forget. It is diluted, but slightly stronger than the recommended mixture. The brush I used was not great for cleaning the letters, but the scraper and solution cleaned them up nicely. A few weeks later, the headstones were drastically improved. I'd like to visit them again now that it has been a few months and check progress. Thanks for watching!
Try D-2 headstone cleaner. The best stuff to use.
I've heard great stuff about it, but it is not cheap! Thanks for watching!
I had a stone I cleaned that was marble my great-great-great grandfather's it has over 100 years of growth on it. Took about 4-5 months and about 2-3 coats of the stuff but the stone looks almost brand spanking new.
Did it get easier to read with additional treatments? Some of these stones are still a little hard to read.
@@FabbedFun The stone got a lot easier to read after about 2-3 coats total.
For me D2 Biological Solution works best. But seems your method does well. Thank you for what you do.
A lot of headstones need much more attention, but my personal budget and time constraints won't let me do it all. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Wet and forget is my go-to. D2 is just a bit pricey and wet and forget gets the job done just fine.
Btw, do you have any ties to Hurst/Heurst of Illinois?
I believe my Hursts came through Virginia to Tennessee briefly, then up through Kentucky to southern Indiana. We have been in southern Indiana since around 1800 if I remember the timeline correctly. There are some branches of the family tree that spread out from TN and IN. It's possible I'm related to them. There is also some confusion as to the origin of some Hursts. With spelling changes over time, some German origins are confused with English origins. So... maybe... maybe not... lol
@@FabbedFun mine I think we're in Indiana as well. I'm at a brick wall right now on mine.
After the first cleaning, could you just respray occasionally with the Wet and Forget? To see it will improve the look of the Headstones?
I think I need to spray them again. I visited a few weeks ago and saw some moss/lichen taking hold again.
What is your mix ratio on the Wet And Forget?
I think I did about a 2:1 if I remember right. It was stronger than recommended...
It doesn’t clean as well as D2. I’ve used Wet and Forget on my lanai furniture and it just didn’t do the job D2 did. Left after spraying D2 on family stones in a few days you could see an improvement. After a few weeks, they look like new
Yes, I've heard great things about D2. People who use it usually like it very much.
What's Wet & Forget Formula Consist of, Please?
Good question... you may check out their website. I don't have the information. But thanks for watching and commenting!
They won't share the "proprietary" ingredients. Too dangerous, use D/2.
@@DaveCat469 I believe you can find the active ingredients listed on the web on their SMS documentation. D2, however, I have not found their SMS info.
I've read the MSDS for both products. I wasn't referring to the "active" ingredients.
I doubt it. It doesn't clean my shower.
Thanks for the input...
My last name is Hurst.
Welcome to the family!
D2 solution works a lot better.
I watched some videos on it, but the cost was quite a bit higher. Do you believe it is justified by better results? It would be neat to compare the two side by side.
Your supposed to let the stuff sit for about 15 minutes first then scrub
That is probably a very good point. Thanks for watching and commenting!
He got excellent results for what he is doing which is a few family stones.