WET & FORGET Cleans Veteran Headstones
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- Опубликовано: 1 май 2020
- WET & FORGET is listed by name in the new protocol written by the National Cemetery Administration as an example of a quaternary ammonium compound "quat" for cleaning government furnished veteran headstones.
At By Memorial Day, our mission is to clean every veteran headstone in America by Memorial Day. The product WET and FORGET will make it easier to achieve this patriotic goal, because volunteers who answer this call to action need a cleaning product that is approved, trusted, readily available, effective, affordable, and easy to use. If someone wants to honor a veteran with a clean headstone by Memorial Day, there's no longer anything standing in the way to hold them back. Volunteers can use water and a soft bristle scrub brush to remove biological growth, or use a quaternary ammonium compound, like WET & FORGET to gently remove the biological growth without the need for scrubbing.
The new protocol issued by the National Cemetery Administration states that all Government-furnished veteran headstones and grave markers remain federal property and provides information on how to safely clean them.
We all know how a veteran headstone is supposed to look, because we've all seen the rows of perfectly spaced clean white marble veteran headstones in our National Cemeteries. The stones are set at the same exact height, the stones are level, and the stones are plumb. But the veteran headstones scattered all across American in tens of thousands of private and municipal cemeteries are rarely cleaned, if ever. The stones sink down into the ground. The stones lean out of plumb. Many of our veteran grave markers are lost to encroaching sod and debris.
This video by Trae Zipperer shows how to use WET & FORGET to clean veteran headstones. If you'd like to participate in this national veteran headstone cleaning initiative to honor ALL military veteran heroes, go to ByMemorialDay.com for more information, pick up a bottle of WET & FORGET at your local retailer, order a bottle of WET & FORGET online at Walmart or Amazon, visit cemeteries in your local area to find neglected veteran headstones, obtain permission from the cemetery owner or caretaker, and get to work.
Cleaning a veteran headstone is a meaningful experience that will create a lifelong memory. Invite some friends and family to join you, and be sure to bring along some younger people to help them understand the cost of freedom.
I am currently asking myself why I am binge watching headstone cleaning videos at 8 pm
Good point! Im planning to clean my grandmother’s headstone which is white marble in a few weeks.
LOL...I see your point, but I am educating myself as there are several family graves that need attention and I want to do it right! I have 8 (immediate) Veterans too.
But when we’re gone who will clean ours in years to come?
@@rickslife good point man. If when I die and see a person clean headstones around me and not mine ima haunt them haha
Because nothing better is on tv!
I have done about 200 head stones I keep an eye on stones after a year they look brand new
It's quite remarkable how long the veteran headstones remain clean after applying WET & FORGET.
God bless everyone that take care of the tombstones
This is wild. There is a sole KIA soldier from WW1 buried in the Hibbing, Cemetery in Minnesota, where I live. I just found out about him a month ago.
He is also H company, 359th regiment. What are the odds!
The man’s stone you cleaned likely knew the man I’m referring to. Norman was killed 5 days before the war ended.
Thank you for your dedication. Me and my brother are working on getting Norman Bawks a government issued military headstone. He’s buried on a private plot. We operate a grave care company and would love to put out a flower box for him every year if legality permits.
I don’t believe in coincidence.
What a blessing you are. GOD BLESS YOU !
The apathy of people in my county in PA is overwhelming. The older people in the Veteran's groups do place fresh flags on veterans' graves but the stones themselves are heavily soiled. It would take forever for me to scrub each veteran stone, so based on your recommendation I am armed with Wet and Forget. I plan to wage war on entire sections of neglected tombstones and keep coming back for further applications as needed. For reference I am a 62 year old widow who is short on talk and big on action. Thank you for the inspiration and the detailed information. Much respect to you sir for everything you do!
I love your description of yourself as short on talk and big on action. That's sort of like me, but I'm big on talk too. Rather than sit around trying to neatly organize people into chapters, I chose to produce these training videos, get the grape vine started, and turn people loose to get the job done cleaning veteran headstones. I can hear the cemetery staff now, "What the heck! Someone has made all the veteran headstones look respectful!"
I think it's beautiful what you guys are doing.
Thanks for what you do and the advice.
Great video, and thanks for your service!
God bless u for doing what every American should do keep it up.
Aww that's awesome thankyou so much 🇬🇧🥰❤️
You're welcome! I hope the video was helpful towards your efforts to honor veteran graves in your local area.
Recent viewer and subscriber.
I will be getting all supplies and start doing what I can.
Appreciate what your doing. Appreciate your service to our country.
You are 100% correct in what you say, about if people put half the energy into trying to help each other instead of all the riot and bitchibg about every little thing that comes along, this world would be a lot better off.
God bless you and yours and I will be getting in touch as I get started.
Hello Brian. I appreciate you stepping up in your local area to honor the veterans of our past with clean headstones by Memorial Day.
You sir are a great example of honour to the fallen hero's 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 Thank You 71+ Manitoba hunter expat
I am going to start doing this thank you for your service
God bless you man
Awesome product I was a painter for years and always recommend this product for roofs, stone walls....Thanks for sharing with us all.
The veteran headstones I cleaned with WET & FORGET in this video turned out AMAZING! I went back to visit the cemetery 6 months after I shot the video and the stones looked brand new. My neighbor's roof was black with algae. His teenage son walked the roof spraying WET & FORGET before they left FL for summer in NY. Looks like a brand new roof now!
Thank you so much!
Thanks again for honoring
Fantastic Stuff 👍 Just Used This Product & Works Amazing. Thank You ✅
Thank you for what you do
This works beautifully
Wet & Forget is an amazing product! I set out to cleanup old family gravestones this summer , some being the veterans stones. I followed your video by spraying them, waiting a month, scrubbing with water, spraying again. It can take 2-3 times of spraying, waiting a month, but the old, blackened, illegible gravestones are now white! The newer granite gravestones with scaly lichen only needed one spraying, the 100 year old + blackened older ones 2-3 sprays to look new, but there is always an improvement after each spraying. The gallon lasted me all summer, in a garden sprayer, using it on 15 gravestones & a stone wall at my house, it goes a long way. When I go into the cemetery now I can spot my family graves right away, they are the white ones!
Thank you for sharing! I really enjoyed the part about how you can spot your family's headstones because they are the white ones!
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Better than D/2?
D2 is probably a better more potent product but not sure 💯.
This guy has a video of D2 as well
@@AtomizedSound Like D2 for initial cleanings, then use light spray of wet and forget no more than once per year for preventive.
I have used this product for about 3 years for my family's gravestones. It amazed me the first time that when I came back the next year, they were as clean as new stones.
It is wonderful to look out across a cemetery and see all the bright white veteran headstones standing proudly.
God bless you....
That song that you were referring to was from Yankee doodle Dandy over here over there that was the song turn for World War II, and it was written by George M Cohen.
Glad to see other countries using our new Zealand multimillion dollar firm wet and forget and proving that it works thank you for sharing.
I used this product at the cemetery I mow at. During Decoration day an 80 year old family member remarked it was the first time ever she was able to read her ancestor’s tombstone. I use the ready mixed though.
It may seem as if we are the only one who cares when we find ourselves alone in a cemetery cleaning veteran headstones. But unbeknownst to us, there are family members from time to time who do come to visit certain graves. I cannot describe the feeling one must feel when they visit their veteran family member's grave for the first time and find it in excellent condition with a fresh flag displayed. God knows what you are doing, and your actions are deeply meaningful for anyone who comes to visit a veteran headstone you've cleaned.
Great information
Just got my Wet and Forget. Will be cleaning vet headstones next month.
That's great! In what town will you be cleaning veteran headstones?
Honor Your DNA Hendersonville TN
@@Leisure3389 I drove through Nashville on I-24 a few days ago heading south. I will be posting my Tennessee video today.
Tip of the day
Use 6 dollar pump up sprayers
Use water on bad spots before you scrape the stone so you have no dust you don’t want to breathe that nasty stuff I use plastic drywall applicator from menards they are cheep and don’t harm the stone It’s a time saver
I’ve been using that product on family stones for years now. I always look and adopt a veterans stone close by.
Register as a Volunteer at VeteranGraves.com to add Cemeteries and add veteran Graves. Watch the video on the home page.
can wet and forget be used on granite headstones ?
@@koldenkoodies2897 I've used it on granite stone and it works great. I've only tested it with Marble and Granite and it's been very effective on both types of stone.
I used the product this morning. The biological material was coming off as I was spraying.
You are a good man, sir.
Well thank you for the kind words, but I do this because THEY were good men, and THEY were good women. THEY gave so much, in many cases their lives, so it seems obvious to me we should at least keep their veteran headstones clean.
ACE Hardware sells this product. As of yet, I have not cleaned any stones but will soon start making it an addition to my channel. Thanks for this valuable info!
Well thanks for the commercial
I watched this video a few days ago. We have a funeral Wednesday and I used this to clean the stone on the grave ! Awesome..... I bought a 4 litre bottle for 14 dollars.. Canadian dollars :)
Thank you for taking the time to share your testimony. I produced these videos, because I couldn't find what I needed when I set out to clean veteran headstones myself.
I used this stuff to clean an ancestor's gravestone. Last person to be interred at the grave was back in the 1980's and the stone was barely legible it was entirely covered in black like sludge and lichens. I sprayed the stone back in october before first snow and the stone has definitely come a long way but sadly where the names are the stone is still really brown.
From what I understand that's just a reaction from the chemicals and it should subside eventually but from exerpeince this product definitely works and is affordable and I recommend to anyone who wants to clean stones.
Unfortunately, natural stone does stain over time when not properly cleaned on a routine basis. While the stone might be perfectly clean, the stains may be permanent. I can't see the stone, but I would wet the stone with water for at least 10-12 minutes to soften up whatever might be on the stone, and then scrub it with a soft brush with natural fiber bristles such as horse hair, boar hair, or tampico. Rinse with clean water after scrubbing and that's about the best you'll be able to do. In what state and county is the headstone located? Some areas are more prone to staining than others.
@@honoryourdna8897 This was in Androscoggin county, Maine. It was a granite material grave stone, on the Wet & Forget website they said browning can occur but should go away and it can take up to 12-18 months for really bad infestations to fully come clean. I ended up spraying the stone again today (last time it was sprayed was in october of 2020 ). I noticed after spraying parts of the stone that looked clean turned brown but I think that was just biological growth reacting to the chemicals.
@@honoryourdna8897 I wanted to follow up on this, I went back to the cemetery today and used a soft brush and a gallon sprayer filled with water and most of the brown that was on it came right off. There's still a tiny bit left but it's a huge difference. We had a dry season here in New England so the rain hasn't been able to do it's job like it normally has. Definitely attest this product works great but may need additional wetting and scrubbing to speed up the process.
would like to see a before and after pic of the same headstone.
Thank you sir, I wanted to find out what would clean my dad s veterans stone. Out of 6 siblings I care❤
Thats all i use to clean graves love my wet and forget
I just bought it and look forward to using it. I’m just concerned about safety precautions like accidentally inhaling it or it gets in your eyes or skin. Is it safe?
You are something else. Your like Hank from king of the hill.
We're onboard! We found that using a Ryobi battery-powered sprayer really sped up the process and gave us a consistent spray. Highly recommend it.
Damn! I am in my families home town. All are gone. I’m in town for three days and used D-2! I hope it works just as well. I will never be back.
D/2 is amazing stuff when it comes to cleaning headstones! Your family headstones will look fantastic.
After watching your video using the other cleaner that requires a fair bit of careful cleaning, and the honor you bestowed upon the fallen hero, this was a bit of a let down. I don’t mean this in any type of negative nuance, but it seems like such a huge difference. I’m humbled by the care and honor you show to each man and woman the headstone represents, and I can totally appreciate the time savings you gain with Wet And Forget. It’s just such an easy process with this WAF solution…. I guess you can clean 20 headstones with WAF that it takes for one detailed scrubbing.
I personally believe taking the time to properly clean a veteran's headstone with scrubbing is the respectful thing to do. However, I do believe organic filth on a veteran headstone is unacceptable. Therefore, there may be situations where a Volunteer might decide the best course of action is to scrub one and spray the rest, because there just might not be another Volunteer at the cemetery for a long time.
It is important to use a SOFT bristle brush (horsehair) so not to permanently damage the stone.
Can you provide a good economical place to purchase a quality of flags? Thanks for your work and guidance.
I purchase grave flags at Amazon.com. The following link to Amazon was my most recent purchase. Grave flags are made at various levels of quality. I had a previous favorite, but they were discontinued. These are the best I could find based on quality and price.
www.amazon.com/Martins-Flag-American-Wooden-Hemmed/dp/B0792MT3R1?pd_rd_w=Ix9XG&content-id=amzn1.sym.deffa092-2e99-4e9f-b814-0d71c40b24af&pf_rd_p=deffa092-2e99-4e9f-b814-0d71c40b24af&pf_rd_r=WJM3MJRSPNF4H7PNATFC&pd_rd_wg=42QWA&pd_rd_r=08804be2-1e99-40b4-9986-7d14604e1759&pd_rd_i=B0792MT3R1&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_rp_1_t
8" x 12" American Stick Flags, 24" x 5/16" wooden dowel, MADE IN USA, Hemmed Edges (144)
Brand: Martin's Flag
Can this be bought in the UK?
I cannot understand RUclips, I tried to add your video URL to 'Faces of the Forgotten' and they deleted it, please contact him and share your information.
Also at Lowe’s!
Tks, and they give a 10% discount for Veterans !
I'm just starting this journey but have a question and I ask out of respect. For the metal ones could you use wd-40 for rust and cleaning? Water displacement formula 40 was created to protect the missiles kept in the missile silos. (Theres one in weld county Colorado that had tours) I would like to clean as many as I can and I would feel bad if I had to skip any for not being prepared with all of the tools for every type of gravestone head stone or footstone
I apologize if it sounds like a stupid question
@@tacyspigner8475 depends on what type of metal?
Could we clean the stones with D2 and then at the end add Wet & Forget?
The active ingredients in both D/2 and WET & FORGET are known as Quaternary Ammonium Compounds aka "QUAT". The stone only needs a single treatment of a QUAT to kill all the biological growth living on the stone. If you clean the stone with D/2, then you've already applied a QUAT, so there's no need to apply a second product.
WET & FORGET is an alternative to D/2 when you can't get your hands on D/2, or can't afford D/2. Or, maybe you're a person who prefers WET & FORGET over D/2. I like both products and have experienced outstanding results using either brand.
I would like to start cleaning gravestones, do I need to get a permit or any sort of permission prior?
No, watch more of his videos though.
$29 a gallon at Lowes yesterday.
how does the first tombstone you just sprayed look? how long did it take?
I shot this video in Arcadia FL. When I revisited the cemetery six months later, the headstone I sprayed at the beginning of this video looked great. It was not 100% clean, but 100% of the biological filth was dead. Some of the particles simply had not yet naturally detached and fallen off the stone. I began cleaning veteran headstones Veterans Day 2019, so I now have 26 months worth of headstones to revisit and observe cleanliness after various numbers of months. Based on my observations, a veteran headstone needs a retreatment of WET & FORGET or D/2 Biological Solution about 2 years after the initial cleaning. The stone still looks good after 2 years, but there's enough biological organisms growing on the stone to justify a quick 15-20 second spray coating of cleaning agent containing a Quaternary Ammonium Compound active ingredient. No scrubbing is required on the retreatment applications approximately every two years. Volunteers should check on their veteran's grave flag about every three months, replace the grave flag when it no longer looks proud, and make a judgement call whether or not the stone is ready for a retreatment spray of cleaning agent. In addition to grave flags and cleaning of biological growth, things such as weed growth, sod encroachment, and debris removal are necessary on an ongoing basis.
It would be nice to see a "come back" visit to the subject stone to just see the "living proof" of this clean up.
I do have "come back" photos. I don't know how to add them to a video on RUclips, or where to post them so interested people can see them. I can tell you the stones looked amazing six months after the cleanings. The one I'm spraying at the opening of the video was not scrubbed and I did not spray the adjacent stone shown in the video. The contrast between the treated one and the not treated one is immediately obvious. The one I scrubbed using only water, and then sprayed with WET & FORGET, looked brand new when I came back six months later.
I do like your idea of the "come back" video. Maybe I will produce a video where I go back to multiple places shown in my videos, so people can see what veteran headstones look like at various periods of time after cleanings.
Is it better than D-2??
When do you use D2 and when do you Wet and Forget?
Both products have similar active ingredients (quaternary ammonium compounds) but W&F costs half as much as D2. They can be used interchangeably. Both work.
I have never had one stone turn white from Wet and Forget. We have scrubbed and sprayed one angel 4 times with Wet and Forget and it's still gray. D2 is all I will use. Orvus does nothing either.
In what part of the country are you located? I have experienced good results with Wet and Forget in Florida where we have some serious biological growth I refer to as black algae. I mostly use D2, but not everyone can afford D2. I've not ever used Orvus myself, but I've met people who have it in their headstone cleaning kits. While I personally love using D2, it is not the only cleaning agent product brand name that contains a quaternary ammonium compound as its active ingredient. The NCPTT document that rabid D2 fans base their belief in D2 being the only cleaning agent for cleaning headstones does not say D2 is the only cleaning agent nor the best cleaning agent. The NCPTT document simply lists D2 and maybe two other brands unknown to the average American as examples. If folks would read the entire sentence in the NCPTT document it states something like "or any other cleaning agent with an active ingredient known as a quaternary ammonium compound." Well, there are numerous cleaning agents that kill biological growth via a QUAT. And I have cleaned filthy veteran headstones with D2, but they do not transform back to their original white marble color because the biological and environmental staining has become permanent due to having been neglected for too long.
Would you recommend this over D2 solutions?
D2 would give better immediate results but is much more expensive
Can this be used on all headstones including marble?
I limit my cleaning to only stones made from marble, granite, or any government-furnished veteran headstone. I don't have experience with other materials to know best practices. I recommend you seek out a historic preservationist in your local area. They will know how to handle headstones made from other types of materials.
Im curious how to darken the lettering on the headstones after they are cleaned.
Good question, but the answer is, the National Cemetery Administration quit that practice as a general rule several years ago. The ones you see with black lettering have paint in the etchings. The paint fades and flakes off over time, at different rates from stone to stone, so it eventually becomes an eyesore because uniformity is lost. It would be a lot of work to try and paint the insides of each of the letters on millions of stones and then have to come back to repaint every few years. Personally, I like to take a photo of the stone midway through the cleaning when the etchings are filled with dirty water for contrast.
Honor Your DNA Thank you for the information. My father is buried in a National Cemetery and they keep all the stones clean. Unfortunately, like you said, over time the paint fades and I was curious if there was a fairly simply process of getting the letters back to looking like new again. Just my personal preference to have the letters dark so you can see who is buried.
@@CrazyThings2DoNow The National Cemetery Administration used/uses black lithochrome paint inside the etchings.
@@honoryourdna8897 I paid in 1982 for lithium lettering , told would last forever. Around year 2000, most had disappeared.
@@koldenkoodies2897 paint simply doesn't hold up in the sun and elements. Not realistic to think someone is going to carefully repaint the etchings every ten years. Heck, it's difficult to get someone to clean a veteran's headstone let alone repaint the etchings.
Does the Wet and Forget end up in the ground contaminating the water table underneath...?
I would point you to the product manufacturer to answer that question. WET & FORGET is available at retails stores everywhere and used all over the world to clean exterior surfaces. So I doubt the product is some sort of danger to the environment.
Will this work for granite stone?
Yes it works on granite stone.
I've used dozens of gallons of this product on gravestones. I logged dates, temps, weather, type of stone, how dirty, etc. I photographed every stone and have checked back over time. It does not work as advertised here and on the company's website. It will require at least 3 visits and recoatings to get decent results. This video is deceptive when it claims you're done in 15 seconds. The more realistic part of the video is the part where he discusses the need to scrub. There is no easy way to clean stones. I really wanted this to be so easy...
Hi Doug. You had me concerned with your comment about my video being deceptive, so I revisited the cemetery where I shot the video 6 months ago. The headstones looked fantastic for having only sprayed on the product with zero scrubbing. I will post before and after photos on the By Memorial Day Facebook page for you to look for yourself. One of the headstones is obviously clean in contrast to a stone next to it that was not sprayed. It did have some pieces of dried up lichens in some of the tight spaces, but they were crispy dead. A Navy Sailor KIA had a white marble ledger covered in black algae before I sprayed the product on it. I found the ledger today to be perfectly bright white and clean with zero scrubbing. The stone I scrubbed with only water and then applied the product looked brand new today. So in my defense, yes, the stones were cleaned in only 15 seconds, and I do state in the video that the product works like slow motion magic. I've scrubbed a lot of headstones, and I actually enjoy the process, but with millions of stones to clean, it can be extremely efficient to walk a cemetery with a backpack sprayer and knock out a few hundred in day compared to maybe ten or twelve if I'm scrubbing. Will they be as perfect compared to the ones I scrub? No, but 15 seconds of spraying may be the difference between the job getting done now by a volunteer, or not at all. If we spray them today, they will look respectable by Memorial Day.
@@honoryourdna8897 I agree that its much quicker to spray and walk away. i also agree that 15 seconds of spraying is a big difference over nothing at all. However, please understand, I am not a troll. I am a cemetery volunteer who spends thousands of hours in cemeteries and thousands of dollars out of my own pocket cleaning veterans' stones. I sincerely appreciate all of your efforts. However, after purchasing dozens of gallons on concentrated Wet and Forget, researching quaternary ammonium, following recommended liberal application suggestions, and even going back for a 2nd and 3rd treatment, I do not see the amazing results the company talks about. As I said previously, I really wanted this product to work...I needed this product to work because there is so much out there that needs to be done. The sad reality is that is simply does not work as well on gravestones as is often claimed. In the meantime, I am continuing to apply coats to new stones and retreat previous stones, hoping that some temperature, humidity, angle of sunshine or monsoon rainy freak thing will happen to bring on the magic.
@@doug3959 You have a lot more experience than I do, so I'm sure you've been able to make a lot more observations based on various conditions. I started with D/2 Biological Solution, but it costs $50 per gallon including shipping. It's not available in local retail stores and the masses have never heard of it. So, high price, lack of brand recognition, and not readily available at a volunteer's local retailer created a significant barrier to getting every veteran headstone in America cleaned by Memorial Day. As an expert, you're probably aware of the NCPTT document that listed D/2 by name as a product safe to use for headstone cleaning. If you read that document, it clearly states "
@@honoryourdna8897 yes sir, D2 is very expensive and I'm familiar with the standards you mentioned. I started testing WF as a cheaper alternative and faster treatment for the same reasons. I continue to try WF in hopes that I will get positive results. Currently, I have approximately 150 stones in various stages and time frames that I'm watching after single, double and triple applications. I'm getting best results on white marble. My concern is that if WF requires multiple applications and trips back, what am I gaining? I'll try to keep you posted on my progress.
@@honoryourdna8897 Do you get paid for advertising this product? This video seems like an advert. I'm sorry if I got it wrong.
RIP Oscar F. Costello 💐🪦🇺🇸🇨🇱
Many reviewers of this product have said it smells of bleach. Certain stones are susceptible to bleach or ammonia. D2 is a bit more money but Arlington uses it so it's good enough for me. Use W&F around the house.
The National Cemetery Administration actually lists WET & FORGET by name as a cleaning agent containing a quaternary ammonium compound as its active ingredient. There are a lot of strong opinions, for and against. I recommend D/2, but not everyone can afford D/2, so I'd rather someone use WET & FORGET or plain water as compared to sitting on their hands doing nothing.
We don't get much rain here. Will Wet N Forget still do the job?
If you have enough rain to grow biological organisms on headstones, then it seems logical WET & FORGET should do the job. I've been to parts of the country, New Mexico for example, where conditions are dry. In those locations, I found little to no biological growth on veteran headstones. I recommend you read the protocol issued by the National Cemetery Administration explaining how to properly clean a veteran headstone. You have to look at the specific stone and decide which course of cleaning action to take. For example, a stone with little biological growth affixed can probably be cleaned with water and a gentle brush. Use the least aggressive cleaning method necessary for the job at hand, with a mindset of doing no harm to the natural stone. You'll find a link to the protocol at ByMemorialDay.com on the About page.
@@honoryourdna8897 thank you
So let me summarize what I understand....
W&F - Spray it on and walk away. May take multiple applications in coming months, but much cheaper
D2 = Requires scrubbing and washing with water but "immediate" results you can see whatever progress is made but very expensive.
But with W&F how do I just walk away and assume it's done the job? Yes it's cheaper and faster - but unless I visit every gravestone I believe to be done - I don't really know what shape I've left them in. Is this a realistic summary?
BTW - Thanks for your videos and efforts to train and inform
Hello Mike. Yes, you understand it. D/2 Biological Solution can also be sprayed on without scrubbing. I can assure you the quaternary ammonium compounds will do their job over time. I haven't personally treated all the veteran headstones in a cemetery with one of these products in one day without scrubbing, but I do plan to do that some day. I'd rather do that by Memorial Day as compared to doing nothing at all. At least the stones will gradually get clean during the coming 4 to 6 months. The WET & FORGET concept will be fantastic for the annual maintenance AFTER the first cleaning!
Think of the wet it and forget it concept as a force multiplier when sufficient volunteer labor isn't available.
For fast results you want
Wet with h20
Scrape scum with plastic scraper
Spray w/f go home
Want to see results come back
In 60 days
If need reapply
Done
@@ceasergert2780 the only change to your process I would recommend is to use a wooden scraper instead of a plastic scraper. I use a wooden paint stir stick. The protocol from the National Cemetery Administration calls for no plastic bristle brushes, so if they caution against plastic bristles potentially catching a headstone, then I assume a plastic scraper would be more dangerous than a plastic bristle.
Importantly remember it's not a cleaner it's a bio-cide. However you are leaving off part of what the VA said.
Hi sir, is this product superior or equivalent to D/2? Pros and cons? Thanks!
I have videos showing how to use D/2 Biological Solution and WET & FORGET. Both contain active ingredients known as quaternary ammonium compounds, but not exactly the same chemical makeup. In my experience, both products do a fine job, but each has a slightly different set of directions on their labels. The WET & FORGET company sticks to their product name and doesn't offer a scrubbing method. I improvised my own scrubbing method in my WET & FORGET video by simply using water and a scrub brush before applying the product. D/2 offers on their label two options with one using scrubbing and the other no scrubbing. In my opinion, use the one you can afford and get your hands on first!
@@honoryourdna8897 Thanks a lot Trae. Some scrubbing might help get results faster, I'm convinced. Do you think scrubbing after first application of W&F, rinsing with water and finish with a second layer of W&F might be an ideal method?
@@yvesn58 I have observed the results of certain veteran headstone cleaning methods over extended periods of time, so my answer to your question is based on those observations. First, when the first application of a quaternary ammonium compound is made to the surface of the stone, all living biological organisms are killed within about 10 minutes according to reading between the lines of the D/2 product label instructions. If you simply spray the stone and walk away, the dead organisms will dry, become crispy, and slough off over time. However, I have seen stones one year following the one initial application that look somewhat gray. I haven't observed this gray condition after one year's time for stones that had been scrubbed and rinsed with water. Therefore, I think some of the dead remains of biological growth dry tight to the surface of the stone to the point where the material does not slough off over time naturally.
I have cleaned many veteran headstones using the D/2 method of spraying the stone once, then scrubbing, then rinsing with water, and walking away. Every one of those stones looked fantastically perfect a few weeks later. So a second spraying following scrubbing and rinsing with water was NOT necessary. A second spraying will not hurt the stone, but I don't think it is necessary. However, for a stone heavily covered in biological growth, there may be quite a bit of biological material still affixed to the stone after the initial scrubbing and rinsing, so in that scenario I would spray the stone a second time before I walk away.
The WET & FORGET label does not provide a scrubbing application scenario. Therefore, I would not recommend using WET & FORGET in a scrubbing application. I think D/2 Biological Solution has some additional ingredients in the product formula such as soap maybe that makes D/2 help the scrubbing process.
As you will see in my WET & FORGET video, I created my own scrubbing method for WET & FORGET by simply wetting the stone with water first, allowing the water to continue wetting the stone and affixed biological growth for 10 minutes, which softened the biological growth for easy removal with a scrub brush and water. Once I had removed the majority of the built up biological growth with clean water and a scrub brush, I then applied the WET & FORGET before walking away. I found there to be no significant difference between scrubbing with plain clean water vs scrubbing with D/2 added into the scrubbing process. I'm sure the D/2 helps during the scrubbing process, but the softened biological material does come off rather easily with just water and a scrub brush. Remember, despite those who insist on trying to scare people by interjecting all kinds of uncertainty, cleaning a veteran headstone is not rocket science if you simply watch my videos and read the protocol issued by the National Cemetery Administration (there is a link on the About page at ByMemorialDay.com).
@@honoryourdna8897 Your videos are awesome and this right here really clears up A LOT! I first bought Wet & Forget and then found you before using it and I have been trying to decide which one to use on which circumstance. I have a local family lot that needs alot of attention, right down the street from me, then I have a not so local one that need less attention. I'll scrub those with water then Wet & Forget those and then D2 the others, closer to home. So basically, you get more bang for your buck if you'll just water and scrub first when using the W & F and if you want to use D2, do so as you do! Thank you!
Why not use water, vinegar and baking soda? I use it all the time on my family's tombstones. It won't harm the vegetation around the tombstone.
The United States federal government via the National Park Service funded by the National Cemetery Administration conducted a research study to determine the best methods for cleaning headstones and natural stone. Water, vinegar, and baking soda was not listed among the best practices. They either didn't try that concoction, or that concoction was inferior to the methods they list in their report as being the most effective. It's important we all use the same best practices, because uncertainty is one of the biggest contributors to headstones being neglected. People aren't sure what to do, so they do nothing. People can be told the best thing to do, but there's always someone else throwing out another method to discredit the best practices, which leads to renewal of uncertainty. This is the link to the protocol issued by the National Cemetery Administration:
www.cem.va.gov/docs/factsheets/Cleaning_Headstones_Markers.pdf
Hopefully you aren’t saying the National Veterans Administration is endorsing Wet & Forget, because I just checked & they aren’t!
Facts about
Name: Oscar Ferdinand Costello
Birth Date: 9 Feb 1889
Service Number: 2244663
Service Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: Co. H 359th Inf.
Enlistment Date: 24 Feb 1918
Discharge Date: 19 Jun 1919
Death Date: 1 Nov 1961
Cemetery: Oak Ridge Cemetery
Cemetery Location: Arcadia, Florida, USA
Can you use both "D2" and "Wet and Forget" together as part of a general headstone cleaning solution?
I don't recommend mixing the two cleaning brands, because the active ingredients are not identical. Both D/2 and WET & FORGET do a fantastic job, but watch both of my videos where I demonstrate each one. The cleaning instructions on each product's label are different.
@@honoryourdna8897 i just had another idea. Can you use Wet & Forget as a grass barrier? something like putting up a small wooden barricade around the marker, then spraying Wet & forget so that the grass will die if it comes up to the (temporary wooden barricade)
@@pinay56 just a thought... when there’s no grass to stop erosion it might make the mud splatter up more on the grave when there is no grass surrounding it. Then it’ll get dirty all over again!
If it so simple using wet and forget, cemetery workers should just walk around and spray the headstones.
They could certainly do that. Unfortunately the vast majority of cemeteries have no cemetery workers, nor do they have any funding to care for the cemetery grounds. Our moving away from Christianity and Christian burial has resulted in the adoption of cremation as the cheapest most convenient way to get rid of grandma. Sale of burial plots was the primary revenue source for cemetery maintenance. Cremation has taken away burial plot sales. The cost to us is the loss of our ancestors' final resting places as historic cemeteries go back to nature with no one unrelated willing to care for them by taking on the maintenance liability. Some day, you will travel to the burial site of your 4th great grandparents and find instead an overgrowth thicket of trees and brush.
Not to many businesses for cleaning family owned headstones.
My first venture into grave care was a crowd funding idea where each American pitches in $1-$5. I would pool that money into a billion dollars for distribution to cemetery caretakers to fund the costs of maintaining OUR ancestors' graves. Based on the limited few donations, I'm pretty sure most people don't really care too much about great great grandma, which is sadly pathetic, but it is what it is. My experience may provide insight into why we don't see much in the way of services being provided on a fee for service basis at grave sites. I have several objectives with cleaning veteran headstones, one of which is to get people into a local cemetery where they can see with their own eyes the disgraceful condition of most ALL headstones. I'm hopeful some of the volunteers will realize their ancestors' headstones need care too.
@@honoryourdna8897 I agree with you Sir. This is the mirror generation and many not willing to pay. But then again, the older folks may be willing to pay because their value system is different.
I’m confused. I just spent a fortune on D2 based your recommendation. Which is better?
Hi David. D/2 and WET & FORGET both contain active ingredients considered to by quaternary ammonium compounds. If you watch both videos, you'll see each has a different recommended set of instructions from the manufacturer. D/2 has been proven for many years and was listed by name in a document known as NCPTT. When I made the first video about how to clean veteran headstones using D/2, the WET & FORGET product had not yet been named by the National Cemetery Administration "NCA". I asked the NCA to consider naming Water by itself as a cleaning agent and to consider naming WET & FORGET as a cleaning agent, because both are readily available and less costly as compared to D/2. The NCA did list both "water" and WET & FORGET in their protocol for cleaning government-furnished veteran headstones and grave markers. You now have options! I use all three based on circumstances. For example, you may run into a cemetery owner who will not allow any chemical agent to be used in their cemetery. Well, they can't complain about water, now can they? What I like about D/2 is that you can use it before you scrub. What I like about WET & FORGET is that I can cover a lot of ground in a short period of time, without scrubbing, for about $6 per gallon. I can do the same with D/2, but it's $50 per gallon including shipping. A gallon of D/2 goes a long way, so it's money well spent. But now you have a less expensive option if it better applies to how you are trying to accomplish the process of cleaning a veteran headstone.
Keep using your D2.
Use D2!
i was told if you use stuff like this on soldiers grave stone ovr time where its soaked into the stone it will erode
Not true. Much confusion and misinformation exists in the world of headstone cleaning. People mix up stories. The National Cemetery Administration wouldn't list a cleaning agent by name if it were damaging to natural stone.
That was about 30 secs. Nonetheless, still a wonderful idea!
Idiot, you missed the point
@@daveklein2826 Hey don't be rude and I didn't miss the point .
I used Wet & Forget last year, was underimpressed. Will be using D/2 this year.
Find which one works best in your local area and let others know within your community.
Both products have similar active ingredients (quaternary ammonium compounds). You probably didn't follow directions on your W&F application. I've used it for many years and it works great at half the price of D2.
Please keep telling people that you are cleaning only government issued gravestones with W&F and
you are not recommending using W&F on any other headstones especially those made from other materials that may or may not be damaged by it over the long run. I came across your video from a graveyard preservation group that was concerned people would use it on different headstone materials that might be damaged by W&F. Thanks for all you're doing with the veterans' headstones.
What headstone materials would be damaged by it? I plan on doing my family headstones, as well as the memorial/ veteran headstones.
I think he keeps saying that. Out of all of his videos I have not heard a single mention of any other type than the Federally issused Veteran stones. However, Wet and Forget does not say any certain type, they say for cemetery use.
So please explain as I have only 2 out of 9 family veterans that are the marble, the others are the bronze (which are fine for water and scrubbig at this point). I have tons of granite family stones, mainly granite and some concrete. Are you saying I shouldn't introduce W&F to any of those? I have plans to use W&F on ones that are not very local to me.
Looks as if you’re in Tallahassee.
I shot the video in Arcadia, FL.
Fuck, youre just cleaning veterans head stones but this is interesting af
Some people are so stuck on D/2 being the one and only cleaner for graves.
Yes, it's highly popular in the grave cleaning community, and it does a very nice job - however, D/2 is not the only respectable product out there (it's not readily accessible in stores, and it definitely isn't very "pocket book friendly" in my opinion).
I think some people just jump on the bandwagon of believing D/2 is the only go to cleaner because certain influencers that they cling to preach that it is.
In a lot of instances, these video creators are being supplied D/2 by the cemetery in exchange for their cleaning efforts and ability to video their actions. No financial sweat off of their backs.
I've cleaned quite a few graves, and I've yet to see any "damaging" results by using Wet & Forget on a variety of memorial marker types. Even the grass and plants surrounding any memorials I've tidied up with W&F appears unharmed.
Wet & Forget is a great comparable product to D/2, and it's affordable.
I personally always do "the scrubbing method", and my cleaners of choice are Wet & Forget, Ivory dish soap, Orvis WA Paste, or just fresh water - all depending on the cleaning needs of the memorial, and all are products that are mentioned as appropriate cleaners by reputable sources.
I appreciate the unbiased content you share! X⚰X💀
Historic preservationists including those who clean headstones are referencing the NCPTT best practices document when believing D/2 Biological Solution is the ONLY cleaning agent for cleaning headstones. But that is not what the NCPTT best practices document states: "A biocidal cleaner performed the best in this study. Recommended biocidal cleaners include D/2 Biological Solution (which was tested in this study) manufactured by Sunshine Makers, Enviro Klean® BioWash®, or other cleaners that contain quaternary ammonium compounds." Read those last eight words again: "or other cleaners that contain quaternary ammonium compounds." I too am a fan of D/2, but it is not the ONLY cleaning agent approved to get the job done.
My mission is to clean every veteran headstone by Memorial Day. I'm calling on patriotic volunteers EVERYWHERE to clean every veteran headstone in their local area cemeteries by Memorial Day, every Memorial Day in perpetuity. To enable volunteers to get the job done, I had to remove ALL barriers and red tape. A huge barrier was simply lack of easy access to D/2 Biological Solution due to price, brand recognition, and inventory on local store shelves.
I removed ALL barriers by lobbying the National Cemetery Administration to produce a best practices protocol for how to properly clean government-furnished veteran headstones and grave markers. In that document released April 2020, WET & FORGET is listed by name as one of those other cleaners that contain quaternary ammonium compounds. To remove all excuses, I even had them include plain and simple clean water as an approved cleaning agent!
Again, I am a fan of D/2, but I also sometimes use WET & FORGET, which is now listed by name in the National Cemetery Administration headstone cleaning protocol as an example of a cleaning agent containing quaternary ammonium compounds.
@@honoryourdna8897 thanks for your detailed reply - very appreciated! ☻🖤 I get into "friendly" back and forths with some TikTok'ers about D/2 often. I just get really peeved when they "point fingers" at you as if you haven't done any personal homework yourself.
I've made some grave cleaning mistakes in the beginning of my ventures (none that were insanely detrimental, but somewhat embarrassing to think of now lol). Regardless, you have to live and learn at this hobby just like anything else. I don't know why some choose to be competitive or political about it. Share. Learn. Grow. X⚰X💀
Several reviewers of W&F say they pick up the smell of chlorine bleach in the product even though it isn't supposed to contain any. Bleach will disintegrate certain types of stones. If you are unsure, stick with D2. I haven't tried W&F so I don't know if the product smells like bleach. If you still have some, give it a sniff.
@@ohger1 I use it frequently 🖤 The product does have a scent, but I've personally never smelled a bleach like odor.
Doesn't Wet & Forget have sodium hypochlorite in it
According to the people at WET & FORGET, the active ingredient is a Quaternary Ammonium Compound "QUAT". The National Cemetery Administration looked at WET & FORGET and decided to add the product by name in their protocol for how to clean veteran headstones.
Is this just an advert 🤔
This video is not an advertisement but I am promoting the cleaning of veteran headstones, so I guess it is a form of marketing to raise awareness for the cause. Some people who would like to volunteer to clean veteran headstones can't afford the $60 per gallon for D/2 Biological Solution (which is a fantastic cleaning agent), so I successfully lobbied the National Cemetery Administration to consider adding WET & FORGET to their protocol as an alternative that costs only $6 per gallon.
These guys gave their lives so someone could sell cleaning products from their graveside.
19 seconds
Wonder how much a kick this guy is getting
I have received no compensation.
Who cares you idiot
dont like this wet and forget. i would do the cleaning useing the other stuff. and do some scurrbing
Thanks for watching multiple videos. I enjoy scrubbing veteran headstones myself, but I'm becoming a fan of the wet it and walk away cleaning method. I've seen the results of WET & FORGET and D/2 using their no-scrub application method. It does take a few months to look perfect, but the stones aren't going anywhere! I cleaned all 50 veteran headstones in a cemetery yesterday in about 90 minutes walking around with a water bottle in one hand and a D/2 bottle in the other.
Do it your way
im with you
It's all very good. But you should start respecting your Confederate monuments !
There was a time when the United States Congress took actions to help heal the deep wounds created by the Civil War including the identification of all Confederate graves and the design of Confederate-style government furnished veteran headstone. All of those people worked toward reconciliation have died and today's generations have no memory of why Confederate headstones, Confederate monuments, and military bases with Confederate names exist.
einfach nur werbung
You lost me with your support for W&F. If you're not using D/2, you're not a true conservator.
Unfortunately David Bloom you are misinformed. The document where D/2 Biological Solution became established as the ONLY cleaning agent for government-furnished headstones is known as the NCPTT document. You can Google and find the document. If people would actually read the document for themselves instead of passing on misinformation, we wouldn't have such uncertainty for people trying to learn how to properly clean a veteran headstone. Here is what the NCPTT document clearly states: "Recommended biocidal cleaners include D/2 Biological Solution manufactured by Sunshine Makers,2 Enviro Klean® BioWash®,3 or other cleaners that contain quaternary ammonium compounds." Do you see the other brand names listed in the NCPTT document? Do you see the last 7 words "or other cleaners that contain quaternary ammonium compounds."? Now research the active ingredient in WET & FORGET. It is a quaternary ammonium compound. The National Cemetery Administration, at my request, produced the first ever NCA best practices protocol for cleaning government-furnished veteran headstones. In that document a product listed by name is WET & FORGET. I use D/2 all the time, but I have the wherewithal to afford it. Some people don't have enough money to pay for D/2 and need a less expensive APPROVED by name cleaning agent, one of which is WET & FORGET. And no, I am not a conservator. I am a patriotic American who would rather take action to clean veteran headstones covered in disgraceful biological filth than to stand around doing nothing while debating about my favorite cleaning agent that contains a quaternary ammonium compound as it's active ingredient. I even got WATER approved by name as a cleaning agent for veteran headstones issued by the federal government.
@@honoryourdna8897 I am completely aware of what goes on, actually teach proper cleaning of historic stones, and this post of yours is nothing but an ad. When the makers of W&F first started their push to enter the gravestone cleaning market, many of us questioned the safety and wanted it properly tested. They refused to cooperate, and I was personally threatened for even questioning them. I wasn't the only one threatened. They either threatened or bribed people for their cooperation. A bureaucrat at the National Cemetery Board, during the last administration, authorized W&F and actually promoted it. We don't know why that bureaucrat took that position. We conservators immediately fought back and it was changed to a mere suggestion with the caveat to test it. Conservators care about both the stones and our own health. D2 has been thoroughly tested, by the National Preservation Testing folk, an arm of the National Park Service. A quat isn't just a quat. Ask the makers of W&F what their proprietary ingredients are. Ask them why they had to change their label information before even being allowed to sell it in some states. You had my admiration until you started to shill for them. I'm done here.
You should not use W&F.
The active ingredient in WET & FORGET is a Quaternary Ammonium Compound “QUAT.” The National Park Service National Center for Preservation Technology and Training “NCPTT” funded by the Department of Veteran Affairs National Cemetery Administration produced “Best Practice Recommendations for Cleaning Government Issued Headstones.” In the NCPTT document, D/2 is not the only cleaning product listed by name and these words follow after mention of D/2 Biological Solution and a few other brand names, “or other cleaners that contain quaternary ammonium compounds.”
We should not listen to idiots like you
@@daveklein2826 who are you calling an idiot?
You know what works better, cheaper and faster? Bleach and water. Gimmick with a capital G.
Is he being paid to say "Wet & Forget" as many times as he is?
Hi J B. No, I was not paid anything to produce this video. I even paid retail for the product shown and used in the video! My mission is to clean every veteran headstone by Memorial Day. This must be accomplished by volunteers on their own dime. Not everyone can afford D/2 Biological Solution at $50 per gallon, so I worked directly with the National Cemetery Administration to get WET & FORGET listed by name as a cleaning product containing a Quaternary Ammonium Compound as its active ingredient. WET & FORGET is readily available in every small town USA and costs approximately $6 per gallon. I then worked directly with WET & FORGET for specific application instructions, because they are slightly different as compared to D/2. I felt it was important to shoot this video to educate volunteers who choose to use WET & FORGET. Otherwise, they might assume it is the same process as D/2, but the process is not the same.
So what.. HE IS CLEANING FUCKING HERO GRAVE STONES>> WTF HAVE U DONE LATELY...?
Please do not use Wet and Forget.
Use only D2! Gravestone Guardians of North Carolina
Because D2 lasts longer.
Please don't use this product.
The active ingredient in WET & FORGET is a Quaternary Ammonium Compound “QUAT.” The National Park Service National Center for Preservation Technology and Training “NCPTT” funded by the Department of Veteran Affairs National Cemetery Administration produced “Best Practice Recommendations for Cleaning Government Issued Headstones.” In the NCPTT document, D/2 is not the only cleaning product listed by name and these words follow after mention of D/2 Biological Solution and a few other brand names, “or other cleaners that contain quaternary ammonium compounds.”
It you give no reasons then your opinion means absolutely NOTHING
To much bla,bla,bla,bla
“Honor Your DNA?” No. Buy This Product.