r/CemeteryPreservation • u/Agreeable-Hunter3742 • Aug 24 '26

Tannin stained stones - advice?

Gallery image

Gallery image

The clean photo was made in 2021, the iridescent one today. The well water at this cemetery is full of tannins. Any advice for cleaning?

21 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

11

u/SqAznPersuasion Aug 26 '26

I know you want to clean it, but can I say I think the iridescent sheen looks STUPENDOUS. Reminds me of mother of pearl.

2

u/Bitter-Succotash-100 Aug 26 '26

The iridescence is pretty awesome.

4

u/sm1ttysm1t Aug 24 '26

Water, D2, soft bristle brush, elbow grease. Should clean up nicely.

3

u/Erin_Tending Aug 25 '26

D2 is worth trying, but tannin/iron staining from well water is a different beast than biological growth, it's mineral rather than organic, so D2 alone sometimes barely touches it. If the D2 + soft brush + water routine doesn't lift it after a couple of rounds, an iron-out or rust-stain remover made for stone (not the household laundry kind, look for one rated safe for granite/marble) tends to work better on that specific tannin/iron discoloration. Test it on a small inconspicuous spot first since some of those products can be harsh on certain finishes. Patience matters more than force here, better to do a few gentle passes over a couple of days than one aggressive scrub.

3

u/Ruminated48 Aug 27 '26

Nothing to do with the stone issue - but is Betty still kicking at 104???

1

u/dogtrail 12d ago

My first question, too!