Couple forms 'Headstone Cleaners' service

Cameron and Jayme Foster of McCook are "The Headstone Cleaners." Contact them by phone or text at (308) 340-5701; on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/theheadstonecleaners; or through e-mail at theheadstonecleaners@gmail.com. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette)

McCOOK, Neb. -- As Cameron and Jayme Foster of McCook cleaned Jayme's brother's headstone this spring, they realized that a business that cleans headstones would provide an uncommon professional service, and maybe the only one of its kind in Southwest Nebraska.

The McCook couple researched the need and the process, and created "The Headstone Cleaners," a small family-run business offering the service of maintaining the resting places of loved ones.

"Let us restore your loved one's headstone," they ask. "Our goal is to make it look as new as it can," Jayme said.

In their first four weeks of business, Cameron and Jayme have cleaned 18 headstones, trimmed and edged the grass at the base of each headstone and returned decorations they've had to move to their original positions.

Customers have been very impressed with the Fosters' service and with their "before" and "after" pictures of the headstones.

Jayme and Cameron have focused initially on McCook cemeteries, but they will travel to area cemeteries.

After an initial cleaning, Cameron and Jayme suggest a regular maintenance schedule: light-colored stones need to be cleaned every four to six months, and dark stones every two to three months, especially during the months when cities water the grass and hard water leaves stains on the stones.

Cameron and Jayme have developed their own processes to clean headstones -- polished stone finishes, rough-cut finishes and porcelain photograph plaques -- using only non-acid and organic cleaners and no chemicals that may damage the stone or photograph. Cameron said he and Jayme have been fortunate to contact a very successful professional headstone cleaner in Las Vegas. "He has given us great advice on what products to use and what practices to stay away from," Cameron said.

Many communities, including McCook, have water with high alkalinity, which causes scaling and a build-up of calcium and magnesium on headstones, Cameron explains. His and Jayme's products and practices will remove the build-up, he said, as well as bird droppings and grass stains from mowing.

Cameron said he and Jayme will polish just-cleaned stones, but they do not recommend a sealer, which tends to turn cloudy and then is also difficult to remove.

Cleaning prices depend upon the size of the stone and the extent of work required. Cameron said, "A stone typically takes 2-2 1/2 hours, with both Jayme and me working on it. It is a very labor-intensive process."

"The tougher stones to clean are the ones that have been cleaned before using a solution containing muriatic acid. The acid etches the surface of these stones, allowing the scaling to come back quicker," Cameron said.

Also challenging are stones that have never been cleaned or cleaned infrequently, at which point the hard water buildup may have become part of the stone. "But, we'll still do our very best," Jayme promises.