So, you've just finished scraping off the lichen and scrubbing the gravestone with water. Now it's time to apply D/2 Biological Solution to kill the lichen and whiten the stone. You spritz some on the damp gravestone and...oh no! Why is the gravestone turning pink?! Don't worry--sometimes stone will turn a subtle color of pinkish-orange after applying D/2 Biological Solution. The manufacturers of D/2 explained it to me that the color change is the result of the biological organisms reacting to the D/2. This temporary discoloration can take on shades of orange, pink, or gray. Not all stones react this way but some will. When it does, it will generally take 24-48 hours before the discoloration disappears. So, the only downside is that you may have to come back after a few days to take some good "after cleaning" pictures.
3 Comments
Rany
7/4/2020 09:10:34 am
Thanks for the info. I had that happen with some of the older markers in our family cemetery. Due to lack of water access and the remoteness of the cemetery I was planning to just spray full strength D/2 on the headstones and let them sit for a couple of months before coming back and manually spot cleanIng the headstones that still needed it. I was pretty surprised to see some of them turn pink. I had enough water to rinse one headstone immediately and I noted that the pink color went away so I figured it would be ok. So this sets my mind at ease!
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CG
8/8/2022 04:10:14 pm
Same! Was concerned as most of the stone took on an orange tint, almost like rust. Went back a day later to scrub and majority came off but not all. Glad to hear this is normal.
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Susan Pechacek
11/24/2023 03:29:23 pm
I cleaned 2 older family stones with d2. They seemed fine at first. I came back 30 minutes later and both turned orange. Hope this disappears.
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AuthorJarrod Roll...museum curator by training, preservation educator by passion. Director of the Monroe County Local History Room & Museum, Sparta, WI. Owner of Save Your Stones Gravestone Restoration Services. Maker of the Gravestone Cleaning Kit. Archives
April 2023
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