Materials & Products
How Do You Clean Granite, Marble, and Bronze Markers Differently?
Quick answer
Granite is the most durable and forgiving of the three, tolerating gentle scrubbing well. Marble is softer and more porous, so it needs a strictly non-acidic approach to avoid etching. Bronze markers need an entirely different, wax-based process, since the wrong cleaner can strip away the protective patina that keeps bronze from corroding.
Granite
Granite is dense and relatively resistant to weathering, which is why it's the most common material for modern headstones. It generally holds up well to gentle scrubbing with a soft brush and a biological cleaner for algae or lichen. It's still not indestructible — pressure washers and acidic cleaners can still dull the polish over time — but it has more margin for error than marble.
Marble
Marble is softer, more porous, and far more reactive to acids than granite. Even mild acids like vinegar can etch the surface, leaving a permanently dulled or rough patch. Marble markers, especially older ones, do best with plain water, the softest possible brush, and a non-acidic biological cleaner, applied patiently rather than scrubbed aggressively.
Bronze
Bronze plaques — common on veteran and military markers — develop a protective oxidized layer called a patina over time. Household cleaners, and even some stone-safe products, can strip this patina and expose the metal underneath to faster corrosion. Bronze typically needs a dedicated bronze cleaner and a protective wax reapplied afterward, rather than the same solution used on stone.
Sacred Stone matches cleaning method to material — granite, marble, and bronze are never treated the same way.
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