Grave Marker Cleaning

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We genealogists/family historians visit cemeteries on a regular basis and are saddened by the looks of the grave markers. Some kind of fungi, moss or other unknown growth is covering the lettering making reading of names & dates almost impossible. There is a product that I have just recently became aware of for an environmentally safe cleaning solution that will not damage the stones! [Disclaimer: I am not endorsing the product... I have not used it, nor do I personally know anyone that has used it. The Tri-State Genealogical Society has no affiliation or knowledge of this product's claims of what it will do. Another similar product is BioWash by Prosoco.]

Don Counts sent me an email on the product to post on this blog... being the sceptic that I am, I mentioned to Don that I would post this, but first I need to know if this is a legitimate product & firm and I should know how much it costs. Our TSGS President (Don) is very good at looking things up on the Internet and fired back answers to my questions. Here is the MSDS sheet for the product D/2 Biological Solution: http://www.simplegreen.com/pdfs/MSDS_EN-US_D2BiologicalSolution.pdf and here is the Better Business Bureau's review & rating of the manufacture:http://www.bbb.org/us/Find-Business-Reviews/name/Sunshine+Makers+Inc/
I just called the company, since their website did not list any prices. You have to log-in to make an order to see pricing choices then confirm to make an order. However, she said that for a 5-gallon container it sales (without tax & shipping) approximately $200. Which is expensive, but if you can get the results demonstrated, the product is of a great value.

The distributor of the product is: Cathedral Stone Products http://www.cathedralstone.com/products/solution.aspx . On their site I found a nice 2-minute video from the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery showing cadets and civilian volunteers cleaning cemetery grave markers: http://www.cathedralstone.com/products/video_cemetery.aspx

This is the claim they make:
D/2 Biological Solution
Would you ever consider using harsh chemicals to remove biological growth from the Acropolis, the Alamo, or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? Neither would we. For these significant historic structures, restoration professionals used D/2 Biological Solution—a nonabrasive, environmentally safe option that keeps most surfaces growth-free for a minimum of one year. A short contact time removes a wide range of biological deposits (like fungi, algae, lichens and mosses) from all surfaces. Need a safe and easy way to remove and prevent biological growth? Cathedral Stone® has the solution.

"Lasts five times longer than bleach, peroxide or powerwashing Biodegradable - Safe for masonry, landscape plantings and grass."

- Compiled by JGWest with some links provided by Don Counts.