A man says his side hustle of cleaning graves has enabled him to buy his first home.
Shaun Tookey, 31, has cleaned more than 300 graves since he began his side business in May 2023.
Families will pay him between $187 and $312 for a deep clean and $437 and $562 for a deep clean, repainted lettering and decorative chippings for headstones belonging to loved ones.
He said it can take him up to two hours and he cleans between two and four graves a day, alongside a full-time job as a tree surgeon.
Shaun has been able to purchase his first home for his family — by saving for a deposit and getting a mortgage — something he says was unachievable for him before.
He said that his job is “rewarding” and he will often clean on his day off during the week and on the weekend.
Shaun, from Harlow, Essex, said: “I am trying to run a successful business and provide a service that most people can’t do.
“It is a very satisfying job and very rewarding.
“It is nice to help others who don’t know how to go about cleaning their loved one’s gravestones.
“A lot of people don’t know this service is available.
“This job has given my family stability, especially with how life is hard at the minute.
“It has allowed us time to save money and buy our first home instead of renting.”
Shaun estimates he has cleaned well over 300 graves and shares his transformations on TikTok and Facebook — @thegravecleaner.
Some of his clients come from word of mouth but Shaun says a lot of interest comes from his social media.
He said: “Most of my jobs are through social media, it is such a big platform and my videos are getting a lot better.
“I also go round posting leaflets and cards.
“When I go to a cemetery for a job people will often come up to me and say they didn’t know this service existed in the UK.”
He said: “It all depends on the type of grave, what sort of lettering it has.
“Whether or not the family want gold leaf lettering then I can do that and if they just want paint I can supply that.
“I have my standard rates and I do add-ons.”
Shaun cleans between two to four graves a day.
He said: “It can vary, I also don’t want to take the mick with how much time off I take.
“I can do four a day on average but if they are big jobs I can get two done.
“If it is a headstone I am cleaning then that can take between 30 minutes to an hour but the bigger graves can take a few hours.”
Since starting his business in May 2023, Shaun said his side business had allowed him to have “stability” and purchase his first family home in December 2024.
He said: “It has given us financial freedom in a way.
“I bought our first family home in December 2024, before that, we had been renting.
“It was a massive achievement for me, it is a great feeling to know that your business is working.
“It gives me a steady income to provide a life for my family, something we didn’t think would be possible in this day and age.”
