I’ve bought my first home because of my grave cleaning side hustle – it’s rewarding and and VERY satisfying
A FAMILY man has managed to buy his first home after finding fame on social media for cleaning graves.
Shaun Tookey, 31, started his profitable side hustle back in May 2023 and has managed to make thousands scrubbing headstones.
Shaun, who is an expert tree surgeon by trade, says despite the job seeming morbid to some it is actually very rewarding and satisfying.
He has already cleaned over 300 graves and can earn up to £450 per one depending on the scale of the job.
It can take up to two hours to clean one large gravestone with Shaun managing between two to four graves a day.
On a good day he can get through several within 30 minutes each.
Due to his busy full-time job, Shaun only heads out to his side hustle on his days off or weekends.
Despite these limited hours he has managed to earn himself enough cash to splash it on his first ever home.
Combining his two salaries along with his partners wages he has been able to afford both a deposit and get a mortgage – something previously deemed unachievable for the man from Harlow, Essex.
Shaun 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.
“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.”
Families can either pay between £150 to £250 for a deep clean restoration job on the headstone of their late loved ones.
Or spend £350 or £450 for a deep clean, repainted lettering and decorative chippings for the graves.
Shaun shares his transformations on TikTok and Facebook under the name @thegravecleaner.
He has gained over 34,000 followers and gets dozens of comments under every single video from people fascinated by his work.
Shaun says that a lot of interest in the business 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 continued: “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.”
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 added he now has “financial freedom”.