I’ve bought my first home because of my grave cleaning side hustle – it’s rewarding and and VERY satisfying
I’ve bought my first home because of my grave cleaning side hustle – it’s rewarding and and VERY satisfying
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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.
![[Portrait of Shaun Tookey.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/450-deep-clean-repainted-lettering-966766452.jpg?strip=all&w=775)
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.
![[A man cleaning a gravestone in a cemetery.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/f043de90-29a2-413d-8406-a3a259e0a101.jpg?strip=all&w=955)
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.
![[A man cleaning a gravestone with a power tool.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/929c624e-27ab-4bd4-b19b-131c32127688.jpg?strip=all&w=917)
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.
![[Before and after photos of a cleaned headstone.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/450-deep-clean-repainted-lettering-966766434.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
