Why Removing Moss from Your Roof Is Vital

When you’re examining your roof, you may see moss growing on it. Perhaps you think a mossy roof is charming in an old-world way — but, like many charmers, moss has a dark side. If you leave it, moss on your roof could damage the roof, the interior of your home, or even your health. You’ll need to think about removing the moss with roof cleaning.

What is Moss and Why Does It Grow on Roofs?

Moss is a non-flowering plant that grows in green clumps or mats, a little like grass, although the two are very different. Whereas grass grows from seeds and needs soil to put its roots down, moss is spread by spores that are blown in the wind or carried by animals, and it can take hold anywhere.

This means that moss can easily find its way onto your roof. Once there, it thrives particularly in damp, shaded areas, so you’re most likely to find moss growing on the north side of your roof, or on areas shaded by trees.

What Damage Can Moss Do to Your Roof?

Moss on your roof will trap the water that should run off into the gutters. As it becomes saturated, some of the water will find any slight flaws in the roof and seep down into the roof space.
This can cause rot in the timbers and mould growing in your house. Besides being unsightly, mould spores are bad for the health, especially if anyone in the house has allergies or respiratory problems.
Moss can hold up to twenty times its weight in water, and this extra weight could make your roof collapse.
Moss grows predominantly in between the tiles or slates of your roof and can raise them, creating holes.
Moss can blow into your gutters, clogging them up so that any water that does run off has nowhere to go.

How Can You Go About Removing Moss from Your Roof?

The best way of removing moss from your roof is by spraying it with roof moss killer. There are various commercial products available, or you can create your own with an equal mixture of water and chlorine bleach — but remember to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.

First, use your hose to spray the moss with water and then with the roof moss killer. Leave it for about thirty minutes and spray again with water. In all cases, make sure the hose is on a low-pressure setting to avoid damaging the roof. The moss should blow away over the next few days, or you can use a leaf-blower to speed up the process.

As long as you have a good ladder and are used to working safely at heights, removing moss from your roof is a straightforward enough DIY job. If you’re uncertain about it, though, give us a call and we can remove the moss professionally with our roof cleaning services.

{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “BlogPosting”,
“mainEntityOfPage”: {
“@type”: “WebPage”,
“@id”: “https://empireupvcandroofing.co.uk/news/roof-cleaning-moss-removal”
},
“headline”: “Why Removing Moss from Your Roof Is Vital”,
“description”: “Learn more about the effects of moss on the roof. Empire UPVC & Roofing Specalists can provide roof cleaning and moss removal. Contact us!”,
“image”: “https://empireupvcandroofing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Screenshot-2020-10-20-at-11.04.41.png”,
“author”: {
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Empire UPVC & Roofing”
},
“publisher”: {
“@type”: “Organization”,
“name”: “Empire UPVC & Roofing”,
“logo”: {
“@type”: “ImageObject”,
“url”: “https://empireupvcandroofing.co.uk/wp-content/themes/empire/images/logo.svg”
}
},
“datePublished”: “2020-10-20”
}