What Do Professionals Use to Clean Roofs?
It’s vital to keep your roof clean — and not only to keep it looking good. Moss, algae and lichen tend to grow in damp conditions, and these can seriously damage the roofing material, both by growing into the cracks and by providing places for water to pool.
You need to clean all of it off — and this means getting a professional in, since getting it wrong could cause serious damage. So what methods is a professional likely to use for cleaning your roof?
Pressure Washing and Soft Washing
The simplest method of getting rid of growths on your roof is to wash them off, and there are two alternatives for this. Depending on the conditions, the professional you hire may use either pressure washing or soft washing.
Pressure washing, as the name suggests, involves shooting a high-pressure jet of water that blows the growths away. This can be very effective, but there’s also a risk of damaging the roof if it’s old or fragile.
In these cases, the preferred method is soft washing. Here, a chemical solution is applied, left to work and finally rinsed off with low-pressure water. The solution will often contain biocides or environmentally friendly detergents designed to prevent regrowth.
Chemical Treatments
A range of chemical treatments can be used, not only to remove current growth but also to prevent regrowth. Some of these may be harmful to the surrounding environment, however, so it’s essential to make sure surrounding areas are protected from run-off. Treatments commonly used include:
- Sodium Hypochlorite is a powerful bleaching agent that kills moss, algae and bacteria.
- Biocides are long-lasting treatments that prevent the regrowth of organic matter.
- Algicides and Fungicides, which specifically target algae and fungi, preventing their spread.
- Various eco-friendly solutions, to minimise the impact on the environment.
Removing Moss by Hand
Some roofs are too fragile to water or chemical treatments, and in these cases, a professional may clean off the moss or other growths manually. This can be a time-consuming method, but it protects your roof from damage.
The normal tools used for this are roof scrapers or stiff brushes. However, in order to avoid having to walk on a fragile roof, they’ll most likely have these at the end of telescopic poles.
Roof Coatings and Sealants
Ideally, you want to minimise the number of times you have to call in a professional to clean your roof. For this, there are various coatings and sealants that can be applied to prevent regrowth.
These work by creating a water-resistant barrier that prevents moss and algae from taking hold. A popular type is hydrophobic roof treatments, which repel rainwater and reduce the likelihood of organic material taking hold.
Choose Your Professional With Care
The professional roofer you choose to clean your roof should not only be proficient at the various techniques. They should also have expertise in identifying which approach will best suit your roof and avoid causing more damage than the moss, algae and lichen they’re cleaning off.
Give Empire a call to find out how you can take advantage of our many years of expertise in cleaning roofs.
