When you own a house, it is just as important to clean your roof as it is to clean your floors. Maybe not as regularly, but the job is still one that you should make sure you get around to on a regular basis, whether you've got a tile roof, shingles, or even a metal roof.
Roof cleaning is a great way to maintain your house both structurally and visually. There are a number of benefits to keeping your roof clean that make getting into the habit of regular cleaning worthwhile.
Moss, discoloration, and algae on your roof can really detract from the style and appearance of your property. Moss grows quickly, so left untreated it can soon form a blanket over your entire roof, and is often looked at negatively.
This is especially important if you are looking to sell your roof. Prospective buyers may think that it is a bad idea to buy a property with moss and algae spores over the roof, as it will be a bigger cleaning job for them and may mean there are issues with the roof structure.
Moss as an organism retains water and moisture. When it is left to grow across a roof, this moisture is stored right up against the roof materials. In some cases, this can cause real issues with damp, especially if the moss moves the tiles or grows near broken tiles or roofing material.
Look into: How To Clean Roof Moss
When moss grows on your roof it can grow in really inconvenient places. Often, this leads to the tiles or shingles being moved and subsequently broken. Even when moss grows simply on top of your roof, you might find that the moisture within the moss causes the deterioration of any wood or metal products on the surface of your roof.
We don't look at our roof very often, but when we do roof cleaning, we are forced up there. This gives you the chance to get to know your roof, to understand what it should look like. You will be able to spot issues as soon as they arise, giving you the chance to act on them and fix the issue before any costly repairs are needed.
Our gutters are directly next to our roof. When debris and dirt gather on the roof, it often tumbles down into the gutters. When this happens, the gutters can get blocked. A blocked gutter can lead to water pooling outside the home, and, if left long enough, this may lead to water ingress and damp.
By doing all of the above, regularly cleaning your roof tiles or roofing material will easily elongate the lifespan of your roof itself, in the same way that looking after anything extends the lifespan of that item!
Cold, damp surfaces lose heat quicker than warm, dry ones. As a result, roofs with moisture stuck to them in the form of moss lose heat a lot faster than other properties!
Different types of roof (i.e., concrete roof tiles, asphalt shingles, metal) require different cleaning processes. The necessary cleaning process and cleaning solution must work to remove organic growth, stains, and any dirt, while also being gentle enough to not cause any damage. Some materials used to make roof tiles and other roofing surfaces are fragile, and as such they require gentler cleaning solutions than other materials.
It is recommended that you only ever let a professional roof cleaning company pressure wash your roof. Pressure washing uses streams of extremely highly pressurised water to clean and remove stains which can, on the right materials, work really well. Pressure washing can quickly and efficiently remove dirt and debris and is even handy for moss removal and mould removal, but overdoing it or doing it wrong can be risky.
If you have the pressure washer set at too high a pressure, or you hold it at the wrong angle, you might find that your pressure washer does more harm than good. The extremely high-pressure water can strip away layers of materials, damaging the integrity of the materials. It can also cause materials like concrete tiles and other roof tiles and shingles to lift and crack, which can lead to expensive repairs.
Delve into: How To Clean Roof Tiles Without Pressure Washer
Another option when it comes to roof cleaning is soft washing your roof. This is often chosen instead of pressure washing. A good, reputable roof cleaning company like EMS Powerwash will be able to talk you through which is best for cleaning your roof.
Soft washing is a cleaning solution much better suited to fragile roof materials. If your roof surface is unlikely to hold up against pressure washing or a similar technique because it is made up of fragile roofing material, soft washing will get your roof clean without needing to worry. The cleaning solution involves using detergents and low-pressure washing to completely remove dirt and stains. This also makes it a great tool for moss removal as it is able to remove spores from your roof, providing a well and truly clean roof at the end of the process.
Since soft washing is low pressure, it uses less water than pressure washing and is therefore considered to be more eco-friendly. It also uses biodegradable cleaning solutions whereas power washing and pressure washing often use harsh chemicals that can discolour and damage delicate roofs.
The downside to soft washing your roof is that it does take longer to get your roof cleaned with this technique, so whilst it is a good idea and a great way to clean your roof, you will need to set aside a bit more time.
Find out more: What Is Soft Wash Roof Cleaning
Another alternative to the above methods, if you're looking to clean a roof, is steam cleaning. This technique is also low pressure and so is less risky than pressure washing. It does, however, take just as long and will require chemicals like biocides in order to properly tackle moss removal.
This is a super effective way to clean your roof, removing mildew, dirt, moss spores, and anything else. Your home will look like it has a new roof! Chemical cleaning works by using specialised chemicals that break down the contaminants on your roof, not dissimilar to a biocide treatment. That way, it improves the overall appearance of the roof, kills off any moss, and takes the property's roof back to its original colour.
Chemical cleaning your roof is a quick and effective cleaning solution. It doesn't require much effort, so the person cleaning will not have to be up on your roof all day, but there is a small risk of mistreatment. Some chemicals can cause damage to things like clay tiles, so the suitability of certain chemical solutions will vary depending on the property in question.
While roof cleaning itself is a good idea, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about when it comes to hiring a team of professionals. Surely you can clean it yourself?
Well, the answer is not easy. First of all, cleaning your roof involves being at a significant height, and without the right safety gear, that's a big risk. You need to have a sturdy ladder, safety rope, non-slip shoes, and a partner to help you out in order to make sure you stay safe.
Second of all, the cleaning processes themselves aren't suitable for amateurs. Pressure washing is a huge risk when it comes to DIY. Using something with such high-pressure outputs when you're not used to it could very easily be shocked by the force, causing you to slip and hurt yourself. In addition to that, pressure washing equipment is expensive and it can be hard to store.
Similarly, soft washing also uses specialist gear. The spray pump and the biodegradable treatment are essential for roof cleaning. Doing it yourself without the right chemicals or the right pump could lead to damage. Likewise, chemical roof cleaning needs to be done with the right chemical for your property.
If your roof is in need of some TLC, but you want to stay safe and make sure you do the job well, contact EMS Powerwash today for a free quote!
Fortunately, roof cleaning is not a weekly cleaning task! Your roof has been built and designed to withstand weathering, moss, algae and the rest of it. Generally speaking, it is good practice to clean your roof every 1 to 5 years. Exactly how often you should clean your roof does depend on a number of factors, such as:
If you're not sure whether your roof needs cleaning, take a look at your gutters or pop your head out to see whether the moss has taken over!
One of the biggest questions people ask is how much the process is going to cost. If you can't safely clean a roof yourself, how much will a roof cleaning service cost from a professional roof cleaning company like EMS Powerwash?
The answer is that roof cleaning costs will vary depending on a few things:
Explore further: How Much Does Roof Cleaning Cost
Different locations across the country have slightly different climates and atmospheric elements to consider when it comes to cleaning a roof. A roof in a damper part of the country will likely have more issues with moss and mould than other roofs and properties in big cities are likely to struggle more with atmospheric dirt and staining. Each of these things will take a different type of process to clean efficiently, meaning they will be charged differently.
Not every property is built with the same, easy-access roof. Some properties that EMS Powerwash is called out to have very limited roof access, making the job of roof cleaning that much harder. In these situations, some extra kit is needed to make sure that we can safely reach the roof.
Depending on what roof cleaning service your roof needs, your cost may vary. A chemical cleaning solution is a very quick job that requires minimal labour, for example, so it will cost a vastly different amount than a pressure washing job which requires multiple men and a power washer.
If you're not sure which method will be cheapest and the best for your roof, contact EMS Powerwash today.
This may seem obvious, but the bigger the roof, the bigger the cost. A larger roof takes more time, more product, and more men to clean, and as such it generally will cost more than other projects.
For a ballpark figure, you can take a look at the national average roof cleaning costs to help you determine whether you think roof cleaning is a good idea.
The national average costs are:
For soft washing, the national average cost is £12 to £16 per square metre.
For roof moss removal by hand and a biocide treatment, the average is £11.50 per square metre.
Pressure washing costs, on average, £8.50 per square metre.
For those interested in steam cleaning, it will cost an average of £11 per hour.
If your property requires scaffolding to be set up, you can expect the price to increase to at least £18 per square metre.