Have you noticed that your roof looks uninviting? Leaves, branches, and other debris can collect on your roof and gutters, providing a breeding ground for mold, moss, and other potentially hazardous organisms. This means that it’s time for roof cleaning.
Maintaining a regular cleaning schedule for your roof is essential to safeguarding its integrity and the safety of your home and loved ones below. Installing a new roof is an enormous financial commitment that might run into the thousands. Cleaning and inspecting your roof regularly can significantly increase its lifespan and help you prevent expensive repairs down the road.
While you can clean your roof on your own, it is much safer to hire a professional roof cleaner who can also assist you with any necessary repairs. Hiring a professional guarantees that your roof is handled carefully. An amateur might not identify pre-existing roof issues, and high-pressure equipment might cause further damage. Save time and money in the long run by having a professional roofing contractor handle the job.
Roof cleaning is a crucial task that must be carefully executed. Read on for more details about how to clean your roof.
Check the Roof at Regular Intervals
Having a professional roof cleaner evaluate your roof for leaks, damaged shingles, or other warning signs of a failing roof can help you take preventative action before the problem escalates. You should also conduct your own routine checks as the seasons change or after significant storms.
Ensure to check for the following:
- Check for insects or animals that may have made your roof their home
- Regularly inspect the roof tiles and sheets for signs of deterioration or rust
- Check for moss and algae
- Look for leaks in the roof’s attic space
Locating Roof Leaks
Since seals, joints, and flashings are the most common locations for leaks, a skilled roof cleaner will know the areas to check. The ability to inspect your roof and determine whether or not it has been damaged is valuable in case of severe weather.
If you have access to your roof, check the flashing around the chimney and any vents for signs of bending, punctures, and dry or loose sealant. When you notice any problems with your roof, it’s essential to have a professional conduct an inspection before the small leak turns into a significant, costly disaster.
Roof Cleaning DIY: Remove Debris from Your Roof Regularly
You should remove leaves, sticks, and other debris that accumulate on your roof to prevent the growth of mold and moss. These can cause severe structural damage to the roof and the underlying wood.
Trim the Trees Around the House
Low-hanging branches from trees might significantly threaten your home’s safety. Besides the danger of limbs breaking off and falling on your roof, trees can gradually deteriorate and damage the surface of your roof. When a storm hits, the limbs of trees can sway and do a lot of damage.
Clean Your Gutters
Clogged gutters are a common cause of roofing leaks and interior damage. If the downspouts or any other part of the gutter system is blocked, the gutters will overflow. Water can seep up under the shingles and rot out the roof deck. Water can also deteriorate the edging and siding of your property.
Over time, rotting wood from gutters that don’t drain properly will cause the gutters to pull away from the house if they aren’t cleaned out. Clogged gutters can also lead to the following problems:
- Flooded lower floors and basements
- Erosion around the house’s base
- Painful damage to your property and gutters
Regular maintenance is essential if you want your roof to last for years, and gutter cleaning is a big part of that. Do you find that your gutters are clogged frequently? Consider using gutter guards.
Safety Considerations
It would be best to use a sturdy ladder for roof cleaning. The ladder will have to be tall enough. If you want to clean all of your roofs from the top of a ladder, even a 20-footer might not be long enough. Keep in mind that the greater the height of your ladder, the more risk you put yourself in.
Wear protective gear such as goggles, gloves, and a harness when cleaning your roof. Invest in high-quality protective gear to avoid injury while cleaning the roof.
Ensure to wear sturdy footwear when ascending to the roof to ensure that you don’t fall. Also, if your roof is extremely steep, you should buy a harness, which can help protect you if you ever fall.
Get a Professional Cleaner to Do the Job
Debris removal from your roof and gutters is an essential maintenance task, but high-pressure roof cleaning can cause significant harm if you don’t know how to treat the roof surface. Hiring a professional who knows how to use high-pressure water to clean roofs is crucial.
While pressure washing is ideal for intensive cleaning tasks, not all roofs or pressure washers are created equal. Using incorrect products, excessive products, or extreme pressure might harm your roof surfaces and, sometimes, nullify the warranty on your roof materials.
Hiring a professional pressure cleaner is essential, but you can use a low-pressure system if algae, mold, or filth have taken up residence on your roof. A trained expert will know what cleaning solutions to employ and how much pressure to apply to avoid damaging your roof.
How Frequently Should You Clean Your Roof?
It would be best to consider professional roof cleaning every 18 to 36 months. However, the actual frequency is dependent on various meteorological factors. Mold, lichen, and moss thrive in damp environments like in cities prone to flooding. Keep an eye out for hail, which may significantly damage some roofs.
As Greenville, South Carolina’s leading roof cleaning service, we frequently encounter properties surrounded by dense vegetation, making them vulnerable to debris like leaves, branches, and rodents. These make it necessary to conduct regular roof inspections.
Roof cleaning isn’t the most exciting task, but if you keep up with it, your roof will last for decades, and you’ll save money on costly repairs or replacements. If you are concerned that it may be time to inspect your roof, please get in touch with Greenville Roofing. Our roof cleaning service includes guidance on how often you should inspect and repair your roof.
Contact us today by calling (864) 416-4166 for professional roof cleaning services.