How to clean roof?

[farmerjohn1324]

Other than getting all the branches and leaves off...

I read that pressure washing is a bad idea, but what about rinsing with a hose?

Or should I just get the branches/leaves off and leave it at that?

 

[Gary]

Leaf blower might get most of it. If you use a hose, stand on the peak and spray down, so you don't force water up under the shingles or spray it up over the roof so it falls on the roof like rain would. Is this under a tree where rain water doesn't wash it off?

 

[tuffy]

You can get the branches and leaves off and RINCE it off with a garden hose no high or hard spraying.

 

[tuffy]

Gary your a faster typer when i first looked at this nobody had commented yet..:thbup:

 

[jeffmattero76]

I have put laundry bleach and a few drops of liquid dish detergent in a garden sprayer, and sprayed it on the roof. Do this from a ladder or from the ground, since the roof will get slippery. Let it sit for 15 minutes or so, and then rinse it off with a hose. You will be amazed at the results.

 

[joecaption]

This is going to be an ongoing issue until you get some of those trees cut back away from the house.

 

[Sparky617]

You can use a leaf blower to remove the debris. There is a wet and forget product you can use if you have a algae growth issue, usually a problem in the shade. A bleach solution can help, the dish detergent helps it stick to the shingles a little longer.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

I have put laundry bleach and a few drops of liquid dish detergent in a garden sprayer, and sprayed it on the roof. Do this from a ladder or from the ground, since the roof will get slippery. Let it sit for 15 minutes or so, and then rinse it off with a hose. You will be amazed at the results.

Do I dilute the bleach at all?

What proportions?

 

[jeffmattero76]

Do I dilute the bleach at all?

What proportions?

It depends on how bad the staining is. I typically mix 50/50 with a few drops of Dawn, spray it on, let it sit for 15 minutes or so, and then hose it off. For really bad areas, I have used a 90/10 mixture.

 

[oldognewtrick]

Always be careful of any chemical and use of water pressure when cleaning a roof, you will loose shingle granules and they are what protects the asphalt core of the shingle. You will shorten the life cycle of your roof by cleaning it.

 

[farmerjohn1324]

Always be careful of any chemical and use of water pressure when cleaning a roof, you will loose shingle granules and they are what protects the asphalt core of the shingle. You will shorten the life cycle of your roof by cleaning it.

Okay so now what? I'm back to square one.

 

[oldognewtrick]

Get the debris off with a blower starting at the top and point the blower down the roof so you don't break the seal strips. They sell a cleaner at the big box stores that doesn't require rinsing if you want to make it look better. Cut back overhanging vegetation and use a algae resistant shingle when the next roof goes on.