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Cleaning the roof of your home is an important part of your home maintenance regime. Your roof is a key feature of your home, after all. It protects you and your family from natural elements, and a nice roof can increase the overall aesthetic and value of your home, too. Performing a roof wash and routine cleaning are great preventative measures for heading off mold on roofs.
When it comes to cleaning your roof yourself or hiring a roof cleaning service, you may be wondering how to clean a roof and if there is a preferred time of year to clean it.
Below, we’ll answer our most frequently asked questions about roof cleaning.
1) Why Do I Need to Clean My Roof?
The biggest reason to perform a roof wash is to prevent the growth of moss, algae, and mold on the roof. Removing mold from your roof is important because it can create health problems, is hard to remove if left for too long, and attracts rodents and insects that can wreak havoc on your roof. Cleaning your roof also allows you to perform an inspection to see if you have any new damage. This routine maintenance also increases the curb appeal of your home, prolongs your roof’s life, saves you money on energy, and keeps the warranty of your roof active.
2) How Often Does Your Roof Need to Be Cleaned?
You should hire a roof cleaning service to professionally clean your roof once a year. This is frequent enough that if you have a problem develop on your roof, your local roofing company can catch it early on and prevent the problem from getting worse. We also suggest cleaning your roof after every major storm. You won’t need to do a roof wash every time, but it’s important to remove loose debris, like tree branches or trash, that may have accumulated on your roof during bad weather. Debris left on your roof can rip shingles off, causing damage that can lead to roof leaks.
3) When Is the Best Time of Year to Clean Your Roof?
We always recommend that homeowners add a roof wash to their spring-cleaning routine! Spring is the best time to clean your roof because the temperature is perfect. If you wait until the summer, the higher temps can cause your cleaning agents to evaporate before they’ve done their job. If you clean too early and it’s cold outside, you can cause ice buildup on your roof. We suggest waiting until April or May to clean your roof in Atlanta because March is typically our rainiest month, and April and May have ideal temperatures for cleaning. October is another alternative for cleaning your roof in Atlanta because it’s the driest month. Waiting until after the summer allows you to check for mold on your roof and clear it away if any grew over the summer.
4) Can You Tell Me How to Clean A Roof?
We always suggest hiring a professional roof cleaning service as opposed to cleaning your roof yourself. Professional roofers are trained to be on roofs all day long, so it’s safer for them to be on your roof than it is for you. They know the best way to perform a roof wash without damaging your shingles and other roofing materials, and they’ll be able to inspect your roof while cleaning it. However, there are a few things you can do to prepare for a roof wash.
- Clean out your gutters.
- Check for loose debris on your roof.
- Trim trees and branches near your home.
If you want to perform a simple roof wash yourself while waiting on a roof cleaning service, you can do so by creating a cleaner for use in a garden hose sprayer that consists of 1 cup of bleach, and 1 cup of laundry detergent, and 1 gallon of water. Start at the bottom of your roof and spray upwards. Once you have the whole roof covered in your cleaning solution, use the sprayer with just water to gently wash the solution away.
Maintaining your roof is one of the best things you can do to prevent mold on the roof, prolong the life of your roofing system, and prevent damage and decay. If you need a roof cleaning service in Atlanta, contact our expert team at Findlay Roofing.
