Removing Moss And Other Growth
If you decide to take a DIY approach to clean moss off your roof, you need to take all proper safety precautions. Use a rubber footed safety ladder, and make sure you have someone to spot you. Always wear a helmet, and never walk on the roof of your house. Roofers use a safety harness and rubber-soled boots for traction. They may also install toe boards and roof brackets if necessary. If you cant address the problem from a ladder, you risk a severe injury that will cost a lot more than hiring a professional.
If you can reach the growth from a ladder, you can try following these steps, but be warythere are several ways you can cause damage to your roof in the process.
Rinse Off The Cleaning Solution
After youve sprayed your cleaning solution on the moss, its time to relax for a little while. Let the cleaner sit for about 20-45 minutes. While its sitting, the chemicals in the solution are killing it and loosening its grip on your roof. After that, you should lightly scrub with a soft-bristled brush and then rinse with plain water using a hose thats on a low-pressure setting.
Its normal if it doesnt immediately come off of your roof. It typically takes a few days for it to dry off and blow away with the wind. If your home still has a lot on it, you might even want to use a leaf blower after a few days to blow off the remains.
If Youre Still Thinking Should I Remove Moss From My Roof Consider This
Your home may be more at risk of moss germination if you live in a damp climate, like in Vancouver, or if your home is situated under trees. All it takes is for one spore to land and inhabit your roof for it to develop into moss and spread like wildfire. When it does, it can come with a slew of issues for your home.
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What If I Like The Moss
Some homeowners find moss enchanting, like ivy growing up the side of their home. If youd like to grow moss or other plants on your roof, you could consider investing in a residential green roof. Thin, extensive green roofs are enough to grow succulents and mosses. If youre interested in taller plants, consider an intensive green roof.
How To Remove Moss From Roof Tiles
Does your roof look far too green for your liking? Use the following methods, tools, and materials to eradicate moss from your roof.
The only greenery you should be able to see near your rooftop is the leaves growing off branches from surrounding trees. If you have moss growing on your roof, then its time to do something about it.
If you have moss growing on your roof, theres a high chance you have a north facing roof. A north facing roof usually has little sunlight, which enables moss to buildup on the roof. Moss can grow quite quickly, and it will grow in between roof tiles, filling in the voids and lifting up roof tiles and slates.
Moss growing under roof slate and tiles can push the slate out of position allowing rainwater to seep into the roof structure. When rain finds its way into the roofing structure thats when decay and rot sets in.
If you want to clean moss off a roof yourself, you will have to plan how you are going to kill the moss and remove it effectively. You will need to treat the roof to stop the moss from growing back.
Its recommended anyone cleaning moss off a roof should do it on a cloudy day. When applying roof cleaning products onto a roof on a hot sunny day, it will quickly evaporate, and you wont get the desired result.
Most roof cleaning products require at least 20 minutes for it to absorb into the moss. However, there is more than one way to remove moss from your roof tiles.
Roof Moss Treatments
How to Clean Moss from the Roof
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How To Prevent Moss On Roof
Happily, there are preventive measures you can use to keep your roof moss-free. First, let the sunshine in! Trim branches overhanging your roof, keep gutters free of debris, and regularly remove moisture collectors, such as leaves, branches, and seedpods, that pile up on the roof and encourage moss to grow. The best long-term solution? Attach strips of zinc or zinc-coated metal flashing strips just below a roof’s peak or ridge caps. When it rains, water flows over the metal strips leaching out moss-retardant zinc particles, which attach to roof shingles and/or tiles to stop new moss from forming.
Working safe, smart, and strategically guarantees your moss-removal operations will run smoothly. These prevention measures mean you’ll be able to stay off the ladder and roof for seasons, if not years, to come.
How To Prevent Moss From Growing On Your Roof
Whether youve recently removed moss or youre looking to stay ahead of the game, its important to know how to prevent moss on your roof. Fortunately, several doable steps can be taken to prevent it from growing on your roof in the first place. In the sections below, well discuss various ideas for moss prevention on a roof. There are also roofing professionals who will help homeowners in need if youd prefer to hire an expert. Now, lets take a look at what you can do to prevent it.
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How To Remove Moss Naturally
One of the most effective ways to remove moss from your roof without chemicals is to brush and scrape it away using handheld tools. There are a number of tools you can use, including a long-handled brush, scrapers or trowels. Be careful when working on top of your roof, and only walk on your roof tiles if necessary. Its important to be gentle when removing moss by hand, to avoid damaging the coating on your tiles. As with any other method, be sure to remove all remnants of moss before finishing, as moss can quickly anchor its way back into your roof and spread in a matter of days.
How Much Does It Cost To Remove Moss From A Roof
How much it will cost to remove the moss from your roof depends on a number of factors, including whether you need to hire a team of experts or you can do it yourself. If you can do it yourself, the materials youll need for the job are inexpensive. Many homeowners will probably already have most of the items, which include a spray bottle, chlorine bleach, a ladder, and a garden hose.
If you need to hire a professional, the cost will depend on the amount of moss, size of your roof, and the labor rates for your location. A rule of thumb suggests that getting moss removed professionally will cost about 5% of what it would cost for a full roof replacement.
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Why Shouldnt I Add A New Roof Over Moss
When you need a new roof, it may be tempting to add a second layer of shingles over your existing shingles. Doubling up your shingles can save time and expense on your roof replacement as your roofer doesnt need to remove and dispose of the old shingles. This strategy is convenient for homeowners because the replacement wont take as long or make as much of a mess. However, there are some circumstances where merely adding a new layer of shingles isnt a good idea.
For example, when you have significant moss growth on your roof, simply covering it up with new shingles isnt wise. Several potential problems may occur if your roofer simply adds a new roof over your existing, moss-covered roof. These potential problems include:
Roof Moss Removal: Cleaning Mold Algae & Moss From Your Roof
We don’t recommend trying to handle roof algae and moss removal on your own. We recommend hiring a professional.
If you are a DIY person capable of climbing a ladder and not afraid of heights, you may be able to tackle algae or moss removal yourself.
The safest method for your roof and the environment is to use a product called Spray and Forget or Wet and Forget. These products can be purchased at most local hardware stores, can be put into a hose-end sprayer, and applied in many cases from the ground or a ladder or the edge of the gutter. These methods can take 3-6 months to work but are the safest. Take some time to research these products before use.
Another more aggressive method for quicker results is the use of water and bleach. Below are the general steps for this method:
- Mix 1 part oxygen bleach cleaner with 1 part water.
- Pour the bucket of solution onto the affected area of the roof and let it soak for 30 minutes.
- For larger sections affected by algae or moss you could put this solution into a spray pump and apply. Be extremely careful not to step on wet algae or moss as it is very slippery and could cause a slip and fall!
- After 30 minutes, rinse the mixture off with your hose on a low-pressure setting. NEVER PRESSURE WASH YOUR ROOF. The moss won’t come off your roof immediately, but within a few days, it will dry up and blow off with the wind. If your roof is pretty well-covered in moss, you might need to use a leaf blower to get rid of the remains.
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Detergent And The Environment
A final word about using detergent to remove moss from your roof: that detergent has to go somewhere. Websites claiming that you can just sweep it off with a broom forget to mention that now you have detergent seeping into the greenspace and water system around your home. Modern detergents generally lack the phosphorus of decades past, but that doesnt mean theyre safe for the environment.
Would you drink a cup of water mixed with detergent? Of course not. You know its unhealthy and dangerous. So why would you sweep that same detergent onto the ground around your home?
Your best solution for removing moss from your roof is always to hire a professional. At Keeping It Clean, we use only environmentally safe cleaning products and the most advanced equipment in the industry to fully remove moss and algae down to the root without damaging your roof. Give us a call anytime or fill out the form below to set up a free appointment.
The Difference Between Moss Treatment And Moss Removal
It’s ideal to treat and remove moss as it is growing and thriving . If you treat your roof once a year, moss won’t grow beyond the point of routine maintenance. As a rule of thumb, seeing a tint of green on your roof means the moss is outgrowing the maintenance phase, and you may need a restoration plan to completely clear it off. The difference between restoration and maintenance as it relates to moss is whether youre treating the moss or removing it it’s also the factor which determines if you can do it yourself.
Moss treatment means killing the moss, which begins at the time of treatment. Moss treatment is the process of applying a solution that will kill moss over timetypically five to six weeks. When performed at regular intervals, moss treatment prevents moss growth, which often eliminates the need for moss removal. Think of it like you think about changing your car’s oil versus having to replace the engine.
Moss removal clears the moss at the time of service, by scraping the shingles. This will need to be followed with a moss treatment to prevent future growth. Today we are going to do both moss removal and moss treatment. We’d like to note that DAPrDAN doesn’t offer moss removal as a service, but we’re happy to recommend other vendors if you contact us at DAPrDAN.com.
One big thing to avoid: Dont use pressure washers on your roof. If you do, you’ll strip away the layer of sand and grit, which offers traction and is the protective layer of your roof.
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How Do I Get Rid Of Moss On My Roof Without Chemicals
To follow up on the previous section, there are some other strong substances that you can use, which are not considered artificial. For example, you can get rid of moss using a mixture of water and either Dawn Ultra dish soap or chlorine bleach. Again, though, you can easily substitute these products with white distilled vinegar.
Another Less Common Occurrence Is Moss
If you see green fuzzy stuff on your roof it is most likely moss. Moss loves cool, damp environments. If you have moss on your roof it will be commonly found on the North slopes in addition to overhanging treses or overhanging sections of the roof causing shade and allowing moisture to hang around and the moss to grow.
Moss spores can become airborne and make their way onto roofs via wind, birds, squirrels, and other small animals, in the same way that algae makes its way to your roof.
Once the moss spores land on a roof, they will gather in the spaces between shingles and eventually grow into thick spongy moss.
Algae is a term for a large group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. They are typically aquatic and lack the roots, stems, and leaves of other plants, though they still contain chlorophyllthe green pigments found in most plants. However, they are not plants but rather organisms also spread by spores, much like moss.
Mold is the result of algae left too long on a roof. Algae needs perpetual moisture to exist, so they grow best in humid areas. When algae keeps the roof damp for long enough, rot can set in, commonly leading to mold growing and spreading.
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Do Not Use A Pressure Washer To Remove Moss From Your Roof
When I noticed moss on my roof, my first instinct was to rent a pressure washer and blast it away.
After a few minutes of research, I quickly learned that you should never use a pressure washer to remove moss or anything else from your roof.
High water pressure can damage your roof by lifting and loosening shingles and washing away the granules, which are the tiny pebbles on each shingle.
Maintaining granules is important because, according to NolandsRoofing.com, they make shingles sturdier and fire-resistant and protect the asphalt coating from UV rays.
What To Avoid When Removing Moss From A Roof
There is a lot of bad advice when it comes to cleaning moss from roofs. The main concern about these methods is not that they dont clean the shingles properly, but they damage them as well. Using the incorrect method of cleaning could also void the limited warranty of the roof. It is always best to consult with a professional if you arent sure how to go about cleaning or repairing your roof.
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Should You Be Worried About Moss On Your Roof
Moss might give your home a touch of fairytale charm, but it can be an indicator of water damage or other roofing problems not what you need when youre looking to live happily ever after.
So what should you do if your roof becomes covered in moss, lichen, algae, or similar growths? Do you need to replace your roof entirely, or is there an easy way to safely remove the moss and restore your roof back to its previous state? Keep reading to find out.
Does Wet And Forget Really Work On Roofs
Roof cleaning can be made easier with a once a year, no-fuss application of Wet & Forget Outdoor Hose End. This outdoor cleaner is safe to use on virtually any type of roof and will help to keep your roof free of moss, mold, mildew, and algae all year long. To find a Wet & Forget retailer near you, click here.
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Option : Replace The Roof
Your first option for getting rid of moss is simply to have a professional roofing contractor replace the shingles. While this is the costliest measure, you might consider it if your roof is getting close to its life expectancy or has undergone considerable damage.
Algae- and moss-resistant shingles are available. These shingles, available from a number of manufacturers, have copper, zinc, or titanium-dioxide granules, which help inhibit the growth of algae and moss. However, while these shingles resist or relieve unwanted growth, their manufacturer warranties for resistance are far shorter than for the lifespan of the roof. As granules wash off over time, the ability of the roof to resist algae and moss growth diminishes.
Can Moss Damage Your Roof
So whats the big deal? A little moss cant cause any damage, right? Wrong.
A small amount of moss is harmless, but if its left untreated, it can cause significant damage and degrade the structural integrity of your roof.
As I mentioned before, moss typically grows in the cracks between each shingle. As it grows thicker, it lifts and loosens shingles and allows water to leak through.
Also, moss absorbs water when it rains and retains it for long periods, which can lead to mold, bacteria, and the decay of the roofs framing over time.
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