Tell Me Again: Why Is Roof Cleaning So Important?

If the exterior siding of your home is dirty and stained or has peeling paint, it just looks bad, all over. But you can’t stop at just power washing the exterior! You need to get gutters cleaned and repaired, the windows washed, the deck, porch, and walkways cleaned, and even the roof! 

As a homeowner, you know you are expected to keep your home looking clean and nice, and not just for appearances. Who wants to come home to a dirty house, inside or outside? Who wants to be the owner of the house that all the neighbors cringe at when they drive by it or cross the street when walking their dogs just to avoid getting close to it? And a clean roof is a part of all that too, which is why you should hire a professional roof cleaning service.

Just like a yard that hasn’t been mowed, or a house that needs painting, a dirty roof can ruin the curb appeal. And not only that, but the roof is getting damaged while you let those black stains and streaks stay. The need to clean your roof is so much more than just for looks. That money you spend on a professional roof cleaning service will be saving you money in the long run 

It’s the Dirt, Stains, and So Much More

The roof of your home is visible not only to people passing by but to the elements too. All-day, every day, the UV rays of the sun are beating down on it. It collects debris, dirt, and grime from birds, bugs and other small critters like squirrels, and the rain brings more debris and dirt with it, even though it may appear to be washing off dirt and debris. And then there are the dark stains, streaks, and green areas that appear. Those are coming from natural elements that are tricky like:

• Algae
• Fungus
• Lichen
• Moss

Algae – This has a fancy name, gloeocapsa magma, but its appearance is simple black spots and stains. It is a bacterium that eats the asphalt and limestone off your shingle roofing and thrives. And if your roof is shaded, it makes it a cool, moist environment that Algae loves. The more shade, the better for Algae. It not only will be eating away at your shingles but creating and harboring countless types of molds that keep spreading on your roof. A professional roof cleaning service will remove that algae, apply a protective product to delay, even keep it from coming back again.

Lichens – This is what algae and fungus make when they get together. It is a plant-like organism that branches out with tentacles that are root-like and penetrate the shingles deeps where the organic, oil base is found and that provides its nourishment so that it can keep growing and spreading. The experience, products, and tools that a professional roof cleaning service will provide will remove what is visible, and clean deep down into the shingles to stop it from spreading.

Moss – This is a plant, you may have planted some in your garden before. And while it may make a good plant in a flowerbed or a planter, on your roof, it is a vicious asphalt damaging bacteria. It has a shallow root system that requires moisture for survival, so the less sunlight, the better for moss. Any overhanging branches will give it that shade it needs and they will drop debris that feeds it. Along with algae, moss not only spreads on the roof, but it becomes airborne too and spreads throughout your neighborhood. So, not only is it important to clean your roof, but you need to keep the trees around your home trimmed back and off the rooftop. 

Not Just Dirty Looking But Wood Rot Too

When algae, fungus, lichen, and moss are left alone on the rooftop, they keep moisture with them, build higher up on top of themselves, and start diverting water, filling the gutter system, and then with nowhere else to go, the roof deck takes on wood rot and begins to leak. Moss will grow inside those holes and slots it has created between the shingles, and the water won’t evaporate, thus sits there decaying the roof even more. 

In Closing 

Hiring a roof cleaning service can clean all of these things off your roof. Not only will it look better, but when you consider the level of damage algae, fungus, lichen, and moss can cause, it is a money saver too!