How to clean your own roof
Roofs are an important part of any building. It is a support for the walls of the building. It is also necessary as it safeguards from the rain, snowfall, cyclones, tornadoes and other such natural processes. As a human being, we need food for survival. Same is the case with the roofs. They protect living beings from every thunderstorm and other happenings. In order to increase the life of the roof, they require maintenance such as cleaning.
Methods for cleaning roofs
Cleaning is a key factor which can help in increasing the durability of the roofs. There are different kinds of materials used for making the roofs. Each material is cleaned by using different techniques and methods.
Constraint Cleaning
Roof cleaning is a necessary ritual. Cleaning with pressure tool can help clean the roof thoroughly as well as it removes all the algae’s and moths present on the rooftop. Some organizations selling roofs tell the customer at the time of purchase that it should be cleaned with low constraint. As high constraint cleaning may damage the roof. It is also not sure that the low constraint cleaning won’t damage the roof. However one should carefully clean the roof laps. Pressure cleaning costs vary from place to place. It costs from two hundred and fifty dollars to a thousand dollars for a standard home.
Types of Roofs
There are many different types of roofs which are cleaned by using one way or another. It depends on what type of roof one get for himself.
Asphalt Shingles
One can clean the algae and other dirt particles from the Asphalt shingles roof by pressure cleaning. Pressure cleaning can also cause damage to the Asphalt shingle roof. Another way of cleaning such roof is by making a mixture of liquid detergent used in laundry, a bleach containing chlorine and an equal amount of water. After the mixture is made one can spread over the mixture on to the roof and give it ample time to settle on the roof and after that, it can be washed off with water.
Metal Roofs
The metal roofs can be cleaned by washing them with high pressure of water and a mild detergent at the same time. In order to clean the roof shingles with a certain procedure, one has to mix one-third cup of any fine particles cleansing agent with a quarter beaker of bleach and some part of water. After the mixture is made it can be applied onto the roof by the help of a brush or another cleaning tool which can reach to all parts of the dirty or pretentious roof. Let the mixture stay on the roof for some time and after that scratch the roof by making sure that all the molds have been removed and then lastly wash it with a good amount of water. In case if the metal roof is electrified, one has to implement other ways of cleaning like one has to mix soap which is particularly used for dishwashing in the tub of hot water. After that one has to carefully scrub the roof surface with the help of a brush and then wash it with water.
The most important step in this is that after washing the roof with water, one has to dry the damp roof with the help of a fluffy cloth. Another way of cleaning the galvanized metal roof is by making a mixture of concentrated vinegar and water. All one has to do is apply the mixture onto the roof with the help of any cloth or spray it with the spray bottle. Once the mixture is applied than one can easily rub it off with the help of a cloth.
Stone-covered roofs
Roofs need to be cleaned as there are many different factors causing dirt on their surface. Stones coated roofs can be cleaned by the lesser water pressure as it is always a risk that washing such roofs with high-pressure water can damage the roof and roof may start breaking. One can use mold and algae cleaning washers in order to clean such types of roofs. One should not wash the roof with a mixture which has copper infused in it as it can harm the roof material.
The other types of roof is a slate roof. A slate roof can be cleaned and protected from the algae’s and molds by using some specific mixtures. For cleaning the roof as a whole, all one has to do is mix a house cleaning detergent into some water then scrub it with some brush or another cleaning tool. Then leftover dirt particles can be cleaned by using an orchard hosepipe. One other way of removing algae from the surface is mix bleach into the water and scrub it over the roof with the help of some cloth or cleaning tool after scrubbing and making sure that algae have been spotlessly cleaned one can wash the whole surface with the cold water.
Concrete Roofs
Algae and molds are the major things that make a concrete roof look bad and full of stains. These roofs can be cleaned with low pressure of water. Well for cleaning the concrete roof one has should be safe so he cannot slip from the roof and should also use eye protection glasses. After this one can safely clean the roof with the help of only water, as spraying water with a little pressure may help in taking off the rubbish and other environmentally caused pollutants. After that one can go for a chemical wash but before going for a chemical wash, one should dry the damped rooftop. After this one can spread the chemical over the roof as it might help in disinfecting the molds, algae’s and other plants that grow on the roofs. The best way is to leave the chemical on the roof for some time and then clean it with a little higher pressure of water.
In Awe Roofing Limited is an Award-Winning, family owned and operated Vancouver Roofing Contractor with over 17 years of roofing experience. We serve the entire Lower Mainland area, from Whistler to Chilliwack, employing a team of professional staff members. Our team has won numerous awards including Best of Homestars for the last five years, and Three Best Rated six years in a row. Learn more
