Roof Cleaning: Importance, Key Difficulties and Useful Tips

The roof is one of the most important structural elements of any building. Be it a private house, an apartment building or a commercial property. The main tasks of the roofs are protection from precipitation, temperature changes and other external and internal influences.

Like any structure and part of the house, the roof needs constant care and cleaning. With regular cleaning, you solve several issues at once: the aesthetics of the building, maintenance, safety and extension of service life.

Why Roof Cleaning Is Important

Roof cleaning is an important component of comprehensive building care. You can contact roof soft washing experts or do it yourself. The most important thing is to understand why it needs to be done.

• Prevention of destruction. Various contaminants accumulating on surfaces can retain moisture. This provokes wetting, ventilation disruption. As a result, wooden structures rot, metal elements rust. Gradually, this leads to deformations and destruction;
• Protection from leaks and floods. If the gutters and drains on the roof are clogged, water will not be able to flow off the roof, but will accumulate, penetrate into the seams and other vulnerable places. This leads to unacceptable consequences, including dampness, fungus and damage to the supporting structures;
• Extended service life. A clean roof lasts much longer than an unkempt one. Removing the extra load in the form of moisture, debris and mold, the structure maintains strength and tightness;
• Aesthetics and the price of real estate. Even the most expensive roof structures will look unaesthetic if there is debris and dirt. Cleaning is a way to maintain an attractive appearance. This is especially important if the house is for sale.

As you can see, there are a number of objective reasons to make roof cleaning a regular procedure.

Difficulties of Self-Roof Cleaning

Roof cleaning may seem like a fairly simple process. But this is only at first glance. In fact, if you decide to do it yourself, you may encounter some difficulties.

• High altitude. Working at height requires equipment and skills. Careless movement and lack of safety equipment can lead to falls and serious injuries;
• Fragility of materials. Not all elements of the roof structure are designed to withstand the load of the human body. Therefore, if the cleaning technique is violated, the surface can be easily damaged;
• The need for special equipment. You will need a set of a high ladder, a safety system, and a high-pressure device. Renting or buying them is expensive.

It is important not to forget that when cleaning the roof, particles of fungus, moss, mold, and chemicals can penetrate your body. Therefore, it is also necessary to use personal protective equipment and follow the rules for the disposal of drains and waste.

Why Roof Cleaning is a Task for Professionals

Objectively, the best solution is to entrust roof cleaning to professionals and experienced specialists. This can be easily explained by several reasons.

• Safety. Cleaning companies use safety systems and professional equipment. All personnel have the necessary experience and qualifications, strictly adhere to safety rules;
• Specialized equipment. Professionals have special inventory. This ensures fast, high-quality cleaning of any type of surface with a guarantee of protection against damage;
• Guaranteed result. Only experts in the field of roof cleaning can guarantee the result. They are able to get rid of visible debris, as well as eliminate problems that could penetrate the roofing and rafter system. And this significantly extends the service life;
• Saving time and effort. While you perform your duties, a team of specialists will bring your roof to an ideal look. Everyone does their job.

Therefore, roof cleaning is rightly considered a necessity. But it is objectively better to entrust such work to experienced and qualified specialists.

Regularity of Roof Cleaning

Many homeowners are interested in how often it is necessary to clean the roof surface. The frequency depends on many factors, including the type of roof, roof design features, the environmental situation in the region, seasonality, etc.

Experts recommend cleaning 1-2 times a year.

• Spring. After the snow melts, you can objectively assess the condition of the roof, remove all the debris that has accumulated during this period and ensure effective removal of excess moisture;
• Autumn. Before the cold weather sets in, it is recommended to thoroughly clean the drains and prepare the roof for winter. This is especially important if there are many trees near the house from which leaves will fall.

Unscheduled cleaning is carried out in cases where there has been a strong storm, hurricanes or other serious pollution has appeared.

Common Types of Pollution

Most often, homeowners encounter the following types of pollution:

• moss;
• lichen;
• fungus;
• mold;
• dust, soot and plaque;
• leaves;
• organic residues.

Each of these types of pollution has its own dangers and level of harm. Therefore, cleaning should always be thorough and aimed at comprehensively eliminating all problems.

Final Thoughts

You should not perceive roof cleaning as just a seasonal concern. This is a necessary measure to maintain the integrity of the entire building. Timely and high-quality care affects the service life, the level of comfort inside the house, as well as the safety of residents.

You can cope with such a task with your own hands. But it is difficult and potentially traumatic. Therefore, in most cases, the best solution is to contact specialized specialists.