Need your roof cleaning and want the best possible way to do it? Why not look into pressure washing? In this article, we’re going to talk about the many benefits of pressure washing your roof and how to do this safely. We’ll also look at the other types of methods that can be used. So, if you’re thinking of pressure washing your roof then this is the article for you.
It’s important to take care of your roof at home to protect yourself, your property and ensure its longevity. It also makes it a lot easier to keep on top of it if you regularly wash it and keep it maintained which ensures it will always look nice.
To help make sure you’re getting the best out of your roof tiles, we’ve included a lot of useful information which we’ve detailed below.
Contents Page
• The Benefits of Pressure Washing
• How to Pressure Wash Your Roof
• Why Choose Pressure Washing? A Comparison to Other Methods
• Summary
The Benefits of Pressure Washing
Pressure washing offers a lot of benefits for your roof besides the standard clean look you’ll get. We’ve included a list of benefits you can expect from pressure washing your roof.
Roof Longevity
By pressure washing your roof, it helps to preserve the tiles which means you effectively save money as they live longer. Over the years, things such as debris and mould can build up on your roof tiles and this can lead to discolouration and problems with the water collecting. By having it washed with a pressure washer means that this is prevented and cleans anything off that is not wanted there. This helps to prolong the roof life to save you having it replaced which then helps you save money in the long term. We’re sure you’d rather pay out to have your roof cleaned, rather than having to pay for a roof to be fixed or replaced!
A Healthy Home
As said before, algae and mould can build up on your roof tiles and into your loft space. This can cause health concerns to those living in the house as some may have allergies and can also be harmful to pets. A pile-up of things such as leaves, dust and dirt can attract insects and rodents into your home and deteriorate the roof. This can be a concern to the house and those living there and cause a lot of damage. It’s important to keep on top of cleaning your roof to prevent things like this from happening and ensuring that it is kept clean and tidy. This also prevents any health risks to your family and any unwanted insects and rodents from coming into your house. The insects will live in the debris and mould and if this damages the roof, it gives them an easy way into the house. This is why it’s important to remove anything like this from your roof, nobody wants to harm their family or end up living with insects!
Energy Saving
If your roof is in bad condition and either needs repairs or a good clean, then this will increase your energy bills. If the roof area is clear and clean then the sun can reflect off of it and keep the house cooler, which in turn helps to save on heating and energy bills throughout the year. If you were to regularly clean it you’ll not only are you looking after your roof but saving money on bills in the future. This then outweighs the cost of having your roof cleaned as you are helping the roof to stay safe and live longer and also saving on your energy bills.
Improving the Appearance
There’s nothing worse than having a nice home that is ruined by the appearance of the roof and a build-up of materials on it. This can make it look dirty, discoloured and not well maintained. By pressure washing your roof, you can manage it better and keep it in a more pristine condition. Not only does this make the house look nicer, but it can also be a benefit when it comes to selling the house. Just think, if you wanted to brighten up your rooms and make them like new again, you would redecorate, so why not do that to your roof? So, not only would you be helping your roof by cleaning it, but it would make your home look nice from the outside and passers-by.
Insurance
When washing your roof, you may find that you come across some problems. This is good as you have identified them early before they turn into a bigger problem and can be repaired sooner. This can benefit on your home insurance as you are ensuring that you are looking after your house and making sure it is safe to live in. If you were to leave the problems and cause further damage to your house, not only are you putting everyone at risk but this could cost a lot of money to fix again. Any problems that are found must be examined and fixed as soon as possible.
These are just a few of the benefits that you can gain from roof washing with a pressure washer. Not only do they improve the roof life, appearance and effectively help you save money but it also gives the roof a proper clean to get rid of anything unwanted on there.
How to Pressure Wash a Roof
If pressure washing is something that you’re interested in after reading about the great benefits of it, then keep on reading. We’re now going to talk about how you can pressure wash your roof, however, you can hire a professional for this which would be advised.
This is something that can be done professionally, however, it can be done by yourself. If you do choose to do it yourself then you need to make sure this is safe for you to do and always make sure there is someone else there with you. All you will need for this is a ladder, pressure washer and some cleaner. Even though this is something that you can do yourself, we would advise hiring someone to do this as it is a lot safer to get a professional in to do it. This also ensures that if there are any problems areas on your roof, the professionals will be able to point these out and advise on what to do.
So here are the few steps on pressure washing your roof but always get the best advice from professionals before attempting this yourself. The first thing to think about is not trapping yourself in a corner whilst on a roof so make sure once you have climbed up onto the roof, you walk to the other end and then work your way back towards the ladder. This also means you’ll prevent going into any wet areas on the roof, so makes it a lot safer.
Preparing the Roof
Once you’re on the roof, make sure to inspect it for any problem areas or repairs that may be needed. If you do this before cleaning then it saves time as you already know if there are any problem areas.
Start the cleaning process by using a detergent to loosen the algae, moss and dirt from the roof tiles. By removing this, it makes it a lot easier to clean them. Allow for it to sit for a while with the detergent on before cleaning off, the trick is to try and clean them as much as possible now, before beginning the pressure washing.
Pressure Washing the Roof
Now that you’ve cleaned the tiles and got any unwanted materials off, you can now start with the pressure washer. Make sure that you start this off on a low power setting to prevent any damage being caused to the tiles. Start with it at low power and you can gradually adjust this until you find the right one for cleaning with. One important thing to remember when it comes to washing the roof is to spray down, rather than up. By spraying down the tiles, you can ensure that the water runs down and off of them. Whereas, if you were to spray upon them, the water can get trapped under them and then cause mould in the future.
Make your way around the roof spraying the tiles and you will start to see the dirt come off them. If you find that there is an area that needs more pressure on it, don’t adjust the power setting but instead add more cleaner to it. The best way to clean your roof and not cause any damage is to make sure you clean it well before using the pressure washer to wash it all away.
Hiring a Professional
However, if this is something that you feel that you don’t want to do yourself as it can be quite dangerous, then there are lots of professionals that can do this for. They will have all the correct and safe equipment to do this and it saves you from putting yourself at risk. As they are professionals, they have more knowledge on what to do so you may find that you get a better result from it. Although this might cost you more than doing it yourself, it is safer and as they are experts at it, you might see better results. Another benefit of getting a professional in is that if any areas might be causing a problem or have a build-up of water etc. then they can advise you on this and what needs to be done to prevent it becoming a bigger problem. This might be something that you don’t spot yourself or realise is an actual problem. This will also help to save you money in the future as you will be taking care of your roof.
Why Choose Pressure Washing? A Comparison to Other Methods
We’re now going to talk about some of the other different methods that can be used for roof cleaning and why pressure washing is the best option out of them all. There are many different methods for this and each has its pros and cons, which is what we’re going to discuss. As mentioned before, most of these can be done yourself but we would advise that you get a professional to do it to ensure your own safety and to guarantee great results.
Chemicals and Scraping
The first method that we will be comparing is the use of chemicals and scraping. This is a gentle and effective way of removing moss and cleaning the roof. This method involves using a trowel to remove the moss and then using a chemical cleaner. By using the chemicals, it can help to prevent moss from growing back in the future which can help to save your roof. Although this method seems simpler and easier, it doesn’t give the roof as much of a clean as a pressure washer would. This mainly focuses on the removal of moss and not cleaning the tiles. A pressure washer would remove this and also clean the tiles at the same time, so it’s a job done all in one!
Chemical Application
Another method is using chemicals by spraying them onto the roof, waiting for it to dry and then re-applying several times. This is a cheaper method as it is a bleaching chemical that is just used to spray on. However, the problem with this is that it can be strong and pose harm to people, pets and even your garden. Although this is a cheaper way of doing it, it may be quite a time-consuming process as you have to keep reapplying it to clean the roof. It is also a much bigger risk to your health and those living there so may not be worth it. Therefore, this method isn’t the best, although it can be cheaper, it can cause a lot of harm. When comparing this to the pressure washer method, you can see that the washer is a lot safer as it has no harm on your yourself, those living in the house and the property itself. Overall, it is a lot safer and works better to clean the roof.
Roof Blowing
Roof blowing is another method used where you can use a lead or air blower to remove the debris from the roof. This can be a quick job and isn’t very expensive either. The problem with this is that it just blows anything off that is sitting on the roof and not actually cleaning the tiles. This doesn’t remove any underlying problems or properly clean the roof as a pressure washer would. The mould and debris are still on the roof and eating away at it as this isn’t properly removed, therefore nothing has been fixed or cleaned by doing this; you are just removing the materials that can be blown away. This can then lead to problems in the future with your roof.
If the mould and grim remains there, eating away at the roof and causing damage, then it is likely that this will cause a bigger problem in the future and cost you a lot more to get it fixed and safe again. In comparison to the pressure washing method, you can see that the pressure washer cleans the roof better and any problems can be found whilst doing this. With the roof blowing method, you essentially just blowing anything off of the roof and not cleaning or finding any problems whilst doing so.
Zinc Oxide
Another approach to roof cleaning is by using Zinc Oxide which can be used in powder form to spread over the roof. The metal is toxic to algae, moss and other materials living on the roof and it works by killing these off. The rainwater can then wash it away into the gutters. This is a good method for killing any unwanted plants on your roof to prevent any damage in the future. It is also quite an easy method as not much is required but as you are handling chemicals, it may pose a harm to yourself and others. However, there is a problem if it doesn’t rain or the wind blows the powder away and by reapplying this to your roof can cause more damage.
If it doesn’t wash away then it will just sit on the roof and can cause further damage as it will just sit there. There is also the problem of if the powder blows off and onto your garden, this can cause damage to your garden but then also means that it hasn’t done anything to roof. As said before, it can cause more damage if you were to reapply it so this may not always work the best. Although it is good for killing off any unwanted plants, it also doesn’t properly clean the roof tiles and it’s unlikely that any problems with the roof will be found when using this method. The problem with that is that if there is a problem with the roof, this must be found and fixed as soon as possible to prevent further damage and help to keep the roof lasting as long as possible. By using the pressure washing method, you can ensure that all the plants and materials are removed from the roof, clean it and also check for any problem areas. So, when comparing the two methods, the pressure washing seems a lot more effective and better for the more money.
Summary of Comparison
So from this discussion, you can see what other methods there are available when it comes to roof cleaning. Some may be more suitable for your needs, however, if you are wanting to remove materials from the roof and actually clean it, then pressure washing is a great method in comparison. With the pressure washing method, low power of pressure is used to clean any dirt, mould and debris from the roof tiles. Whilst doing this, they may also use a cleaner on the tiles to give them an extra clean and shine. With this method, as they will be working their way around the roof cleaning it, they can also examine the roof to check for any problem areas or damage that might already exist. If they do find something, they will be able to recommend what it is and how it can be resolved. So, will they examine your roof to make sure it’s as safe as possible but you will get a good clean out of it as well. All of that in one, how can you say no?
Summary
In this article, we have spoken about the benefits of cleaning your roof which can result in your protecting yourself and your home and also saving money in the long term. It’s so important to always look after your house and protect those living in it, so that’s why it’s important to maintain your roof. If you were to leave the roof with no treatment or care, then eventually this could cause a lot of damage to it and cause harm to yourself and others. It’s also nice to look at a house with a nice appearance and this can be done by maintaining and cleaning the roof. It’s just like when you redecorate your house to make it look a bit nicer, brighter and new, you’re doing the exact same thing but instead to the roof.
If you’re thinking that roof cleaning is something that you want for your home to refresh the appearance of your house and check for any damage, then we would advise that you get a professional to do this. Although the methods can be done by yourself, it is much safer to get a professional who knows exactly what they’re doing and what to look for to do the job for you. Even if it means paying out to get someone to do it, you are effectively saving money by maintaining it for the future.
In summary, this article includes the benefits of pressure washing, how to do it and the comparison of it to other roof cleaning methods. Hopefully, this will help you to decide exactly what it is you’re after and also give you some better knowledge on how you and your home can benefit from it. The pressure washing method is a quick and easy job that gets it all done in one!
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