A clean roof keeps your home looking its best
Cleaning a roof extends the life span of the materials.
A downside to cleaning your roof is the possibility of a fall.
Most people should hire a professional to clean the roof.
Professional roof cleanings cost $450 on average.
Replacing your home's roof is an expensive endeavor, so you want to keep it in great shape as long as possible. Regular roof cleanings can help it last long and perform well. Advantages to cleaning the roof include expanding the life span of the materials, improving the roof’s aesthetics, and keeping damaging pests away. However, roof cleaning has disadvantages, too, such as the danger of a fall if you’re trying to do the work yourself. Learn more about the pros and cons of roof cleaning.
Learning how to clean roof shingles involves climbing on the roof and washing the shingles or other roofing materials. You’ll often use a cleaning solution and a sprayer to start the cleaning process. You may need to scrub stubborn stains with a gentle brush. You’ll have to rinse everything with water from a garden hose afterward.
Because of the danger of falling off the roof while doing this challenging work, many people let a professional handle the cleaning.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Longer roof life span | Damage to the roof |
| Better looking roof | Danger of falling |
| Maintain a warranty | Cost of hiring a pro |
| Keep pests at bay | Harm to plants |
When considering the pros and cons of roof cleaning, the primary advantages focus on helping you save money over the long run.
When you clean the roof materials more often, they should last longer. When left in place, moss and algae could prematurely wear down the materials by allowing excess moisture to collect and linger. A worn roof could end up leaking, causing expensive damage inside the home.
By increasing the life span of the roof materials, you can go longer before needing to do roof repairs and replacements, which will save you money in the long run.
A clean roof simply looks nice, which makes you feel better about your home's condition. Additionally, you may need to clean the roof regularly to comply with your homeowners association (HOA), if you have one.
If you are selling the home, a clean roof improves the curb appeal and could help you receive a little more money from the home sale.
If you recently had a roof replacement or repair done, you likely need to clean the roof regularly to maintain your warranty. If you allow moss and algae to accumulate on the roof and then have a problem with the materials, the roofer may refuse to do the repairs under warranty.
When your roof constantly has debris, moss, and algae, it could draw pests of all kinds. When debris or moss traps moisture on the roof, insects appear in the area. This could draw birds and rodents, which will leave droppings as they feed on the insects.
Birds and rodents may try to build nests out of sticks and leaves piled up on the roof. They could damage the roof materials, flashing, soffits, or other parts of the roof and home while building nests.
The disadvantages of roof cleaning primarily focus on the difficulty of doing the work yourself and the potential for causing unintended damage.
When considering the pros and cons of roof cleaning, there are several advantages. However, one of the biggest disadvantages is the potential for damage to the roof materials.
A pressure washer could loosen shingles if it has too much power.
When you are walking on the roof, you could damage decking or shingles.
If you use the wrong cleaning solution, you could damage the materials.
A professional roof cleaning service will know how to greatly reduce the risk of causing damage.
If you are working off the ground on a ladder or while climbing on the roof, you run the risk of falling from height. Such falls could cause severe injuries and put your long-term health at risk. Very few people own the safety gear necessary to work on a roof, so you have an extra expense to buy safety gear before you can start.
The risk of a fall is the primary reason people hire professionals to clean their roofs.
Although it’s smart to hire a pro to clean your roof, the cost can be significant. The average cost to hire a pro to clean your roof is $450, which is far more expensive than trying to do the work yourself.
However, paying the pro is also far safer. Most novice DIY-ers should not climb on or stand on a roof for a few hours of work. Additionally, the pro already owns the necessary safety equipment and knows how to use it properly.
If you have flower beds, bushes, or other sensitive plants around the perimeter of your home, you need to be cautious when cleaning the roof. Some cleaning solutions you use on the roof could harm these plants if the chemicals fall on them.
Most of the water and cleaning solution you use on the roof will end up in the gutter. However, roof cleaning usually results in some splashing, which could hit the plants. You’ll want to cover any nearby plants with a tarp to protect them while you work.
If you don’t want to climb on your roof or pay a professional to clean it, you have some alternative options.
Cleaning spray: Some cleaning sprays have a design that allows you to spray them on the roof and leave them in place. There’s no need for close-up scrubbing or rinsing. You can apply these cleaning sprays from a step ladder or the ground.
Ionic pressure washing pole: You can use an ionic pressure washing pole, also called a roof wand, to wash the roof materials from the ground or from a step ladder. This is a long pole through which you can feed water or attach a garden hose. The pole provides leverage as you wash and clean the roof.
Roof rake: You can pull sticks, leaves, and other debris from the surface of the roof with a roof rake attached to an extension pole while you stand on a step ladder.
Zinc strips: You could have a professional install zinc strips at the peak of the roof. During rain, the zinc particles flow across the roof materials and prevent moss from growing.
Although you can technically clean your roof yourself, this is not a job most people should attempt. You need quite a bit of safety gear, including a safety harness, to minimize the risk of a fall while working on the roof. The roof will be wet as you’re cleaning, potentially making it slippery. If you don’t already own ladders and safety gear, you’ll have significant upfront expenses.
It’s smarter to reach out to a local roof cleaning company to request a price quote for the job. Most professional roof cleanings cost $300 to $620, or $450 on average.
Having your roof cleaned can be worth it because it improves the life span of the materials on the roof. You won’t have to pay a roof replacement cost as often when you clean the roof regularly.
An improper DIY roof cleaning could cause leaks by damaging the roofing material. Things like using too much water pressure on the shingles or applying a harsh cleaning solution could cause damage. If you do enough damage, you could harm the ability of the shingles or other roof materials to keep water out of your home.
A green roof is a roof design that includes a thin layer of vegetation on the roof surface. It’s an environmentally friendly option. Some green roofs may look like they have moss or algae on them, causing neighbors to suggest that you clean the roof. However, you should never try to clean a green roof, as any cleaning methods you deploy will likely kill the vegetation.
