With the arrival of winter, the need for undertaking the roof cleaning has risen. Mould and lichen must have marked its presence on your roof if you haven’t cleaned it for a while. And due to this, you must be getting the foul smell of germs and animal droppings, which can be affecting your health. Also, winter can make the situation worse as it can turn out to be an enemy of your roof shingles. If you are going through all these circumstances, then my friend, roof cleaning is the only solution.
Regular cleaning of your roof will not only make your home look better but also increase the lifespan of your roof. Therefore, we have come up with five tips for roof cleaning to keep it in the best possible conditions. But, before we head into that, you need to know why roof cleaning is important.
Why you should clean your roof?
- Avoids algae and moss: Algae and moss thrives in humidity and spreads out, demolishing your roof. But you can prevent the destruction with regular cleaning of your roof.
- Removes stains and marks: Lichen, a slow-growing plant, makes their presence on surfaces like rocks, trees, and roofs where algae are susceptible. They put out their roots deep into composition decking, creating pockmarks and stains. But you can protect your home’s appearance by removing stains and marks.
- Exposes areas of damage: Your roof is prone to damage due to storms or other factors if you ignore inspection and cleaning. Furthermore, regular roof cleaning will enable you to get exposed to the areas of vandalism for repairs. It will help you to fix roof leak and other issues on time and save thousands of dollars down the road.
- Reduces mud accumulation in gutters: Mud, dirt, and debris built up on your roof can wind up in the sewerage, causing clogs and damaging the foundation. You can reduce the clogging of gutters by regularly removing these elements.
- Restores the roofing colour: If you thoroughly wash the roof, then it will help you to restore the colour of roofing tiles and shingles. Also, it will instantly improve your home’s curb appeal.
After knowing the perks of frequent cleaning of your roof, you must be thinking about how often you should be cleaning it? There’s no easy answer to it. It depends on several factors like weather, location, etc. which affects the condition of your roof.
Also, it is a hazardous task consisting of risks and injuries, so you need to execute it cautiously. Therefore, as promised before, we’ve jotted downfive tips to help you to clean your roof.
5 tips for cleaning the roof:
Tip #1: Deal with tree limbs
The first important thing on which you should keep an eye on is the tree limbs. Make sure it doesn’t touch your roof. If they do, then they can easily drag over the shingles, loosening its protective granules. Therefore, you need to cut the trees, which is close to your roof to avoid limbs touching it. Otherwise, it would severely lessen the lifespan of your roof.
Tip #2: Take care of leaves and pine needles
A few leaves and pine needles on your roof are not risky. But if it is in excess, then they can hold moisture, leading mildew to block gutters and put extra weight on your roof. Therefore, you need to take off the leaves and pine needles from your roof. For that, you can use a rake or air blower, but do take care of your roof’s shingles.
Tip #3: Keep an eye on the moss
You can reduce the moss growth by cutting the trees and removing the leaves. It will let the sunlight spread over your roof, reducing the moisture where moss flourishes. You can also buy chemicals from the market to get rid of it, but if you have a garden, it can damage your plants.
You can try out another solution of nailing zinc or copper strips to the ridgeline. Rain will wash over it, creating an environment where moss cannot grow.
Tip #4: Clean the mould
If you can see the discoloured marks on your roof, then that is the indication of the presence of mould, algae, and fungus. They can eat away your roofing materials, causing leaks. If destruction has already happened, then call the leaking roof repairs company in Melbourne to fix it. You can also kill the mould by applying chlorine bleach with a garden sprayer.
Tip #5: Save your gutter from being damaged
Its wintertime so heavy snow can damage your gutter, whereas leftover leaves and debris can clog them. Therefore, you need to make sure that water flows through your drainage system smoothly. Also, repair any loose nails, if required. Because when water and mould stay together in a clogged gutter, they attract pests, mosquitoes, and stinging wasps.
Additionally, due to clogging, winter snow can melt off your roof and fill your gutters with ice. You may even end up replacing the entire gutter system. Therefore, cleaning gutters on time will prolong its own as well as the roof’s life.
Conclusion: Give love to your roof!
Your roof is like your saviour as it protects you and your family from outside elements. And therefore, giving love to it of it is necessary. If you have no idea about how to clean it, better call a professional. But before choosing a pro, it’s vital to ask about their cleaning methods, chemicals, and how they’ll protect your surrounding surfaces. Roof cleaning reflect radiant heat from the sun thus make your home more energy efficient because your air unit will have to run less to maintain a comfortable temperature.
So, if you haven’t thought about your roof for a while, then without wasting any time, examine it and take precautionary steps.
