Washing your roof…does a roof cleaning sound like a hassle? Being a homeowner, you take pride in keeping the place neat. You may even undertake DIY projects like painting a room or pressure washing your patio.
You might even decide to undertake a roof cleaning with the amount of information online, but it might be wiser to leave that up to our professionals. Aside from the safety issues, there’s a real risk of damaging your roof and structure beneath it.
Here are a few dos and don’ts of washing your own roof:
DON’T Take The Risk of Slips and Falls Washing Your Roof
Climbing onto the roof is not for the faint-hearted. Aside from moss, mold, and sharp edges, you’re high off the ground with few handholds. Add soapy cleaning materials and a pressure washer, and you have a recipe for disaster.
One misstep is enough to send you sliding down the slope of the roof and over the edge. The injuries would typically land you in the emergency room and could mean a long rehabilitation period. Placing your weight on the incorrect area could also lead to an ER visit, crashing through the roof, and hurting yourself or a family member.
You should also consider the issue of landing on certain items. Sliding off and crashing onto a car or visitor opens you to a liability claim. Your homeowner’s insurance may decline to pay it because you’re not a professional roofer.
If this doesn’t convince you that you need us, nothing will. Keep yourself and your family safe by entrusting the work to ClearView Home Services. Our technicians have the experience and the safety equipment to prevent accidents.
Washing Your Roof is Dangerous! DON’T Forget The Correct Safety Equipment
A stable ladder is the first step, but few people realize that it’s the trip down the rungs that’s more dangerous. You cannot see where to place your feet, and it’s easy to miss one. Wearing a hard-hat, shoes with excellent traction, gloves, and a safety harness all reduce your risk of hurting yourself.
DO Research and Know What You’re Doing
It’s easy to learn about building a coffee table online, but roof cleaning seems easy until you consider what can go wrong. You can buy a pressure washer at any hardware store to remove mildew, mold, moss, and algae, and clean the surface. However, you need to consider that:
- Water alone is not the most effective way of removing algae, mold, mildew, or moss. It doesn’t kill the spores, it merely redistributes them. For a proper clean, you must use a disinfectant.
- You may inadvertently blast off the waterproofing of an asphalt shingle or crack a tile with intense pressure. Soft washing or low-pressure washing techniques are the only way to avoid damage to your roof.
- Putting a foot wrong can dent or scratch metal roofs, making them unsightly.
- Incorrect cleaning products or methods may void the roofing manufacturer’s
- Your homeowners’ insurance may not pay for damage that you accidentally caused.
After careful consideration, you may want to leave this job to a professional roof cleaning company like ours. In the case of roof cleaning, DIY options won’t save you money, time, or effort.
DO Set Aside Enough Time
Cleaning the entire surface area will take time. You must first apply the cleaning solution and let it work. You’ll then need to wash away the residue and rinse the roofing materials thoroughly.
When you’re unaccustomed to the task, it’s also easy to miss a spot. While the roof’s wet, trouble spots aren’t immediately apparent, and when it dries, those areas will be much more noticeable after the clean.
Assuming that everything goes well, you’re looking at hours of work. If you factor in the time to find chemicals, rent the pressure washer, and other incidentals, you’ve lost a day or two.
If it does not go to plan, there are more serious implications for your health, the health of your loved ones, medical insurance, time off work, and expensive bills. You’ll then have to call in our professionals to repair the damages to your home and roof.
Short-circuit this cycle and call ClearView Home Services.
Call Us Today for all Your Roof Cleaning Needs
Reach out to ClearView Home Services by calling (604) 944-9972 to receive your free roof washing estimate. With over thirty years of experience in the Greater Vancouver area, our roofing professionals will provide you with sound advice and competitive pricing.
