Do you think you would notice the difference between a clean roof and a dirty roof?
Bear with me for a moment, but quickly think about the last time you wanted something. Maybe it was a new car.
Did you all of a sudden start to see that car everywhere? That is because you had brought awareness to that particular make and model.
The same can be said for your home’s roof. If you were to look at your roof you might notice streaks and discoloration. However, once your roof has been soft-washed, you will be amazed at how clean it looks and you will certainly notice a difference.
But oftentimes we get asked, what exactly is a roof wash anyways?
Roof Washing 101
Exterior cleaning companies like Bright Exterior Cleaning are typically associated with “Power Washing.”
While we certainly do our fair share of power or pressure washing, we also employ a technique called soft washing which is the strategy we use to clean homes and roofs.
Simply put,
“Soft washing is a cleaning method that employs the use of low-pressure water and proprietary soap solutions (Typically compromising of soaps and surfactants) to safely remove mildew, stains, streaks, bird droppings, bacteria, algae and other organic buildups from roofs.”
However, while the process might seem simple (We also share step by step how we do it below) you might be wondering,
“Why should I have my roof washed?”
3 Reasons to Have Your Roof Soft Washed
1. Selling Home
If you’re someone who is selling their home, aside from the front door, believe it or not the roof serves an integral part in the appearance of your home.
Like the car, you might not always consciously notice a roof’s condition, but you will certainly notice a roof that looks brand new… and so will prospective buyers.
2. You’re Told You Need a New Roof
Sometimes you might be told your roof has some hail damage or you’re in need of a new roof. However, most roofs are designed to last 20 or so years.
It might just be that your roof has organic build-up or black streaks and stains from algae, and all your home really needs is a roof soft wash, not a roof replacement.
That being said – we will also always let you know if we find a soft spot on your roof and you need a roofing company to come to check it out, which leads to #3 below:
3. Get Someone on Your Roof
Lastly, it always good to get someone on your roof every couple of years to make sure everything is looking good.
This might seem silly, but having someone inspect your roof periodically is a good maintenance tip for homeowners. Additionally, the roof wash will chip away organic build up that can potentially weigh down shingles causing them to break off in storms.
Related: 3 Reasons To Clean Your Deck
Now that you know why you should have your roof washed, learn how we go about doing it!
The Bright Exterior Roof Wash Process
Step 1: Meet & Greet.
This is our favorite part! We like to always greet our homeowners as soon as we arrive and refresh them with what we will be doing.
This is when we identify any areas the homeowner might have questions about and we can also be made aware of things like security cameras or cables entering the home.
Step 2: Prep Equipment
After we meet the homeowner, we then stage the area and prepare for the roof wash.
The team at Bright Exterior led by Tyler will hook up their water supply, grave any needed equipment such as ladders, lay lines out and complete “Line prep.”
Once we have all the necessary equipment out, we then stage the home for the roof wash.
Step 3: “Staging” Your Home
Staging your home and preparing the surrounding area for a roof wash is vital when having exterior cleaning services completed at your home.
We take plant and landscaping protection very seriously so we start by applying a ground cover. Using Tyvek house wrap, cover the ground where we will be working as well as the landscaping to protect ornamentals from soaps and surfactants.
However, it is important to point out that we first water landscaping before covering so that all plants have nourishment while undercover during the roof wash process (We take this step very seriously if you couldn’t tell)
Additionally, we bag gutter downspouts for runoff so we can redirect where the water goes, or collect it and remove water debris from the soft wash.
Step 4: Roof Soft Wash
After prepping your home, we then start our roof wash process. We simply spray the roof, using low pressure and specialized solutions (A proprietary blend of soap, water, and a surfactant) to safely remove organic build-up, mildew, bacteria, algae, bird droppings, and stains your roof has collected over the years.
A typical roof wash can take 3-4 hours depending on the size of the roof!
Step 5: Let Mother Nature Do The Work!
Once the soap is applied, it is left to sit and dwell. Believe it or not, we do not rinse the roof.
In fact, the longer the soap stays on the roof, the longer it lasts. We simply let mother nature and rain slowly rinse the roof over time, renewing it for the next 3-5 years.
Step 6: Collect Equipment
As we clean each phase of a home’s roof, we simultaneously pull landscape covers and water plants. Our goal is to only keep plants undercover as little as needed for proper protection.
We clean our equipment up and make sure all protective covers are gathered and as we said earlier, we let mother nature do its thing!
You might be asking yourself why we water plants before and after a roof wash. Landscaping needs to be covered so that soaps do not get on the leaves, so we water them before covering to cool them off.
This creates a greenhouse effect once covered which keeps plants cool during the roof/home wash.
Additionally, we like to water the plants after we are done just to ensure that no soap was left behind on any landscaping!
How often should you have your roof washed?
We recommended having your roof soft washed every 3-5 years.
This really depends on the area around your home and additional factors such as its position towards the sun. For example, if your home has lots of trees around it, well then it might need to be cleaned more often (Same with those gutters).
If you’re approaching that 3-5 year mark or you’re simply not sure about the condition of your roof, feel free to reach out using the contact form below or right here.
~Tyler Bunch, Owner of Bright Exterior Cleaning