Is Roof cleaning necessary?
 
If you look around your local areas you will find 80-90% of homes roofs are covered in unsightly moss and algae.
Not only does this look unpleasant to the eye heavy moss growth on the roof can cause damage to your roof over time.
The moss acts like a sponge soaking up the moisture in the air and rainwater.
When the moss then freezes, it expands on the surface which can then lead to cracking in your roofs pointing, lifting of tiles. We have also seen moss eat its way into tiles leading to the surface becoming defaced.
 
How do you clean a roof?
 
The most common ways to clean a roof are either by pressure washing the roof or a gentler approach is soft washing the roof.
 
Pressure washing the roof is carried out via accessing the roof by either using access equipment such as a MEWP (cherry picker) or using rope access and roofing ladders. If the roof is fully accessible some pressure washing the roof can be carried out from a portable scaffold tower and telescopic lances.
 

As you can see in the video using the correct pressure the roof tiles were not damaged at all.
 
Soft washing the roof is even less harsh as the whole roof cleaning process is carried out using no pressure whatsoever. The moss is removed by handheld tools and the treatment are applied via low-pressure sprayers.
 
How much does it cost to have a roof cleaned?
 
Every roof is different and there are many factors to take into account when pricing a roof clean.
 
When a company comes to quote your roof clean will take into consideration the size of the roof, the amount of moss present on the tiles, access to the roof, tile type and so on.
 
So, it’s not just as easy as saying roof cleaning cost X amount.
 
A guide price for your roof to be cleaned via pressure washing after speaking with many roof cleaning company’s across the UK we found vary from £8-15 per sq.m.
 
To receive an accurate quote a professional roof cleaning company would need to visit the property so they can fully see the roofs access, soiling, size etc…
 
How much does it cost to remove moss from a roof?
 
Soft washing or removing the moss from a roof is usually a cheaper option than pressure washing.
The thing you need to ensure when having your roof soft washed is to find out exactly what product the company will be applying to your roof to after the moss has been removed.
The biocide treatment is what will kill all biofilm and protect your roof from any new regrowth so using a top-quality treatment is essential to ensure you get the best results possible.
The average price for roof moss removal and soft washing a roof we found to be in between the price range of £5-12 per sq.m so on some occasions can be half the price of pressure washing a roof.

Bright Roof not only offer a Roof Cleaning Service but also a Roof Repair Service too, so if you are looking for a local roofer to carry out some roof repairs in Wolverhampton, we are your answer!
 
Below are just a few of the Roof Repairs we offer

• Chimney Flaunching
• Repointing
• Tile Replacements

 
Our team have many years of experience and are skilled professionals that will leave you with full peace of mind.
 
This week we got called out to a roof that was leaking into the customers home and causing damp issues within her bedroom and bathroom. Below you can see some photos taken before and after we carried out the repairs.

Upon arrival the team carried out a full roof survey which bought not only 1 problem to light but THREE!!
 
Problem 1: The ridge tiles has either little or no pointing at all allowing water to seep through the gaps and into the customers home.​

So after photographing all of the problems to show the customer and talking her through the problems along with ways to resolve these issues, she decided to get the repairs carried out straight way. The lads soon got to work re-bedding the ridge tiles 

When moss is removed from a slate roof it will dramatically improve the look of your house, it gives a great first impression to the rest of your home. When moss and lichens are left on the slate it will over time become porous, holding onto moisture and look and feel less smooth.

The way a slate tile roof should be cleaned depends entirely on the debris build up. The roof videoed below was prepared by removing the bulk of the debris and moss by hand using a handheld scraping tool and then a non aggressive treatment was applied to the tiles which begins to work immediately in killing the biofilm.
The treatment will continue to work over a period of time with the weather giving it a helping hand, these results aren't seen immediately but once they've started working in removing the biofilm the tiles will start to self cleanse. The bonus with this approach is not only is it a lot less harsh on the roof tiles but it also offers protection from re growth for many years to come.

Cleaning your roof regular is very important to keep your slate roof in good working order. When moss builds up it acts like a sponge holding onto moisture which can easily lead to the tiles splitting during the winter months when it freezes over.
 
Slate is a sedimentary rock with minuscule layers that easily split. This quality is what distinguishes slate as a suitable roofing material. Once turned into roofing material, slate absorbs water and can naturally de-laminate during the freeze-and-thaw cycles of winter.
 
A slate roof should last a lifetime, flashing and fasteners etc are often the highest quality so they don't fail before the slates need replacing. 

So the team today were over in Coven, Wolverhampton pressure washing these Marley Bold Roll roofing tiles.
 
The customer had recently had an extension and wasn’t happy with the dramatic difference between his old tiles and the new tiles on his extension.
After talking through a few options the customer decided that pressure washing the original tiles was the route he wanted to take (as here at Brightroof we offer a number of roofing cleaning alternatives to pressure washing roofs).

As you can see from the before photo above, the original roof tiles were heavily covered in moss and algae making the roof looking very unsightly compared to the newly laid roofing tiles .

​On arrival, the team got to work covering the customer’s lawn and driveway to ensure all debris was to land on our sheeting minimising any mess and guttering was then disconnected making sure no blockages occurred during the cleaning process.
 
Once the roof has been pressure washed and the whole area was cleaned, the last part of the process was to apply a treatment to the tiles to prolong any regrowth of moss or algae keeping the roof cleaner for a longer period of time.

As I'm sure you will agree the results look phenomenal and as you can imagine the customer was over the moon with his clean roof.

​If you wish to receive further information regarding any of our roof cleaning services –
 
+ Roof Pressure Washing
+ Roof Soft Washing
+ Roof Repairs
 
Then please feel free to browse our website,
 
alternatively you can call us on 01952 327474
 

Is Moss On Roof Harmful ? The short and simple answer here is yes, roof moss can be a serious and costly problem and here are just a handful of reasons why:
 
Moss growing on your roof can and will over time cause severe damage both internally and externally to your home and once it takes hold, it holds on tightly and accumulates quickly, it takes hold on a roof by extending rhizoids, which are strong root-like tendrils that keep it from blowing off or washing away in the rain.
 
External damage includes tile damage as the moss gradulally lifts the tiles creating cracks and crevices that allow moisture to get underneath them. This can ultimately cause roof leaks and rotting of the wood underneath. Moss also eats away at the tiles surface which again results in weak, porous and cracked tiles, it can grow in and around your roof tiles and actually starts to acts as a ‘filler’, packing out any gaps and plugging the spaces, thus meaning your roof will no longer be water tight.
 
 It will damage your guttering as the moss will be falling off of the roof and into the gutters, weighing them down, which in time will cause them to snap or crack and will also block them meaning water won’t have the escape route it needs to be leaving your roof so will sit against the roof tiles and lead to damp within the home.
Moss also grows in blankets and absorbs large amounts of water like a sponge, resulting in your roof tiles constantly being wet, this again will cause damp within the home.
 
Moss will grow in areas that are particularly moist, dark and cool.
If you come across a patch of moss that has turned brown or black, Don’t ever be fooled into thinking that the moss is dead if you were to add a little water you might be surprised. Many times the plant will turn green and begin thriving again once moisture is reintroduced!

ensure the roof was in good repair, preventing any leaks into the home, this is standard protocol for the team at Bright Roof.
Our customer mentioned that she had recently had some roof tiles re-bedded and tiles replaced, once our team were on the roof we could see the roof work the customer had mentioned, unfortunately, the roof tiles hadn't been re-bedded as the customer thought, but in fact they had been pointed/skimmed and tiles "repaired" which should have just been replaced, so if we started the roof clean the roof would've started leaking.

The customer chose to have her roof jet washed, of course before this work could commence we carried out the relevant roof repairs to ensure there would be no leaks or damage to the roof.
The team soon got to work re-bedding all of the customers ridge tiles and replaced the bodged tiles that the previous roofer had tried to repair.

Once all of the necessary roof repairs had been completed the team were then able to get to work cleaning the roof, using the correct nozzles and water flow, we were able to pressure wash the roof without causing any damage to the tiles and still able to remove all of the moss, algae and lichens from the tiles. 
As you can see from the photos there is a dramatic difference in which the clean has made to the property.
I'm sure you can guess the customer was over the moon with the results we achieved.

Many people don't realise the importance of having their roof cleaned, so we are going to go through giving 4 detailed reasons why you should have your roof cleaned.

Aesthetic Reasons​​
Lets face it, who wants an ugly, dirty roof? Not only can a dirty roof bring down the appearance of your home and take away the ‘kerb appeal’, but if you are thinking of selling your home, a dirty roof can have negative effects on its valuation and can make it less appealing to the potential buyers.
We are known for zoning in on the negative points, so the first thing anyone will see is the moss & algae build up on your roof tiles, which straight away will make your house stand out for all of the wrong reasons.

Why not take a look at our different roof cleaning methods we offer
Roof Soft Washing
Roof Pressure Washing

If you're looking to get your roof cleaned take a look at our different methods, whether you want to have your roof soft washed or pressure washed, we have the expertise to deliver a 5 star roof clean for you.