Are you a homeowner and you dread the moment when you will have to clean your roof ? Indeed, it can be a long-term job and a real headache when you are not well informed. To avoid making mistakes and no longer falling into certain traps, here are the 7 biggest misconceptions about roof cleaning.
Your roof needs a good cleaning and you would like to compare the prices of several specialists ? Request a quote below and receive up to 5 tailor-made, non-binding offers.
Chlorine and bleach are good for roof cleaning
It is strongly advised not to clean the roof with these two products. For what ? Simply because they are extremely harmful to the environment. Chlorine and bleach are two very aggressive chemical substances and destroy everything in their path, including micro-organisms essential to the ecosystem. Moreover, they are also destructive for your roof . Indeed, they can create cracks when it freezes, which considerably weakens the roof.
Finally, contrary to popular belief, these products do not kill the moss present on the roofs but in fact facilitate its proliferation ..
Roof cleaning: high pressure washing is safe
The high-pressure washer used too extensively and too frequently constitutes a real danger for your roof. Indeed, if the pressure is too strong, you risk damaging your tiles or slates which could cause water infiltration and therefore a leak later.
If you want the roof cleaning to be done by high pressure washing, let a professional who knows how to make good use of it.
Roof cleaning can be done anytime
It’s wrong. Indeed, it is recommended to consult the weather forecast for the next 3 days before demossing your roof. For what ? Well because if you use a product to clean the roof, you have to make sure that it does not rain for 3 days after application to give it time to take effect. But also it is inadvisable to do this by too much heat because the product could evaporate and the operation will then be ineffective.
My roof is clean so I no longer need to take care of it.
Even if your roof is perfectly clean and not covered with moss at all, it is essential to maintain the roof so that it always remains in good condition. For example, applying a water repellent to your tiles will allow them to extend their life by at least ten years. And this is not negligible when you consider that otherwise the roof must be cleaned every 4 years on average.
Roof cleaning is limited to the roof
Many of us focus on tiles/slates only when we think about cleaning our roof. Well, this is a mistake because they are not the only elements to take into account. Indeed, cleaning the gutters is just as important . Leaves and other plant debris can accumulate over the months and create clogs, rendering them useless and therefore risking damage to your home . Also, the weight of these sheets can forcefully cause a weakening of the joints of the exterior walls.
It is true that you do not have to hire a professional for roof cleaning. Indeed, you can very well climb on your roof using a ladder and apply the products yourself. However, in addition to entailing great risks for you , since you will not be secure once on your roof, this creates risks for your roof . If you apply the wrong product, in the wrong dosage and in the wrong way, you can weaken your tiles and cause serious damage. Finally, as suggested above, by climbing on your roof you risk falling at any time.
So remember to weigh the pros and cons before doing your work yourself and ask for several quotes before making your decision.
There is nothing to do to avoid roof cleaning
Indeed, cleaning your roof from time to time is quite inevitable. However, thanks to quality and regular maintenance, the cleaning of the roof can be spaced out by several years. As discussed in point number 4 of this article, applying a water repellent helps keep your tiles/slates clean. However, other tricks exist to lengthen the time between cleanings. As in particular, the installation of a waterproofing or even the pruning of the trees in the surroundings which could make favorable the appearance of moss and lichens.