Ed Thompson

Roof Cleaning in Edison NJ

Get a Free Roof Cleaning Quote in New Jersey By Calling (732) 726-9261 or Fill Out the Safe Form to the Right

Clean Your Own Roof 

Cleaning a roof requires absolute safety.  You should have the proper safety harness and proper gripping shoes.  Hundreds of people fall off roofs every year.  This article is only for suggestion.  Only properly trained certified roof cleaners should clean roofs.

Now that we got the legalities out of the way, let’s get started.

Do you have your pressure washer up and ready to go?  OK now put it away.  A roof should never be pressure washed.  The three main things that stain a roof are black stains (bacteria called gloeocapsa magma), moss, and lichens.  These organic growths develop a root system just like a plant. Pulling or pressure washing the stains off will cause the roofing granules to come off with them.

The best way to clean anything is by following manufacturers suggestions. That is the method we use. If you go to the “Roof Cleaning” headline on the front page of https://thompsonpowerwashing.com/ you will see a link to the Asphault Roofing Manufacturers Association’s bulletin stating the method to clean roofing shingles. In a nutshell they suggest using sodium hypochlorite, trisodium phosphate, and water. We take it a step beyond and add our own foaming agent that helps the cleaning agent cling to steeper roofs. They also state at the bottom NOT to pressure wash a roof. Pressure washing a roof can lead to long term damage. If you’ve ever cleaned out gutters you may have noticed large amounts of roofing granules. These granules become dislodged naturally by rain and weather. So imagine what even low pressure can do. Once the granules are removed the underlying membrane of the shingle becomes exposed to weather, and more importantly, UV. At this point the shingle will start to dry out, crack and split. Then its time to find a roofer. Chiching$$$
Thompson uses only NON-Pressure method of cleaning roofs. We were trained in seminars by veteran roof cleaners in Florida where roof cleaning is BIG business because of long hot and wet seasons.

Manufactures of roofing shingles suggest using 1 parts bleach to 4 parts water.  It can be applied with a plastic pump sprayer.  Metal pump sprayers will quickly succumb to bleach and will probably break before you complete the job.

Once the stains are treated do not rinse with water.  Allow the solution to dwell and work its way into the root systems of the stains.  This will insure the demise of the stain and insure a cleaner roof for a longer period of time.

If you choose to have your roof professionally cleaned in New Jersey, please allow us to give your roof an evaluation for a free estimate.   Most quotes can be given over the phone.