Which roof cleaning method will my roof need?

It depends on the tile and how much growth is on it. Thick moss usually starts with a scrape, lighter organic growth suits a soft wash, and some roofs are better handled with a low pressure wash or hot steam. We look at the roof before deciding.

How long does the treatment hold the moss back?

The treatment we apply after cleaning is intended to keep moss from returning for up to three years. How close that runs to the full three depends on how shaded the roof is and how many trees sit over it.

Does moss actually harm the roof or just look untidy?

Both. Moss holds water against the tile, pushes up into the laps and sheds into the gutters, so alongside the appearance it works against the way the roof is meant to shed water.

Is a roof clean worth doing before selling?

It is one of the changes people notice from the street straight away, which is why roof cleaning is often done for kerb appeal as much as for the condition of the tiles.

Will the gutters be full of moss afterwards?

Scraping moves a lot of material down the roof, so the guttering needs clearing as part of the same job. It is the usual reason the two services are booked together.

Roof Cleaning and Moss Removal

Moss scrape, soft wash, low pressure or hot steam cleaning, finished with treatment to hold regrowth back.

What roof cleaning involves

A roof covered in moss and organic growth stops behaving like a roof. Moss holds rainwater against the tile instead of letting it run off, it works its way into the laps between tiles, and every time it is dislodged by wind or frost it ends up in the guttering, where it starts the next blockage.

We clean roofs in more than one way because roofs are not all the same. Depending on the tile and the amount of growth, the work may be a moss scrape followed by a soft wash, a low pressure wash, or a hot steam clean. Once the roof is clean, a treatment is applied that is intended to prevent the moss returning for up to three years.

Aside from the condition of the tiles, a cleaned roof changes how the whole property reads from the street. It is one of the few jobs that visibly lifts a house and adds to the kerb appeal every property should have.

Method matched to the tile

Concrete, clay and older weathered tiles are all handled differently, so the roof is assessed before a method is chosen rather than after.

Steam where it suits

Hot steam lifts ingrained growth on roofs that would not take pressure well, and it does it without the force a jet wash would put through the laps.

Treated after cleaning

A post clean treatment is applied to slow regrowth, aimed at keeping the moss off for up to three years rather than a single season.

Visible from the street

Clearing the roof is the change neighbours and buyers notice first, which is why it is so often done ahead of a sale or a valuation.

Autumn and winter

Why moss season and storms make this urgent

Moss does most of its growing in the cool damp months. Through autumn the roof no longer dries out between showers, the low sun barely reaches the north facing slope, and a light green covering in August can be a thick spongy layer by the turn of the year.

That layer then becomes a winter problem. Saturated moss is heavy, it sits in the laps holding water where the tile was designed to shed it, and a hard frost expanding inside that trapped water is what works tiles loose over time.

Storms finish the job. A roof carrying a season of growth sheds it in the first proper gale, and it lands in the gutters at exactly the point the gutters are being asked to cope with the most rain. Getting the roof cleared before the worst of the weather is straightforward storm readiness.

What is included

Assessment of the tile type and the level of growth before work starts
Moss scrape where the covering is heavy enough to need it
Soft wash, low pressure wash or hot steam clean to suit the roof
Removal of algae, lichen and organic staining from the tiles
Treatment applied to hold moss back for up to three years
Debris cleared from the ground and the work area left tidy

Signs your roof needs cleaning

Green or grey cushions of moss sitting proud of the tile line
Clumps of moss appearing in the gutters or on the driveway after wind
Dark streaking spreading down the slope from the ridge
Lichen crusting on the exposed edges and the ridge tiles
The north facing slope looking permanently damp
A roof that reads much older than the rest of the property

How a roof clean runs

1
Inspect the roof
We look at the tile, the ridge and the amount of growth, and agree which method suits it before quoting.
2
Clear the heavy growth
Where moss is thick it is scraped off first, since no wash will get through a deep saturated layer on its own.
3
Clean the surface
Soft wash, low pressure or hot steam is then used to take off the algae, lichen and staining left behind.
4
Deal with the fallout
The moss that has come down is collected up, including what has landed in the guttering and on the ground.
5
Apply the treatment
The finished roof is treated to slow regrowth, so the clean holds rather than needing repeating next year.

If the inspection shows slipped, cracked or loose tiles, we will point them out to you. We would rather you knew about them before winter than found out during it.

Get a free quote Call 07501060609

Roof cleaning questions

Where we work

Roof moss removal and cleaning is carried out across Washington, Sunderland, Gateshead, Newcastle, Durham and the surrounding areas.

See the towns and villages we cover