Soft washing is the only recommended method for cleaning moss off a roof. Soft washing utilizes very low pressure and relies on chemical and treatment over pressure to clean the roof. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturer’s Association recommends using a 1:1 ratio of bleach and water to clean the roof of moss, and then using low pressure to rinse the roof off. Now, bleach can make some homeowners nervous, as bleach harms organic life such as plant, flowers, and other greenery. Obviously, whomever you hire should be highly trained in the use of such chemicals, which we are. If that option still makes you nervous, we also offer another eco-friendly treatment. However, it does take longer, but poses no risk to anything. I would strongly recommend against using anyone or company that doesn’t use any type of treatment and just goes straight for it using a pressure washer. A pressure washer is effective for getting the moss off instantly but is also extremely dangerous and can be very harmful to the life of the roof. Keep in mind that pressure washing will most of the time void the roof warranty. If you hold the stream even a little bit too long on a shingle it will destroy it. Anyone who says they can use a pressure washer and not remove any granules (Granules make up the surface of an asphalt shingle) is a liar. Even rain fall removes some granules. The question is how many granules they are removing. When soft washing, you are losing little to no granules. I plan to be in this business for a long time, so I want to use the method that is most effective for your roof long term. Soft washing will help keep the moss off the roof longer, and under a preventive plan of treatment, we can keep it off forever. Now, for people in situations where they need the moss gone instantly, we do offer the rinsing method, but we prefer to soft wash and then let mother nature do its thing. We also do offer pressure washing for people who just don’t care. I will say when we pressure wash, we do have a very specific way of cleaning that limits the damage that can be caused by pressure cleaning. Although, this is not our preferred method. Soft washing is anywhere from 50-300 PSI and pressure cleaning is somewhere between 1000-3000 PSI, depending on who is doing it, so you can see easily the difference. I have found articles on pressure washing that support it and don’t support it and have come to the conclusion that the safest and most effective solution is Soft Washing. If you do decide to have your roof pressure cleaned, I highly recommend doing some research on your own and not taking anyone’s word for it. I would also recommend not doing it more than once in a roof’s lifetime and to not pressure clean a roof that’s over 10 years old. Our goal is for you to have the most information to make the best decision for your home.
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