Is it possible to clean your roof yourself ?
I am very much a DIY kind of guy. I get asked all the time, if it is possible to clean your own roof without hiring professional?
The answer is “Maybe”!
Before we explore the possibilities of you cleaning your own roof, we must first undersatnd exactly what those black streaks and stains are on your roof.
To make is easy to understand, that is a plant growing on your roof.
So, to clean your roof, we must first kill this Cynobacteria.
Bleach is NOT GOOD for killing this plant, for a number of reasons.
However, enough coats of bleach (with enough time between coats) will eventually remove or lighten the plant growing on your roof.
Especially if some TSP (Tri sodium phosphate) is added to the bleach.
But then you will need a dedicated roof cleaning pump and hose, designed to withstand bleach, and many many gallons of bleach as well.
So, what have you gained, in time and money saved, except possibly the satisfaction of knowing you have cleaned your roof yourself ?
There is another strategy to clean your roof yourself, that works, sometimes. But it is always better to call professionals like Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa.
I say sometimes, because often it is necessary to repeat the application, and then to wait for another 3 to 6 months.
The DIY Roof Cleaning Method I will describe basically uses a chemical to kill the plant growing on your roof, and then counts on a lot of heavy rain
to break up and rinse this dead plant, off your roof.
If your home has trees close to it, or if your roof is shrouded by any trees, forget about this DIY roof cleaning method!
The close proximity of the trees will stop the force of the rain needed to rinse the dead algae off your roof. In which case, you could use a mini vacuum to blow away the dead algae.
There are several of these DIY Roof Cleaning Chemicals for sale at WalMart and Lowes here in the Tampa Florida area, as well as on the Internet.
Often, one application is not enough, and a second, or even a 3rd application of these do it yourself roof cleaning chemicals are needed to get your roof clean.
By the time your roof finally comes clean (IF it ever does), you will not have saved much money (These DIY Roof Cleaning Chemicals are not cheap), but look at the “bright side” of things!
You will certainly have a great suntan, from all that time spent outside on the roof, in the hot sun!
That is, if you are not in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down, or dead!.
Think about this for a minute, if DIY Roof Cleaners really worked all that well, and saved people so much money, there would be little need for professional roof cleaning companies.
These do it yourself roof cleaners have been for sale nearly 10 years, and we are still very much in the roof cleaning business in Tampa.
Remember, if something sounds “too good to be true”, it most likely is!
Our advice, when it comes to cleaning your shingle or tile roof yourself is this. Brew your own beer, cook your own food you grew yourself, wash your own clothes, but leave dangerous roof cleaning to a professional.
Now, if you insist on attempting to clean your own roof, are willing to accept the dangers of it, and have the time to do so, here is what to do.
Use a saturated solution of Rock Salt and water!
That’s correct, do not waste your money on expensive DIY Roof Cleaning Chemical. All you are trying to do is kill this plant that is growing on your roof.
Salt will kill nearly ANY plant (have you ever seen plants growing on the beach), and not only will salt kill the plant growing on you roof, as well as, or even better than these do it yourself roof cleaners,
it also does another thing these chemicals fail to do. Salt actually dries up the plant it kills growing on your roof, making it easier for the rain to remove!
Bear in mind, that salt is also toxic to the plants growing around your house, and this includes grass!
These plants should be covered by a tarp during the application of this DIY Roof Cleaning Method.
They should also be rinsed off when you pull the tarps, until the salt/water solution has stopped dripping off the roof.
This Salt and Water solution must be allowed to remain on the roof, until the rain rinses it off (it takes awhile for salt to kill this roof algae).
You must “babysit” your roof, so to speak, and be absolutely SURE to rinse all plants and grass around your roofs drip line, if you do not have gutters.
If you have gutters, the downspouts must be bagged with large plastic collection bags, to catch this toxic to plants runoff.
Once it rains, these bags will fill with salted water, and you must cut the bags, allow it to drain in one spot, then simply water this collected run off from your roof into the ground, so it goes down well below the root line of the plants and grass.
The best time for DIY Roof Cleaning here in the Tampa Florida area, is the months of March, April, and May.
Then, you will have an entire summer of thunderstorms, to finish the DIY Roof Cleaning Job. Get more professional tips from GutterGuardsGettysburg.com.
All of us here at Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa 813-655-8777 are here to help you with all your shingle and tile roof cleaning needs, or to answer any questions you might have about attempting to clean your roof yourself.
Of course, we don’t make any money if you attempt and succeed at DIY Roof cleaning, but call and we will help you anyway, and answer any questions regarding the cleaning of your roof.
After all, we can’t clean every roof in the greater Tampa Florida area, and we believe in being an information source to all who call us, no matter if they choose us to clean their roof, of choose to di it yourself.
We also recognize it is to our advantage to answer the questions of those who call us.
After all, not everyone will choose DIY Roof Cleaning. And we have found that the same people who wish to attempt DIY roof cleaning, often have friends and neighbors who want to simply hire competent roof cleaning professionals.
These do it yourself roof cleaning people always remember us for helping them, and often send their friends and neighbors to us.
A win win situation, for everyone!