Roof Washing

Most roof washing jobs can be easily performed with the right equipment and roof washing products.  To add roof washing to your pressure washing companies line of services, read the guide below!

Black streaks and stains rapidly begin to grow on roofs in warmer climates creating opportunities to companies that provide roof washing services. There has been significant interest in roof washing calls lately, including a lot of questions about what to use to clean off those black streaks and stains (mold algae also known as 'gloeocapsa magma'). These stains will significantly affect the look of any home. In the past, the only way to get rid of them was to replace the roof. It has been estimated that as much as 50% of all roof replacements have been done because of the appearance of the roof and not actually because of its functionality.


These black streaks and stains are impossible to remove without the aid of chemicals. Caustics are inexpensive and very effective for klilling mold. Bleach is used most often, but sometimes with disastrous results.  We have heard of contractors resorting to 12% bleach concentrations and high pressure water, but many experts believe that this kind of power can result in roof failure within a short time frame.


When we wash roofs for customers, we use the following method: First, using an X-Jet, we wet the roof slightly to cool it down. Second, we apply QwicClean’s Super Roof Kleen to the shingles, from the ground, using an X-Jet. We allow the cleaner to work for about 15 minutes before we begin power washing. (Note: Roof Brite costs as little as 70 cents per gallon, which is less expensive than bleach!)


Walking gently on the roof, we wash using very light pressure – about 300 PSI. We are very careful to avoid knocking off gravel from the surface of the shingle. When we meet up with a tough stain area, we use a very soft scrub brush with a 5’ handle and gently scrub this area. Finally, we rinse the surface well. Rinsing can be done from the ground using your X-Jet again.


Steep roofs require special gear to prevent falls while roof washing. After all, a good cleaner can make any surface pretty slippery. A chicken ladder along with a roped harness is one way to make it safe to move around the roof.


Once the roof is done, there are two other services we can offer our customers. For an additional fee, we will treat their roof with Bio Barrier, a special formulation from QwicClean that prevents new algae spores from sticking to that clean roof.

For another charge we will clean the gutters (inside and out). Being careful not to get any cleaners on the house paint (to avoid streaky clean spots) we scoop and rinse out the gutters and clean the outside surface with Gutter Zap. This can be done from the ground with an X-Jet or it can be done by wiping the gutter surface with a rag (and Gutter Zap).  Listed below are some of the basic equipment roof washing contractors use.

To save time and money on shipping in your roof washing supplies, get everything you need from one of our local stores!

Or if you can't find a store near you, all of our  roof cleaners and roof cleaning equipment are available on our online store!