by John Redihan

Anyone who says that moss will not damage your roof does not know what he is talking about. Moss is alive and like all living organisms it needs to eat. The moss is feeding on your roofing material and that is a fact. If you need proof just pull some off and look at the hole below, where it has been feeding. Removing it is a very simple process that you can do yourself with a few simple tools and a good moss cleaning product.

The perfect moss cleaning product should not damage your roofing material or harm the environment. This means that using common toxic surface cleaners like bleach, chlorine or TSP should be avoided. These products may be effective cleaners but they do not belong on roofing material. Products like these will stain and discolor your roof, they dry out roofing material causing cracks that could break in the wind and when they run off of your roof, you can expect damage to any nearby plants or grass. With today’s technology roof moss cleaning products have been formulated to work on steep surfaces, attacking to roots of the moss, temporarily releasing them so that the moss can be safely removed. The best of these roof moss cleaning products are eco-safe and will not damage your roof or landscaping.

Roof moss needs to be removed from the root that is why you need to find a roof cleaning product that attacks from the roots. A garden style pump sprayer is a great way to apply the roof cleaner to the roof moss. The best way to remove the moss is to brush the moss off with a medium bristle scrub brush; the trick to this is to only brush the moss when it is wet with the roof moss cleaning product, that way the roots come right off. Brushing roof moss dry or with the wrong product will only remove the “flower” of the moss and soon the moss will bloom again. After the moss has been brushed from your roof, rinse thoroughly with water, it is also a good idea, once the roof has been rinsed to apply one more coat of roof cleaner and let it stay on the roof.

There are only two ways that I would recommend to keep your roof clean. The first is quite simple; in late spring and late fall apply a coat of roof cleaner to your roof. This will kill any spore that may have started to grow again and the rain will rinse it off. The alternative is more complex but does not require periodic maintenance. Zinc is available in rolls that you can adhere to the ridge of your roof, as it rains the zinc releases moss and algae killing elements. Proof of the effectiveness of this method can be seen on your own roof, just look under any metal object and you will notice “clean roof”.

Once the roof has been cleaned, a little yearly maintenance or some zinc along the ridge and the roof will look and continue to look new again.

About the Author:

John Redihan cleans roofs professionally, before you buy a roof cleaning chemical online please check out Wash Safe Industries unbelievable chemical to clean roof moss