Moss on your roof can give your home a lovely look, like the little cottage from a fairy tale. Unfortunately, this lovely look is something that can ruin your roof.
Moss absorbs water, then it grows roots. These roots get under your roof shingles over time, which creates open air space. That allows moisture to get in. Once moisture is there, you can expect rot and leakage. Meaning, big problems!
This is why it’s important to remove moss as soon as you see it. There are certain steps to take to make this job as easy and painless as possible.
The first step is to use a regular garden hose to wet the moss. Then, with a long-handled brush, scrub gently down the roof to remove the moss. Never push back against the shingles – always scrub in the direction in which they are laid.
If you still can’t get the moss off, you’ll need to take some extra steps.
In these cases, you’ll need to go to the hardware store. There are great spray cleaners for your roof. We recommend Bayer 2-in-1 Moss and Algae Killer, Wet & Forget, and Moss B Ware. You could make your own at home, too, with the right recipe.
You’ll want to wait for a cloudy day to get to work on this. Reason being, a sunny day will cause the cleaner to evaporate before it’s set in. When you’re ready, apply it on the roof, then gently scrub like you did before.
Cleaning moss is a seasonal job. If you are proactive, you can take steps which make it harder to grow. Both copper and zinc are toxic to algae and moss. So, you can install strips of either metal to the top ridge of your roof.
And, keep in mind that even if you just scrubbed your roof, you may see moss problems again. The spores travel (that’s how it got there in the first place). So you may want to pass this along to your neighbors!
Even though it’s damaging, moss can be removed easily. Make sure to be careful when doing so – moss can be quite slippery. Also be careful when handling cleaning chemicals. The process should be easy and painless, and can save you tons in potential roof repairs down the road.
If you have any questions, or are still having problems with moss removal, give our office a call and we’ll walk you right through it.
