Spring is officially here. The birds are singing, the grass is turning greener, and there’s no snow on your roof. However, the soft white snow of winter has been replaced by black streaks up and down your roof. Mold.

Mold on your roof is often a precursor to wood rot and leaks. The mold keeps the roof moist, especially in humid climates, and can spread pretty quickly. In some cases it may cover the entire roof. It starts by eating away at the shingles, and will eventually start affecting the roof itself. If left alone, it will continue to spread into other areas of the home. It’s very important to get rid of mold as soon as it is noticed. Here’s our guide to help you address this concern.

Do I Need to Have a Professional Do It?

Not necessarily. While it it certainly isn’t a bad idea to have a consultation (which we provide for free!) to assess the damage and determine if DIY cleaning, professional cleaning, repair, or replacement are needed, you can always start with the DIY route and call a professional later.

I Want to Do It Myself. What Do I Need To Do?

The best thing you can do is plan and prep before actually cleaning your roof.

1. Cover any plants around the edge of the house that may end up getting the cleaning solution on them when it runs off the roof. If you can’t cover your plants, then water them thoroughly beforehand to protect them.

2. Gather your safety gear. You will need:

3. Gloves

4. Goggles

5. Bleach

6. A hose + sprayer tank attachment, or a tank sprayer

7. A safety harness

8. Patience

9. The cleaning solution consists of bleach and water in equal quantities. Tank attachments that connect to a hose usually have a setting for a 50/50 mixture. Tank sprayers will need to be filled by hand.

10. After attaching yourself to the roof with your safety harness, start spraying the shingles. Once the affected areas are wet, allow the solution to sit for about 60 minutes.

11. Rinse the solution off the roof.

12. Rinse off all the plants around the house to make sure the bleach solution isn’t sitting on them!

13. If this doesn’t work, you can always try it for a second time.

How Do I Prevent the Mold From Coming Back?

After the roof is mold-free, you definitely want to do your best to make sure it doesn’t come back. The roof should be clean and dry as often as possible. Obviously you can’t stop it from raining, but if the roof is in good condition rain shouldn’t puddle, and the shingles should dry fairly quickly. Keeping your gutters clean and in good shape also immensely helps with preventing mold. You can also have your roof waterproofed. If you’re in an exceptionally humid climate, we highly recommend this!

We’re Just a Phone Call Away

If you have any questions about mold on your roof, please give us a call or send us an email! We can offer more information this way, and we’re always happy to come do a free roof inspection and help you to determine what actions to take to keep your home safe.

-New Look Roof Team

For any questions or comments, please feel free to email us at jwest@newlookroofs.com, we hope you have a great day and thanks for reading! 

- Julian