Roofing is the most important element of a building. Indeed, a house without a roof or with a defective roof is not habitable. Thus, it is essential, even imperative, to maintain its roof, especially the tile one, so as not to take the risk of seeing it deteriorate over time. In addition, the tiles can, after a few years be covered with moss and lichens. This represents a very big disadvantage, not only with regard to the aesthetics of the house but also with regard to the permeability of your roof. This is why this guide has been designed to help you take care of your roof and clean it without putting yourself in danger.
The Essential Points to Know Before Cleaning
First, when to clean your roof? So, it is advisable to do it once or twice a year. For this, spring and autumn are the most popular seasons. On the one hand, you need a spring cleaning to assess the damage caused by winter and know how to remedy it effectively. In addition, this will allow your roof to be prepared to cope with bad weather during the summer. On the other hand, late fall is a great time to rid your roof of fallen leaves and the clumps of fungus and moss that have settled there all summer.
Then, it is very important to check the weather before taking action because it is very risky and dangerous to venture on a roof in bad weather conditions. Therefore, make sure that the weather is favorable for you; that is to say, clean your roof outside the times of rains including a small downpour, and a windy climate. Doing this will help you clean your roof without putting yourself into any sort of risk.
Finally, how do you get on the roof safely? This is the hardest part because it requires both courage, caution, and agility. The first rule is to never do this task alone; you must always be accompanied for better safety. Then, wear suitable climbing shoes to prevent yourself from slipping from the top of the roof. Then use a ladder whose size is to be chosen according to the height of your house. It is safer to leave a margin of about 1 meter between the top of the ladder and the bottom of the roof so as not to risk falling while climbing the last steps. Also, it is safer to put wedges at the feet of the ladder and attach it to the roof using safety hooks. And lastly, a protective harness will be a great help for work at a height like this.
Need to cleaning or servicing your roof ASAP? Read our article about roof servicing.
De-foaming and Cleaning of Tiles
As previously mentioned, moss and lichens are most likely to cover the roof tiles. Therefore, to clean your roof in a better way, you must carry out the de-foaming. This can be done using a hard brush with soapy water to remove the foam and then rinse from top to bottom to prevent water from getting between the tiles.
After this operation, it is necessary to clean your roof in depth. Now use a high-pressure washer always respecting the direction from top to bottom. Above all, pay close attention to the force of the jet on the tiles because if it is too strong, it will damage them.
Once de-foamed and cleaned, your tiles are now more fragile. So, to preserve them, apply an anti-foam and water-repellent treatment, preferably in dry weather.
However, if you feel that you do not have the necessary skills to properly carry out these operations, you should call on a roof cleaning & maintenance expert like Southern Premier Roofing servicing Raleigh NC to eradicate all the dirt that has settled on your roof.
