Cleaning Moss Off Wood Shingles

The organisms use your roof shingles as food which slowly deteriorates the materials.

Cleaning moss off wood shingles.

Getting rid of the problem is important but how do you safely remove algae and moss from roof shingles. You should never use home remedies or store bought chemical products to clean algae. You don t want to separate the mineral granules from the shingles. Using chemicals or detergent to remove the moss is not normally necessary or wise with one exception.

Installing these strips can puncture sealant on the shingles so it s best to do this when placing a new roof. A homemade cleaner of one part liquid chlorine bleach to one part of water can also be effective in removing and killing moss that clings to the roof tiles. Carefully place a ladder near the area of moss growth and don slip resistant shoes old clothes rubber gloves and eye. Copper and zinc strips found at home improvement stores can be placed under shingles.

The one element that is frequently used to clean or prevent moss growth on wood roofs is zinc. When it rains the water washes away some of the metal which destroys moss and algae spores. Oxygen bleach lightens stains as well and is less harmful to the environment but it doesn t produce as immediate or dramatic an effect as chlorine bleach. How to kill moss with vinegar.

Hose off and brush all moss loose from your roof shingles. Before applying a moss remover cleaner use a scrub brush 3 15 the home depot or a long handled soft bristle brush to gently scrape or pluck moss from the roof shingles or tiles. You can try brushing off algae and moss with a brush or broom with medium stiff bristles but don t scrub too hard. Work on one small section at a time which allows you better control of the brush and your scrubbing motions.

It takes special care to clean algae roof stains and moss off the roof. Once the roof is clean you can install copper that introduces molecules into the water when it rains. If chunks of algae or moss or heavy stains remain on the surface after rinsing let the roof dry then spray on the bleach solution again. Place metal strips under shingles.

Apply liquid cleaners with a hand pump sprayer or with a pressure washer on the lowest setting so as not to cause any damage to the shingles. A mixture of trisodium phosphate tsp bleach and water will also remove stains.