Roof Cleaning
Those black streaks running down a Tennessee roof are not dirt and they are not stains. They are Gloeocapsa magma, a hardy algae that eats the limestone filler in asphalt shingle. It spreads downhill with the rainwater, which is exactly why the streaks always run vertically.
Chemistry, never pressure
A pressure washer will strip the protective granules straight off an asphalt shingle and take years off the roof. Their own copy describes the correct method and it is worth quoting: spraying the roof with the right chemicals and rinsing afterwards with water. The solution kills the algae; gravity and a gentle rinse do the rest.
Why it is worth doing at all
It is not only how it looks. The algae holds moisture against the shingle and feeds the moss that follows it, and a shingle that stays damp gives up its granules faster. A roof is the most expensive thing on the outside of a house — the streaks are the early warning, not the problem itself.
What comes off
Black algae streaking, the green moss that gets going in shaded valleys and on north slopes, and the general film that dulls the whole plane. Gutter faces and the fascia below usually come up at the same time, because that is where everything has been running.
In their own words: We offer roof cleaning to all of our clients, spraying your roof with the right chemicals and rinsing afterwards with water to erase all grime is essential in Tennessee. Prices vary depending on the sqft.
Questions about roof cleaning
Will this void my shingle warranty?
Low-pressure chemical cleaning is the method the asphalt shingle industry itself points to; pressure washing a shingle roof is what causes the damage warranties exclude. If your roof is under a manufacturer warranty, keep the paperwork and ask before any contractor touches it.
Do the black streaks come back?
Eventually — it is a living organism and the spores are airborne, so nothing prevents it forever. A properly treated roof holds for years rather than months, and shaded roofs under trees come back soonest.
Is anyone walking on my roof?
Kept to a minimum by design. Roof work is done from ladders and with reach where it can be, because every trip across a shingle plane costs granules — and because it is the safe way to work. Safety first is the promise on the front of their own website.
Roof Cleaning across the Nashville metro
Booked regularly in 35 towns and neighborhoods. These are the closest in:
Free estimate for roof cleaning
Call (615) 606-2676 and describe the surface. Free estimates, and no obligation.
(615) 606-2676The other services
Driveway & Sidewalk Cleaning
Years of dirt, algae and tire marks off concrete — driveways, sidewalks, walkways and patios.
See the workHouse Soft Washing
Low-pressure exterior washing for siding, brick and trim — the safe way to clean a house.
See the workDeck Cleaning
Gray, slick, weathered decking taken back to clean wood — one of their biggest services.
See the workDeck Staining
Sealing and staining after the wash — the step that keeps the clean deck clean.
See the work