Roof Cleaning

Greenville Roof Cleaning

Pro Clean Exteriors is one of the upstate’s premier roof cleaning companies. Roof cleaning is how we began. Once you begin to notice, many homes in our area have dark ugly stains on their roofs. Many people will often have their roof replaced thinking that their roof has deteriorated beyond repair. Don’t replace your roof, Clean your roof.

We can safely clean this discoloration bringing your roof back to like new appearance. This discoloration is simply a form of algae, a certain kind of algae called “Gloeocapsa Magma”, technically a cyanbacteria. Whether you have asphalt shingles, tile, cedar shake, metal or slate roof, you will eventually get those ugly black streaks that can eventually take over your entire roof. Typically these stains show up on the North side of your roof first. Because it’s a type of mold, generally it means your entire roof already has mold spores. Once you start seeing the dark colored stains, this is an indication that your roof is in the advanced stages of being attacked. It also means that you may have lichen(a fungus) and moss starting to grow.

Lichen can be particularly dangerous to your roof since it actually feeds on the limestone within the asphalt shingle itself and it’s roots can quickly destroy your roof. Due to its subdued color, lichen is often difficult to see from the ground with the naked eye.  Lichen, as well as moss, are both extremely damaging to shingles.  We see the aftermath of this damage on a regular basis, and the leading shingle manufacturers such as GAF-Elk have published findings stating the same.

This growth of algae on your roof is caused by the warm humid climate we have in this area. You generally will see this growth within 5-7 years, sometimes sooner if you have shaded areas of your roof or areas that receive very little sunlight. 

A Dirty Roof can Cause Many Problems

• It’s unsightly – why ruin the appearance of a beautiful home when often the roof is one of the most visible parts? HOA’s will often require homeowners to keep their roofs clean. 
• A dirty roof can dramatically lower your property values.
• It’s destroying your roof in many cases. Roofs can be one of the most expensive replacements you can make, often running about $2.50 per square foot or more, depending on roof type.
• Insurance rates can go up – In fact many insurance companies will raise your rates or refuse to write certain types of roofs if extremely dirty.
• The dark stains are actually a protective coating the algae creates to protect itself from the sun’s UV rays, thus allowing it to propagate even quicker. These dark stains raise the temperature of your house requiring more AC expense to keep cool.
• While not all mold (fungi) and algae pose a health danger, some are harmful, especially for older folks, younger children and people who suffer from asthma and respiratory problems.

How We Treat Dirty Roofs

We apply a special mixture of chemicals and detergents which not only kill the algae, lichen or moss which is growing on your roof, our professional grade detergents will also clean and help remove the dirt and dead fungus. The cost generally runs about 10% of the cost of a new roof, if asphalt shingles. This may vary somewhat by height, amount of vegetation and landscaping, pitch and whether the house has gutters or not.

Our solution is applied using a very low pressure, softwash method, (no more than most peoples hose pressure), and can generally be applied from your gutter line so that there’s no risk of actually damaging your roof by walking on it. In rare instances we may bring in a lift. We do the up-most to protect any plants or landscaping and will discuss our plan for doing so, prior to our starting the work. 

As active members of the Roof Cleaning Institute of America we keep up daily with the most efficient and best processes to clean any type of roofing product. Roof cleaning can save you thousands of dollars versus buying a new roof, plus our cleaning will help extend the life of your current roof.

Our method is the ONLY way approved by ARMA and roof manufacturers.