Soft wash only

Roof Cleaning

A roof is the one surface where the wrong cleaning method does not just look bad — it leaks. We soft wash and treat rather than blast, because the damage from high pressure on tiles shows up as a water stain on a ceiling six weeks later.

Think Brick accredited
Fully insured
20+ years experience

Think Brick accredited

Fully insured

20+ years experience

Illawarra to the Highlands

Quick answer

Should a roof be pressure cleaned or soft washed?

Roofs should be soft washed. High pressure on concrete and terracotta tiles strips the factory surface coating, exposing porous concrete that then grows moss faster than before, and it drives water up under the tile laps into the roof cavity. It also dislodges bedding and pointing on ridge capping. A low-pressure biocide treatment kills lichen, moss and algae at the root and lets weather wash the residue away over following weeks.

At a glance

Method: Low pressure + biocide treatment
Roof types: Concrete tile, terracotta, Colorbond, metal
Also covers: Gutters, valleys, downpipes, solar panels
Safety: Height-safe work, fully insured

What is actually growing up there

Lichen is the stubborn one. It attaches with root-like structures that grip into the tile surface, and pulling it off mechanically takes a layer of tile with it. Moss holds water against the tile and works into the laps. Algae is the black streaking you see running down a roof from the ridge.

All three are fed by moisture and shade. Overhanging trees, southern pitches and the constant humidity along the coast from Helensburgh to Jervis Bay make roofs here grow faster than inland.

What roof cleaning includes

Full inspection for cracked, slipped and broken tiles before anything starts
Gutters, valleys and downpipes cleared so runoff has somewhere to go
Biocide treatment applied across the full roof area
Low pressure rinse where appropriate to the roof type and condition
Ridge capping and pointing condition reported back to you
Solar panels cleaned on request while access is already set up

Roof painting and re-coating

A cleaned roof is the prerequisite for any coating. Paint applied over lichen root structures or a chalky, unsealed tile surface fails early and peels in sheets. If a re-coat is on the plan, the clean has to be done properly first — and it is worth seeing the roof clean before you decide whether you still want it painted at all.

Coverage

Where we do roof cleaning

Illawarra

Wollongong · Shellharbour · Albion Park · Dapto · Kiama · Shell Cove

Shoalhaven

Nowra · Bomaderry · Vincentia · Huskisson · Berry · Culburra Beach · Ulladulla

Southern Highlands

Bowral · Mittagong · Moss Vale · Bundanoon

Sutherland Shire

Helensburgh · Engadine · Sutherland · Cronulla

Based at Warilla. Everything from Helensburgh to Ulladulla and inland to the Southern Highlands is inside our normal working area.

FAQ

Roof Cleaning — questions we get asked

Will roof cleaning cause leaks?

Done by soft wash, no. Done by high pressure, sometimes — water forced up under the tile laps ends up in the ceiling, and existing cracked tiles get worse. We inspect and report on tile condition before starting so nothing gets blamed on us that was already there.

How long until the roof looks clean?

With a treatment-based clean the roof often continues improving for several weeks as the dead growth weathers off. Heavy lichen sometimes needs a follow-up treatment. Where an immediate visual result is required we combine treatment with a controlled low pressure rinse.

Do you clean gutters at the same time?

Yes, and we recommend it. There is no sense washing debris off a roof into gutters that are already full, and access is already set up so it costs far less than a separate visit.

Keep reading

Need roof cleaning quoted?

Call 0448 882 780 or send photos through the quote form. We will tell you what the job needs and what it will cost, including when the honest answer is that you do not need us.

0448 882 780 Free quote