Nobody likes the look of stubborn moss, algae, and fungus patches on their roof. But the problem of mossy roof growth goes way beyond aesthetics. Though the green patches may look harmless, they’re actually a sign that something’s going wrong beneath the shingles of your roof. What’s worse, if you don’t do the proper roof maintenance, you might be letting the problem get way out of hand. Fortunately, if you get the right roofing or home improvement richmond va company to help remove your moss growth, you might be able to stop the problem before it hits the foundation of your home. Letting it get too out of control, on the other hand, could mean drastic repairs or worse, an entirely new roof. If you don’t want your roof’s moss growth to make your home vulnerable to leaks and mold, here are a few ways to keep your roof clean and dry with moss and algae removal.

Zinc to the Rescue

Even if you have a healthy coating of moss on your roof that doesn’t look like trouble, chances are you don’t want it hanging around. If you want to deter moss growth or get rid of some algae that’s already growing on your tiles, the key is to use a gentle hand to scrub off your moss growth while installing a sheet of copper or zinc underneath your shingles to keep any further outbreaks at bay. To get rid of the growth, first coat your roof with a liberal half bleach, half water solution. This will help break down the algae and moss for easy scrubbing. Since you don’t want to use a too-abrasive cleaner (or a pressure washer, which would effectively get rid of the moss but might damage your tiles) doing a gentle job is key. After you’re done, remove the very top-most layer of your shingles (the layer closest to the roof peak) and insert small strips (about 6 inches wide that run the length of your roof) under your shingles. Not only do copper and zinc effectively kill algae growth, they also inhibit any further growth on those top-most layers. When it rains, small metal-charged particles will carry the effect through the rest of the roof. If you’re trying to protect a brand-new house from algae and moss formation, consider purchasing special shingles with copper bits embedded in them. This will take a lot of the work out of moss prevention, and won’t cost much more than your average shingles.

Hand-Scrub It

If you don’t want to spend a day installing copper sheets, use your diluted bleach solution to simply soak and rub off any growing moss or algae coating your roof. However, be careful both while spraying and scrubbing. As we’ve noted before, going too rough could result in damage to your shingles, and using too much cleaner could soak through your tiles and cause moisture problems. Since shingles aren’t built for direct water saturation, use a sprayer that doesn’t soak, but instead evenly distributes the bleach solution across your roof’s surface. This will help guarantee that you don’t overdo it. If you come across a particularly stubborn area, apply another coating and wait for it to settle. Go over the area as many times as possible until eradicating the growth. The bleach will prevent further growth for a time, but it’s wise to maintain your roof with regular cleanings and to keep an eye on moss and algae growth before it becomes too widespread.

Use Targeted Cleaning Products

If bleach doesn’t cut it, don’t fret. Luckily, there are tons of targeted cleaners on the market that were made to combat just this problem. From wet and forget to other moss, algae, and fungus cleaners on the market, you’ll be able to find a few options that are strong enough to kill growth on your roof, yet gentle enough not to mess with your tiles. If you want to experiment with your own cleaner using more than just diluted bleach, you can mix your watered-down bleach solution with a combination of dish soap, white vinegar, and a mix of chlorine and oxygen bleach to hit moss hard. Use a gentle brush to scrub, nothing too abrasive like a brillo pad, and repeat the process until you’re looking at a sparkling-clean roof. Another easy tip is to keep the tree growth around your home to a minimum. If your roof is being blocked from sunlight exposure, moss is more likely to pop up. More sun means less algae and moss growth to deal with.