Roof Cleaning in Shelby Township
Stand in the street on a wooded Shelby Township lot and the roof tells you where the limbs hang. Black streaks run down the north slope, moss lines the shaded valleys, and the plane over the driveway, in full sun, stays clean. A roof treatment kills all of it without a pressure wand.
The streaks on a township roof are a colony of algae that lives on the limestone filler blended into asphalt shingles, and it settles wherever a slope stays damp. Under overhanging oaks and maples that is the north plane, the east plane and any valley below a limb, which is why a 1970s colonial off Shelby Rd and a 2005 two-story toward Stony Creek show the same dark stripes. Needles from spruce and pine rows collect on the shaded slope, hold water against the shingles, and give moss a place to start. Left alone for a decade, the moss lifts shingle edges and the algae holds heat in summer.
Our treatment is a soft-wash solution applied at low pressure from the eave, never a pressure washer, since the granule layer that shields the asphalt does not survive it and the roof loses years. The solution kills the algae on contact and the streaks fade over the following weeks as rain carries the dead growth off. Moss dies in place and releases over a month or two, and thick moss is brushed off by hand once it has let go rather than scraped while it is still gripping the shingle. Gutters, downspouts and the beds below are rinsed so nothing corrosive sits in them.
A treatment holds three to five years, with the shaded slopes at the shorter end and the sunny slopes longer. Pricing starts at $450, set by roof area and pitch, and pairing the roof with a gutter cleaning on the same visit is the most common bundle we run on wooded lots. The drive from our Clinton Township shop is about 15 minutes. If you want to see how the streaks form before you call, our black streaks explainer walks through it.
Treating a Roof Under the Limbs
We start by clearing the surface. Needle drifts, leaf mats and twigs come off the slopes and out of the valleys so the solution reaches shingle instead of debris. Downspouts are diverted or the gutters are flushed as we go, and the plants below the drip line get a pre-wet. The solution is applied from the ladder line or the eave with a low-pressure system, starting at the ridge and working down so the run-off treats the slope beneath it. Heavy moss patches get a second application. Everything below gets a final rinse, and the crew photographs each slope before and after so you can watch the streaks fade.
The Pressure Wand on a Shingle Roof
Pressure washing a roof. The wand blasts the ceramic granules off the shingle, exposes the asphalt to sun, and takes years off a roof that was otherwise sound, all while the algae in the shingle texture survives to regrow. Water driven under the tabs finds the underlayment and the decking. The second mistake is scraping live moss, which pulls granules and tears shingle edges at the same time. On the steep slopes of the 1990s two-stories the wand is also a fall risk, which is why our system stays at the eave line.
Timing It Right
Late spring through early fall is the treatment season, once the roof is above 50 degrees and the shade has dried the morning frost off the north slope. May and June are busiest on the wooded streets near River Bends Park. September is a good month for the 1970s colonials, because the roof gets treated and the gutters cleared before the leaves and needles come down.
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Roof Cleaning in Shelby Township: FAQs
Will the black streaks be gone the day you leave?
Mostly, but not entirely. The solution kills the algae the same day, and the dark color fades as rain rinses the dead growth off over the next two to four weeks. Light streaking is often gone within days; a slope that has been black for years can take a full season to lighten evenly. Moss browns within a week and drops off in a month or two.
Is the treatment safe for the spruce and hostas under my eaves?
Yes, with the pre-wet and rinse we build into every roof job. The run-off is diluted before it reaches the beds, the gutters are flushed so concentrated solution does not sit in the downspouts, and the plants below the drip line get a final rinse. Evergreen rows planted close to the house on wooded lots get extra attention.
Can you clean the roof and the gutters on the same visit?
Yes, and on a lot near Stony Creek or the Clinton River that is the visit we recommend. The gutters get cleared before the treatment so the solution drains instead of pooling, and the same ladder work covers both. Roof treatment starts at $450 and gutter cleaning at $149, and combining them shares the setup cost.
Does moss mean my roof needs replacing?
Not by itself. Moss on a shaded slope is a moisture sign, not a failure sign, and a roof under twenty years old with intact granules usually treats and recovers. We tell you when we see lifted tabs, bare asphalt or soft decking, because a treatment cannot fix those. The photos we take of each slope make the condition easy to judge.
More in Shelby Township
Deeper reading: What Are Those Black Streaks on My Roof? (And Why You Shouldn't Ignore Them) and Why Fall Gutter Cleaning is the Cheapest Roof Insurance You Can Buy.
Book Roof Cleaning in Shelby Township
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