Roof Cleaning in Washington Township
On the wooded side of Washington Township the roof is the surface the trees reach first. Overhanging oak and maple limbs near Stony Creek Metropark drop shade, leaves and moisture onto the north planes, and the black streaks and moss that follow come off with a no-pressure treatment, never a wand.
Roof streaking in Washington Township splits by side of the township. On the wooded, rolling ground of the southwest side toward Stony Creek Metropark, limbs hang over the shingles, so the north and east planes stay damp into the afternoon and collect a mat of leaves in the valleys each fall. The black streaks are algae feeding on the mineral filler in the shingle, and moss follows once the streaks hold enough moisture to support it. Under the deepest shade near Stony Creek Lake, lichen follows the moss and roots into the granules. Along Van Dyke and the open orchard ground toward Romeo, the sky is wide and the streaks show only on the north slope, a decade or so in, usually starting at the gutter line and climbing.
The newer, larger homes carry a lot of roof. A brick-front two-story built on former orchard ground can have several planes, dormers and a garage wing, and the streaking on one plane is visible from the road while the others stay clean. The 1800s farmhouses in the Washington and Mount Vernon hamlets have simpler roofs, often steeper, over original wood trim at the eaves that has to be kept dry during treatment.
Treatment is the same on every roof: a solution applied at no pressure that kills the colony and the moss at the root, followed by rain and time. Streaks fade over the following weeks; moss browns, loosens and sheds in the rain. The results hold three to five years, shorter under the overhanging limbs, and a treated roof dries after rain the way it did when it was new, because the dead colony no longer holds water against the shingle. Roof treatment starts at $450, and a visit here is about 22 minutes up Van Dyke from the shop, with no travel charge.
Treating a Roof Under the Trees
We look the roof over from the ground and the ladder, note the planes that hold streaks and moss, and clear the valleys and gutters of leaf mat first so the solution reaches shingle instead of debris. Downspouts are routed away from the beds and the beds are pre-wet. The solution goes on at no pressure from the eaves up, dwells until the streaks lighten, and is left to finish under the next rains. Nobody walks on the shingles more than the job requires, no wand touches the granules, and the farmhouse wood at the eaves is rinsed before anything dries on it. A two-story roof takes a morning.
Why Pressure on a Roof Costs a Roof
A pressure washer on asphalt shingles strips the granules that protect the asphalt from sun, and the roof looks clean for a season and ages five years. Scraping moss tears the granules off with it. Under the canopy near Stony Creek the other mistake is treating and walking away: leaf mat left in the valleys keeps the plane wet, and the colony returns by the second summer. And streaks that are ignored do not stay cosmetic, because the algae holds moisture against the shingle and shortens its life along with the look of the house.
Timing It Right
Any month between the last spring frost and the first hard one works, and late spring is best because the treatment has a full summer of sun and rain to finish. Under the overhanging limbs near Stony Creek Metropark, plan on retreating every three years; on the open parcels along Van Dyke and 31 Mile Rd, closer to five. Fall works if the gutters are cleared in the same visit, which they usually are.
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Roof Cleaning in Washington Township: FAQs
How much is roof cleaning in Washington Township?
From $450. The number follows the roof's square footage and how much streaking and moss it carries, so the larger multi-plane roofs on the newer homes land above the starting price. The quote lists the roof on its own line, and pairing it with a fall gutter cleaning in the same visit shares the setup on a lot where setup is most of the trip.
Will the black streaks be gone the day you leave?
They fade rather than vanish. The treatment kills the colony on the spot, and the dead streaks lighten over the following weeks as rain washes them off the granules. Moss turns brown inside a week and drops away over the next month or two. Roofs under the Stony Creek canopy take a little longer to clear because they see less sun.
Is there moss on roofs near Stony Creek, or just streaks?
Both. Moss follows streaks wherever a plane stays damp, and the north slopes under mature oaks and maples on the southwest side of the township carry it in thick green pads along the shingle edges. The treatment kills it at the root so it loosens and sheds. Pulling it by hand or with a wand tears granules off with the moss.
Is it safe to treat the roof over an old farmhouse in the Washington hamlet?
Yes. The solution goes on at no pressure and never touches anything but shingle, and we rinse the original wood trim and siding below the eaves before any runoff dries on it. Steeper farmhouse roofs get treated from the ladder and the ground rather than walked. If the shingles themselves are worn through, we tell you before quoting.
More in Washington Township
Deeper reading: What Are Those Black Streaks on My Roof? (And Why You Shouldn't Ignore Them) and Moss on Cedar Shake and Wood Roofs: Why It's Deadlier There.
Book Roof Cleaning in Washington Township
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