By Julius Marchi (@jmventurelog)
Last Edited: 1/15/24
An Entry Level Guide On How To Wash Roofs
Disclaimer
This PDF guide is intended solely for informational purposes and does not provide advice on roof safety. While it covers the equipment and processes
required for roof washing, it does not offer guidance on personal safety measures or precautions. Roof work can be hazardous, and individuals
attempting roof-related activities should always prioritize their safety and the safety of others. We strongly recommend consulting with roofing
professionals or relevant experts to ensure proper safety protocols are followed when working at heights or engaging in roof-related tasks. The
information presented in this guide should not be construed as a substitute for professional advice, and the creators of this guide disclaim any liability
for any actions taken based on the information provided.
INTRO
If you're reading this, you’re most likely thinking about starting an exterior cleaning
business, have a business already, or just want to see what roof washing is all about.
Regardless, this will give you all the knowledge you need to get started making money
washing roofs the proper way.
If you haven't already, check out my free Soft Washing Simplified PDF if you're
completely new to the exterior cleaning game.
Let's get right into it…
Here is what I will be covering in this PDF:
1 Understanding The Service
2 How To Sell It | Setting Expectations
3 Equipment Needed To Get Started
4 How To fulfill The Service Properly
1 Understanding The Service | What Is Roof Washing?
Before we get into anything, let me first explain what roof washing is not because there
is a lot of false information out there.
We are not getting on roofs with pressure washers and blasting away at the shingles
with high pressure. This is not safe and will damage the shingles, possibly leading to
bigger issues requiring costly roof repairs.
The whole point of roof
washing and why it is a high
ticket service is that it not
only increases the curb
appeal of the home by
making the roof look better
but it will also prevent
deterioration of the shingles
to allow for a longer lasting roof.
The Process
The process we utilize to effectively & safely wash roofs is known as a soft washing
process. To give you a brief summary, the process involves a gentle application of a
chemical called Sodium Hypochlorite (bleach) mixed with water and surfactant, to the
roof. The chemical will then dwell on the roof for about 10-20 min to kill all fungal
growths where it then gets rinsed off with fresh water. It usually takes 2-3 applications to
get a result like the one shown above. No high pressure is ever used throughout the
process and the shingles are not harmed in any way. This is the recommended cleaning
process for asphalt shingle roofs by the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers
Association(ARMA).
I will get more into the nitty gritty of actually carrying out the service in part 4 of this PDF.
2 How To Sell It | Setting Expectations
There are a few main selling points to touch on that will help you advertise the service &
close customers. First being that this is the actual recommended cleaning process by
ARMA, as stated above. The figure below is an excerpt from asphaltroofing.org that
explains this process as “the most effective method of cleaning algae and moss from a
roof.” Just wanted to throw that in there so you can be confident that I'm not talking out
of my ass. So that's touchpoint #1, which is brought up with every single one of our roof
washing clients.
You want to have people's best interests in mind.
Many people don't care about some moss or
streaking on their roof, but they start to care once
they realize that those fungal growths are
deteriorating their roof and by getting a soft wash
treatment they can can actually end up saving tons
of money and headache in the long run by
preventing the need for a roof repair/replacement
anytime soon. It should be a routine maintenance
task for homeowners and you need to convey that to
them.
The best time to get a roof treated is when these black fungal streaks called
Gloeocapsa magma start to form. The growths live off of the limestone in the shingles
and dwell in humid, shady areas. Therefore, 1 or 2 sides of the roof will typically be
worse than the others from a lack of sunlight exposure. It is important to treat roofs
before moss starts to form because moss will root itself into and under the shingles, trap
water, and eat away the protective layer of granules. This can lead to costly roof repairs
if not taken care of.
Moss takes time to come off once it is treated, usually about 2-3 months or longer
depending on how bad the moss growth is. That is why if there is any moss or lichen
growth on the roof, you HAVE TO be SUPER TRANSPARENT with your client in letting
them know that once it is all treated and killed, it will need a few months of rain and sun
exposure to loosen up, and fall off the roof naturally. Forceful removal with a pressure
washer or brush will damage the shingles further so you have to reinforce that to your
clients multiple times so there’s no confusion.
It will concern some potential clients that the moss/lichen will not come off immediately,
so how we combat this is by providing our clean roof guarantee that states that we will
come back after 3 months and re-treat the roof at no cost if the moss hasn’t come off or
if the roof doesn’t look significantly better. Out of hundreds of roof washes, we’ve had
not even a handful of roofs that we’ve had to go back to re-treat. This is incredibly
important and really eases the minds of the clients.
Lastly, before you clean any roof you want to make sure the gutters are cleaned out and
clog free so we use that as a selling point that all roof washes include a free gutter
cleanout. If you really need to you can add a little extra to your topline price to account
for the extra time but it's usually not significant enough to eat at your margins being that
you're already up there. It's all about perceived value.
Also, people are often very concerned about their plants/vegetation around their
property dying from the roof detergent so just simply explaining the extra precautionary
measures you take to pre-wet and post rinse everything in the area with fresh water to
dilute any overspray, will go a long way in closing jobs.
Main selling points:
1) We utilize the recommended cleaning process by the Asphalt Roofing
Manufacturers Association to ensure your roof is properly cleaned & not harmed
in the process.
2) Keeping your roof clean will help prevent any issues that would result in costly
roof repairs/replacement.
3) All fungal growths and streaking will be treated and cleared up to bring back the
consistent color of the roof increasing curb appeal.
4) We guarantee the roof will look way better or we’ll come back in 3 months to
check it out and re-treat it if needed.
5) Free gutter cleaning with every roof wash.
6) Extra precautionary measures are taken to protect plants/the property (very
common concern for people).
You will also want to make sure you are fully licensed (Requirements vary from state to
state) and insured.
3 Equipment Needed To Get Started
My recommendations for equipment to
get started with will vary depending on if
you have a truck/trailer where you can
mount a machine/how much money you
have to spend. For the purposes of this
PDF I will make it as beginner friendly as
possible and show you exactly the equipment we started with when we were working
out of the back of a Honda CRV.
First things first, let's start with the biggest expense… The soft wash machine.
There are many kits you can buy and put together for a cost effective setup so I would
do some research, however, we started with the NorthStar Portable Soft Wash System
shown to the right. This machine is currently $420 on northerntool.com, but you will also
have to purchase a 12V battery for it. This is not the most efficient machine, and you will
definitely want to upgrade when you can, however, it is a great machine to start with.
Super simple, super portable/compact, and it will make you
money.
Next you will need a ladder. If you have a truck that you can
strap a ladder to, I’d recommend a 28ft extension ladder with a
stabilizer. If you don’t have the means to carry a big ladder, you
can start with a gorilla ladder that can fold up and fit in or on
pretty much any car. This 22ft Gorilla ladder is currently $239
at Home Depot and will allow you to do most 1 story homes
pretty easily.
Next you will need a scrub brush with an extendable handle
in case you need to softly remove excessive, large clumps of
moss, dirt, or other debris. A small, versatile leaf blower will
also be needed. We use the electric EGO blower. You do
NOT want to be using a backpack blower while climbing up and down ladders…Super
heavy and sketchy.
Now you will also need some personal protective
equipment (PPE) to keep you safe while working with
chemicals. You will need protective work glasses
(preferably foam/rubber insulated work glasses for full
eye protection), along with chemical resistant gloves,
head/neck covering, long sleeve shirt, and work pants. A
chemical rated respirator is also a NECESSITY.
Now you will need your cleaning solution. Sodium
Hypochlorite(SH), which is the chemical concentrate of
bleach, is the industry standard roof cleaning detergent. You can get it from Lowes,
Walmart, Home Depot, etc. in the form of pool shock. As you grow your business, you
can get it in bulk from chemical suppliers, however, these are the bottles that made us
our first six figures in this business. It comes in 10% or 12% concentrate but you will
dilute it down to 3%-6% for roof washes. I will go over ratios in part 4.
A sodium hypochlorite enhancer/surfactant is also
recommended to help the chemical stick to steep roofs while
also covering up the pungent smell of the chemical.
You will also need to get a garden hose(recommended 75 ft+)
if you don't have one already with any spray nozzle on the end
of it. This is so you can pre-wet and post soak all vegetation
and siding in the area to dilute any overspray and make sure
nothing is damaged by the chemical.
Equipment List:
-
Soft wash machine
Ladder
Brush + Extendable handle
Leaf Blower
PPE (Respirator, gloves, eyewear, work pants, long sleeves, hat, etc)
Sodium Hypochlorite + Surfactant
5 gal Bucket (For cleaning out gutters)
4 How To Fulfill The Service
Setup
First, let's get the chemical ratios out of the way. When washing a roof, we are usually
spraying a 3% mix of sodium hypochlorite onto the roof.
This is enough to kill any fungal growths effectively.
However, sometimes a stronger mix like a 4, 5 or
sometimes 6% mix is needed. We increase the mix if the
roof is wet already from rain or something else, or if it's
early/late season and it's a bit cold out (SH can be less
effective in colder climates). If the roof is covered in lichen
as shown in the right, you will also want to use a slightly stronger mix due to the
stubbornness of the growth.
So here are the dilutions for a 12% bottle of SH:
6%
1:1 → Water:SH
4%
2:1 → Water: SH
3%
3:1 → Water: SH
So let's say you want to make 10 gallons of a 3% mix.
→ 7.5 gallons of water : 2.5 gallons of SH.
**It is recommended to add 1oz of surfactant/1 gallon of mix**
The Roof Washing Process
Step 1: Check The Vicinity
When you get to your job site you first want to make sure there is nothing around that
will get stained or damaged by the chemical
- For example: Wooden furniture/decks, anything canvas or
cloth, plants/vegetation, cars, electricals, etc.
Also pay attention to where the gutter downspouts lead to. If they
go right into the grass or near plants, you will need to heavily
pre-rinse and post rinse those areas.
Make sure all windows are closed as well to prevent chemical
smells getting into the house.
Lastly, determine where you want to start as well as all the safest, flat areas for your
ladder placements.
Step 2: Clear The Roof & Gutters
After your ladder has been set up, brush & blow any loose
debris off the roof. If there is excessive moss growth, brush
any big pieces off lightly but not too much. Excessive brushing will remove granules
from the shingles.
If you can’t reach the moss with the brush, don’t worry the soft wash treatment will take
care of it.
Use the leaf blower to blow off the rest of the loose debris on the roof, and make sure all
the gutters are cleaned out and the downspouts are clog free.
Step 3: Pre-rinse
After anything that could potentially get damaged has been removed from the area,
pre-rinse everything around with fresh water. Mainly grass/vegetation, any decks/patios,
and the siding of the house near where you will be spraying the chemical.
While you are treating the roof you’ll want somebody to be spraying down any
overspray with the garden hose simultaneously.
Step 4: Treat The Roof
Prime your soft wash machine and start coating the roof
generously top to bottom. Make sure you do not miss any
spots.
Let the chemical dwell on the roof for about 20 min then rinse
it down with water.
If there is moss on the roof it should all be white now meaning
that it's dead. If there are still black/brown streaks on the roof,
treat it again, let it dwell, then rinse.
Repeat this process until the streaks are all
gone, it should only take about 2, sometimes 3
applications.
**Make sure everything in the vicinity is being sprayed with fresh water before, during,
and after the process**
After your last application, make sure you thoroughly rinse down the roof with fresh
water. This will help loosen up some of the moss and minimize the smell of the chemical
from lingering.
Step 5: Complete The Job
Make sure there is no more streaking on the roof, all moss is dead/white, and all
overspray has been rinsed off the house with fresh water.
Let the client know your done (If there is moss, reinforce that it has all been treated and
now just needs some time to loosen up and fall off naturally)
5 Wrap Up
As you can tell it is not a very complicated service. Once you do it a few times and get
confident with the results you can provide, it naturally becomes a lot easier to sell.
Most of your focus will be on safety, property protection, and setting expectations as you
can see. This is a service that is just starting to gain traction so it still requires a lot of
market education & you understanding how to sell it.
If you are wondering how we run the whole backend of our business seamlessly, then
check out my favorite CRM Jobber! You can get a free trial with a discount on your first
few months with my link! → https://go.getjobber.com/jmventurelog
Join the Service Scholars Community!
Follow me on all socials!
@jmventurelog
https://twitter.com/jmventurelog
Cheers!