Roof cleaning and moss removal

For roofs with established moss — visible cushions, sprouting growth, clearly lifting tile edges — we scrape and brush each tile manually, working in a controlled pattern from ridge to eaves. All debris is bagged at the gutter line; nothing is left to wash into downpipes. We do not use pressure washers on roof tiles. High-pressure water will strip the granular coating from concrete tiles and reduce their lifespan by years, and most reputable manufacturers void their warranties if pressure washing is used.

After the moss is off, the gutters are cleared and rinsed, and a biocide treatment is applied to the full roof to kill the spores in the tile pores and slow regrowth.

If your roof is greening but not yet mossy, a soft-wash biocide treatment is often the right call. We apply a measured sodium hypochlorite solution at low pressure across the full slope. Over the following weeks and months, rain washes the dead algae away and the tiles return to their original colour. The treatment lasts five to ten years on most roofs in this climate.

We do not walk on roofs unnecessarily. For most domestic roofs we work from a roof ladder hooked over the ridge, with a separate stand-off access ladder. For steep, fragile or high roofs we use scaffold towers or a MEWP. Every job has its own risk assessment; we'll always tell you up front if your roof needs scaffold rather than ladders, because the cost difference is real and you should know before you decide.

Roof cleaning is priced on the roof area in square metres, the pitch, the moss coverage, the access and height, and whether you need a full manual clean or a treatment only. A standard semi-detached concrete-tile roof with moderate moss is typically a one-to-two-day job. Steeper, larger or fragile roofs take longer and may need additional access kit.