Roof Cleaning

ROOF CLEANING IN ANNAPOLIS, MD | ADWELL SERVICES

Proudly offering professional Soft Wash Roof Cleaning services to Annapolis, Edgewater, Bowie, Millersville, Severna Park and all surrounding areas!

Do you realize that the black streaks on your roof are not just unsightly, but that they are actually algae that feeds on the shingles? In fact, algae, moss, and lichen growing on a roof are a leading cause of premature failure?

Why Should I Clean My Roof?

Algae & mildew (green & black streaks) growing on a roof feed on the shingles. While there is some discussion as to whether this damages the shingles or not, they are certainly unsightly. In addition, they are the precursor to moss & lichen.

Moss & lichen put down roots, so they do damage the shingles & shorten the life of the roof. Many insurance companies are now requiring that the growth be destroyed in order to insure the home.

How Should My Roof Be Cleaned?

Pressure washing a roof causes irreversible damage to the shingles. A non-pressure (or soft-wash) method is the correct method to use. The goal is to destroy the growth without damaging the shingles.

A professional biodegradable detergent that includes a surfactant to keep it in place is applied to the roof. This method safely destroys the growth without displacing the granules of the shingles. Within a short time the detergent degrades & the dead growth washes away over time.

What Should I Expect With Roof Cleaning?

It would be really great if we could just squirt a little detergent on your roof and years of growth would simply evaporate. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t work that way.

Here’s what you should expect: Once we treat your roof, all growth will be dead, causing no further damage to the shingles. However, the growth will take some time to rinse safely from your roof.

Black streaks (algae) turn light brown or disappear when treated, & typically rinse down within a few rains. Moss turns white or light brown. However, because moss has roots it takes longer to rinse from the roof. Lichen turns white or tan when treated. Lichen have even heartier roots & take the longest of all to disappear, sometimes several months or longer.

WHAT TO EXPECT WITH ROOF CLEANING?

It would be really great if we could just squirt a little detergent on your roof and years of growth would simply evaporate. However, that simply isn’t how it works.

So, here’s what you should expect: Once we treat your roof, all growth will be dead, causing no further damage to the shingles. However, the growth will take some time to rinse safely from your roof.

Why not simply rinse the growth from the roof when we clean it? There are a several reasons:

Rinsing the roof increases the risk of dislodging shingle granules & damaging the roof.
Because some growth has roots in the shingles, granules would be removed along with the growth, much like pulling weeds in a garden.
We prefer to allow the detergent to neutralize on the roof to minimize the risk of damage. This typically happens in 12-24 hours.

*While we recommend not rinsing the roof, we do offer rinsing in cases where time is of the essence, such as when a home is being sold.

FAQ On Our Roof Cleaning Process

How often should my roof be cleaned?

That depends on the condition of your roof & the environment around your home. Algae, moss, & lichen grow best in shaded areas. Most roofs stay clean for 3-5 years.

Do you offer a warranty?

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Only part of my roof has growth. Do I need to clean the entire roof?

While algae may only be visible growing on part of the roof, it is present on the entire roof. The visible areas have the highest concentration of algae. Treating part of the roof may cause the growth to come back more quickly. This is the reason we don’t offer a warranty on partial roof cleaning.

In addition, there is often more growth present than can be seen from the ground. Algae, moss, lichen can be present in areas that are obscured from view.

With that said, the decision is yours. We offer a full roof package & a package that covers up to 1/2 of the roof. The 1/2 roof package is often used by homeowners who want to improve the curb appeal of their house when they put it up for sale.

Will cleaning my roof damage my landscaping?

The biodegradable detergent we use to destroy the growth on the roof has the ability to damage growth on the ground. As a result, we take professional measures to protect your landscaping. These include using a professional surfactant to keep the solution from running off as much as possible, using water to dilute overspray, & bagging downspouts when necessary.

Despite these measures, occasionally a few leaves may turn brown. We do our best to avoid this, & typically the landscaping does fine.

See What Our Neighbors Are Saying

"It is so refreshing to deal with a company that clearly quotes their services, quickly schedules an appointment, shows up on time, and has such delightful technicians. I never worry about their work because it is always superb! I've used Adwell Services several times before and did not hesitate to have them back. Recently I had the roof, siding and gutters attended to. I'll be back again and again. Thanks!"

"I hired Adwell Services to clean my gutters and power wash the driveway and front steps. The arrived on schedule and were professional and courteous, completing the project in a timely manner. I was most impressed, however, by Adwell Services response to some issues that surfaced after the initial visit. Adwell Services came out at once to address some minor problems, including a downspout that was still clogged, that surfaced after their visit. The rep cleared the downspout clog and the company agreed to reimburse me for the cost of some garden plants that were killed by the power washing. Problems can happen in any project. Adwell Services was one of the best companies I've seen for addressing problems. I'd recommend them any time."

"As always the house looks great after Adwell comes to clean! The team at Adwell Services is not just thorough at what they do, but flexible and professional. You get what you pay for when you hire them for a service."

"Communication was very good. They showed up on time and did a great job! What else could you want."

"Highly recommend. Honestly had a little sticker-shock at first but couldn't be happier with the completed work. Everybody on site was a true professional making me completely comfortable that they were going through my house, room-to-room. I will not hesitate to use again."