In the northern hemisphere moss tends to grow on the north side of a tree and possibly any solid structure such as shown in this photo, a roof over a backyard Gazebo. Not all of us have a Gazebo, but hopefully many of us have a roof. If you do and if there is moss growing on it, here are some ways to remove it.
You may question, “Why is it necessary to remove shingle roof moss?” The reason is that if moss is growing on an asphalt shingled roof it will raise the upper shingles from the ones below and allow rain water to penetrate up and under the shingles possibly creating roof leaks.
Now I don’t recommend any homeowner climbing a ladder to attempt to remove moss from the roof. I much prefer that you hire a qualified professional home improvement contractor such as FRED, The First Name in Home Improvement to take care of this for you. If that is what you intend to do then you can stop reading and call me, Dan Halpern at 301-229-9657.
If not, here are some tips in how to remove moss from your roof. There are many products available from places like Home Depot, Lowe’s or Walmart that are capable of killing moss, algae or lichens which are growing on your roof. There are numerous products such as “Wet and Forget” or “Spray and Forget”. If you use these products the manufacturer suggests that if the product does not work in the first application then wait for the next rain and it will re-activate the product each time it rains. Therefore spray in the Fall and continue to spray and by Spring the moss will be gone. There are many reviews which stand behind such products.
If you are someone that wants to have an environmentally safe attack on roof moss then I recommend using a product called Blue Bear EBC2 Exterior Surface Cleaner which is a blend of natural fruit acids and super infused surfactants. It is ideal for cleaning building exteriors and removing efflorescence, cement film, lime and mortar residues, moss and algae and environmental dirt. If you are a Washington DC resident, this product can be purchased at Amicus Green Building Center on Howard Avenue in Kensington, Maryland, a unique supplier of environmentally suitable products that really work.
Whatever you do, don’t let the moss continue to grow on your shingled roof.
