How To Clean Mold Off Of Roof Shingles

Algae is a single celled organism while moss is not.

How to clean mold off of roof shingles.

Extensive mold growth can also expose the interior of your attic or crawlspace to mold spores carrying the problem over to the inside not to worry though because you can clean the mold off with basic household bleach and save. Prevention makes stain cleaning much easier later on. Not only is it unattractive it can actually shorten the life of your shingles so you really should get rid of it. Then use a long handled brush to scour the surface of the shingles and loosen stuck on mold while it s dry and brittle.

Tackle the gutters too so that water drains freely. The black mold like stains and streaks that appear on roofs particularly light colored asphalt shingles is actually a blue green algae gloeocapsa magma. But once the algicide wears off your roof hosts an all you can eat buffet for the neighborhood algae spores. Moss those green feathery clumps you may see forming on the roof is a different type of plant and isn t the same thing as algae or mold.

Mold won t form on a roof because it s allergic to sunlight and as soon as the ambient temperature surrounding the mold becomes dry the mold dies. Commonly found in climates with warm humid summers it does no damage to the roofing but it certainly does looks bad. Mold or mildew makes black ugly streaks on a roof. To clean mold off a roof start by putting on rubber gloves a breathing mask and goggles to protect yourself from the harsh cleaning chemicals.

The debris including fallen branches and leaves provides a moist environment for moss and algae. How to clean mold off a roof. Mold stains can form on roof shingles that are in permanent shade. It should be picked up swept off or blown off regularly to avoid facilitating the growth.

Using shingles that have been treated with algicide keeps the growth at bay for about 10 years thus the 10 year algae warranty. Oxygen bleach lightens stains as well and is less harmful to the environment but it doesn t produce as immediate or dramatic an effect as chlorine bleach. So it pays to clean your shingles as soon as you spot algae growth. A mixture of trisodium phosphate tsp bleach and water will also remove stains.