First you need to clean-up the house, then you need to clean out the garage and set-up the patio furniture, get the garden going, fertilize the lawn and point up the mortar.

The last thing you’re looking for is yet one more thing to do this spring. But this one’s particularly important. It you don’t clean up your roof after winter had a go at it, you could be asking for premature wear and damage, not to mention a leak.

But spring-cleaning your roof isn’t a simple, straight-forward process. You need to take it one step at a time to make sure you don’t actually create more work for yourself.

Try using the following steps.

1. Get Rid of Any Debris on the Roof

Doing this starts with doing a roof inspection, which we mentioned in our “Springtime Roof Maintenance’ post last year. If, when you are checking out your shingles, you spot any that are raised or with debris actually visible underneath them, you should remove it as soon as possible.

Debris under a shingle, or anywhere on your roof, can damage it in two big ways. While it’s on the roof, the debris can wear away at the protective granules on each shingle. If the debris has managed to get under a shingle and raise it, rain can be blown under the shingle and potentially get into your house.

Remember to check for debris and damage around any flashing on your roof too.

2. Clean the Eavestroughs

Remove all the debris you can from your eavestroughs and then use a hose or pressure washer to remove dirt and asphalt tile granules.

3. Check the Fascia Board and Soffit

Look for marks that might be an indicator that a bird or animal is making a home there or elsewhere in your roof. If you spot any damage, or signs of pests, you’ll probably need to call your roofing contractor for help.

4. Check Inside Your Home

Sometimes moisture will have leaked into your roof and caused a water stain on your ceiling. Check the ceilings immediately under your roof for any brown stains. If you can’t clean them, you may need to paint over them. The stains are not necessarily a sign of a serious leak, especially if the plaster around the stain is still solid. The leakage that produced the stain might have been caused by a one-time occurrence. In any case, any sign of a leak should be inspected by a professional roofer to ensure it is not assign of serious damage.

Yes, you have a lot to do this spring. But you shouldn’t neglect the roof over your head.