How to Remove Moss from the Roof of Your Home

It’s such a lovely shade of green. But the damage it can do to your roof isn’t lovely at all. As soon as you spot it, you need to remove moss from the roof of your home. Not only will moss growth reduce the life of your asphalt roof, but it can also cause your roof to leak. If you’ve ever had a roof leak, you know that it can result in damage to almost any part of your home.

How to Remove Moss From Your Roof

The first step is simply to keep an eye on your roof. At least twice a year, you should do a visual roof inspection. You’ll spot the first signs of moss in between the roofing tiles. If moss is growing on your roof, take the following steps to get rid of it.

Before you begin, take every precaution needed to work on your roof and use cleaning chemicals. Wear non-slip shoes, rubber gloves and eye protection. Tie yourself off with a security rope. Tie off your ladder.

1. Brush Away Visible Moss – From a spot above the moss growth, spray the moss and the area around it with plain water from your hose. From the same position above the moss, start cleaning the roof with a soft-bristled, long-handled scrub brush. Brush down across the roof tiles to avoid lifting them. Don’t put too much pressure on the brush so you don’t damage the tile. Do Not Use a Pressure Washer – While your roofing tiles can withstand years of exposure to sun, wind, rain and snow, a pressure washer can literally blow them off the roof in a second.
2. Use a Cleaning Solution – If brushing doesn’t get rid of all the moss, you’ll need to use a commercial or homemade cleaning solution. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can mix one of the following into two gallons of water for an effective solution.
   • 8 oz. of dish soap
   • 1 lb. powdered oxygen bleach
   • 1.5 to 3.5 cups of chlorine bleach
   • 1.5 to 3.5 cups of vinegar
     When using your own solution, soak the area with plain water before you use the solution, apply the solution and let it sit for at least half an hour (clean your roof on a cloudy day so that your cleaning solution doesn’t evaporate too quickly). Then brush the area gently and wash it off with water.
     Homemade cleaning solutions can discolour parts of your home and harm your garden plants, so avoid getting it on those areas.
3. Prevent Moss from Returning – To help stop moss from returning, attach a zinc or copper-coated metal strip just below the roof’s peak on all sides of the roof. Copper strips are a more effective moss killer, but zinc costs less.

If you liked this post, check out our last article on the benefits of a modified bitumen roof.