Roof cleaning - process and products

Having just completed a roof clean, this week, in the village of Healing, NE Lincolnshire, and then reading some, frankly, disturbing advice from someone on social media, we thought this may be a good time to verify how we approach roof cleaning and the products we use.

The first consideration for a professional service is how to access the roof tiles to be cleaned.

Usually this will require a temporary tower/platform OR, in the case of larger or more difficult elevations, a cherry picker - walking up and down a roof is not only dangerous but it will void any insurance and the owner may have some liability in the event of an incident.

There are, generally, two methods used by iNEX to clean your roof, and both our options utilise a HSE approved biocide and industry best practices.

1) Scrape and biocide - profiled scraping blades to remove the majority off growth from the tiles followed by biocide to eradicate the remainder

2) Power Wash and biocide - using a specifically designed, low pressure, flat surface cleaner to clean the tile surfaces, using super heated water, achieving a superior ‘instant’ result, and then a biocide application to eradicate any remaining organic growth.

The HSE approved biocides we use are DDAC products (quaternary ammonium compound based) and basically work like a bed of nails that would pop a water balloon and do not bio-accumulate (it’s a bit more technical than that but you get the idea).

In addition, any product that does not react with any organic growth remains on the substrate and will continue to be active against further growth for some time.

We access the roof either from the ground (bungalows) or from a platform (we are PASMA and iPAF accredited) as walking on roof tiles is not recommended, or safe.

Please note that, despite what you may have read, or heard, your roof does need to be maintained (Morley roof tiles website confirms as such), your roof can be pressure washed with the correct equipment and knowledge and the products used are safe WHEN applied correctly.

We hope this short blog is helpful to you and if you are in need of further assistance with cleaning your property please contact us for your free, no obligation quote.

Regards, Simon - iNEX

A roof of a bungalow in Healing,Grimsby being power washed for an instant improvement

A roof in Humberston treated with our HSE approved biocide after cleaned by being power washing method.