How To Clean A Metal Roof Without Slipping

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Metal roofs are relatively easy to clean with patience. In about cases, all you need is pressurized h2o, just sometimes you lot may need a chemical cleaner for especially tough spots. Most of import, though, is to have some rubber precautions before attempting to clean to reduce the take chances of injury.^[1] One time yous do, you tin can then nail away any dirt and grime with water and follow upward with some targeted scrubbing for whatever stubborn clay.

1. 1

   Expect for dry weather and overcast skies. Avoid cleaning your roof in directly sunlight. Keep in listen that metal and light-colored paint will reflect sunlight and create glare, which may drastically reduce your vision. If the layout of your roof requires you to climb onto information technology, do so when it's dry out out to reduce the chance of slipping.^[2]

   • Of grade, once you start washing your roof, it will get wet and pose a risk. However, information technology's still a smart thought to reduce that run a risk every bit much as possible.

2. 2

   Clean merely those areas that are easily reached. Before you haul all of your gear up, set up upward your ladder. Climb onto the roof and judge your ability to reach all of its parts. If you feel that certain parts are likewise precarious for you to safely reach, err on the side of caution and practice non attempt to clean information technology.^[iii]

   • Keep in heed that your power washer or hose will extend your achieve considerably. If whatever out-of-attain areas await like they need scrubbing later, hire a professional person to do so.

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3. 3

   Have a partner. Practise not endeavour to wash your roof lonely. Whether y'all need to mount the roof itself or can do the chore from a ladder, play it safe. Enquire someone to spot you so they tin:^[4]

   • Aid you in bringing gear up and down.
   • Alert you to any hazards that you lot may not be aware of.
   • Call for help in the event of an accident.

4. 4

   Secure yourself. Protect yourself from a autumn. Article of clothing a safety harness. Attach a safety line between that and a sturdy feature of your roof (like a chimney).^[five] If none are available, apply either a:^[6]

   • Bolt-strap anchor for corrugated roofs.
   • Ridge clamp for standing-seam roofs.

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1. 1

   Favor using plain water over chemical cleaners. Expect clean water alone to become the chore done near of the fourth dimension. Salvage yourself the time and coin and use chemic cleaners only when absolutely necessary.^[seven] Wait these to leave behind streaks and film if you lot don't thoroughly rinse them off.^[8]

   • Rinsing your roof with h2o at to the lowest degree once a year should reduce the need for using chemical cleaners.

2. 2

   Use pressure. ^[9] Don't expect a simple splash of h2o to accomplish much. Use pressurized water to blast dirt away. For a light job, kickoff by using your garden hose and a wand or spray nozzle attachment and see if its jet setting is strong enough to work. If not, rent or invest in a ability washer and use that instead.^[x]

3. three

   Articulate a path first. Avert stepping straight onto dirt, crud, and debris. Treat any cloth other than the roof itself as unstable. Before climbing onto or advancing along your roof, use your hose or power washer to articulate a path for yourself to reduce the chance of slipping.^[xi]

   • If you lot take to start clear a path in order to attach rubber lines and other gear to the roof, look until the done path has stale before climbing onto the roof.

4. 4

   Outset from the top if possible and blast downwards. Brand washing easier by cleaning the highest points first then the dirty runoff flows over nevertheless-to-cleaned sections. Continue blasting dirt and debris by advancing downward along the roof's slope while steadily pushing clay and debris downwards toward its border. Even so:^[12]

   • Roof designs vary greatly, then don't care for this every bit an absolute must. If your roof is particularly steep and/or has sections well out of achieve, ever opt for safety and hose it down from a lower, safer point.

5. v

   Work slowly and patiently. Don't rush the job. Opt for a slow and steady approach to ensure safe. Accelerate along your roof at a safe step while minding your ground at all times to minimize the adventure of slipping.^[thirteen]

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1. ane

   Mix water and mild detergent for stubborn areas. ^[14] For any areas that don't wash away with pressurized water, fill a bucket or other container with water. For every office water, combine 0.05 role mild dish or laundry detergent.^[fifteen]

2. two

   Use a material or sponge to clean. Opt for something soft to protect your roof's paint and parts. Avoid using more abrasive materials like steel wool or wire brushes. Expect these to scratch and otherwise impairment your roof.^[16]

3. 3

   Scrub trouble areas with your detergent solution. Soak your fabric or sponge in the water/detergent mixture. Scrub from the bottom of the panel upwardly in a left-to-right, dorsum-and-forth fashion. Once each panel is clean, rinse it immediately with clean water to foreclose streaks and motion-picture show. Then wipe the panel once more with a fabric or sponge soaked in patently water.^[17]

   • With persistent dirt that refuses to come off, go irksome and steady and scrub for longer rather than employ more pressure to speed things up. The more pressure level you add together, the greater the risk of damaging the panel.

4. four

   Repeat with stronger cleaners if necessary. If stains or other eyesores remain no longer how yous scrub with your detergent solution, check with the roof's manufacturer or installer about using stronger agents, since some may harm the roof, depending on its materials.^[18] Whichever cleaner they recommend, follow its directions regarding use. Scrub the dingy panels in question in the aforementioned way that you did with your detergent solution.^[19]

   • If the cleaner has bleach as an ingredient, rinse the scrubbed area with clean water immediately afterward. Do not wait until you complete a whole panel as you did with the detergent. Rinse all panels again when the unabridged chore is finished.
   • A bleach and water mixture volition work well for killing any moss on your roof.^[20]

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• Question

  What can I employ to kill moss on my roof?

  

  Allen Lee
  Abode Improvement Specialist

  Allen Lee is a Domicile Comeback Specialist and the Owner of Honest Lee Handyman Services, a licensed and insured handyman business servicing Sacramento, California, and surrounding areas. Working with homeowners and businesses to get their small-scale repairs done in a timely and efficient manner, Honest Lee Handyman Services provides gutter and dryer vent cleaning along with fixture, fence, drywall, and toilet repairs.

  

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Things You lot'll Need

• H2o
• Ability washer or hose with spray nozzle or wand zipper
• Balmy detergent (optional)
• Cloth or sponge (optional)
• Extension ladder
• Partner
• Safety harness and line
• Bolt-strap anchor or ridge clench

About This Article

Article Summary 10

To clean a metal roof, wait for a dry, overcast day, and make sure y'all accept a partner to help you lot for safety reasons. When yous're ready to get started, spray your roof using a garden hose with a spray nozzle zipper, starting at the top of the roof and blasting downward then the dingy h2o runs off the sides. If there are whatsoever stubborn stains that the hose won't remove, scrub them with soapy h2o using a sponge. Only use harsher cleaners, similar bleach, equally a last resort since they can damage your roof. To acquire how to safely climb onto a roof to clean it, read on!

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