Roof Soft Washing in Northwest Arkansas

The algae is called Gloeocapsa magma. It rides the wind, lands on shaded slopes first, and spreads. The black color is its protective coating, which is why streaks darken over time.

It eats the limestone filler in asphalt shingles, holds moisture against the roof, and raises attic heat. Moss and lichen are worse. Their roots pry shingle edges up and loosen granules.

We inspect from the ground and ladder line, then pre-soak your landscaping below the roofline.

The soft wash solution goes on at low pressure, closer to a heavy mist than a spray. It kills the growth on contact and keeps working after we leave. Streaks usually vanish right away or within days. Moss and lichen die and release over the following weeks, which protects your shingles. Ripping live moss out tears them.

We finish by rinsing gutters, walkways, and plants.

Shingle granules are the wear surface that protects the asphalt from sun. High pressure strips them off by the pound. Once they are gone, the shingles bake and fail years early.

Most shingle makers warn against pressure washing and void warranties over it. Soft washing is the method the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association endorses, and it is the only method we use.

A roof replacement is one of the biggest checks a homeowner writes. Killing the algae that degrades your shingles is cheap by comparison, and most roofs only need it every three to five years.

It matters at sale time too. A streaked roof photographs badly and raises flags at inspection, even when the shingles are fine. A clean roof reads as a maintained home.