Cleaning roof shingles can restore your home's curb appeal. If you know how to clean the roof shingles, you can get rid of those streaks or discolorations that can cause a perfectly good roof to look worn and tattered. Keeping your shingles clean doesn't just make your neighbors happy; it also gets rid of mildew and moss, which ultimately damages shingles to the point where they need to be replaced.
You'll need these supplies: 1 cup liquid chlorine bleach, 1 cup powdered laundry detergent, 1 gallon hot water, a bucket, a garden hose, a pump sprayer, a stiff-bristle broom, a stir stick, and a ladder tall enough for you to reach the roof. For safety: rubber-soled shoes, safety glasses, a harness.
Mix the hot water, bleach, and detergent and pour into the garden sprayer.
Mix the hot water, bleach, and detergent in the bucket until the soap granules dissolve. Pour the mixture into the garden sprayer.
Tip: Clean shingles on a cool, humid, overcast day to ensure that the cleaner doesn’t dry too fast on the roof.
Spray the cleaner on a section of roof and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
Use the sprayer to saturate a strip 3 feet high x 10 feet wide.
Warning: Cleaning roofs is slippery work. Start at the lower portion of the roof, moving up as you clean each lower section. That way, you always stand on dry surface and reduce the chance of slipping.
Scrub the wet section of the roof.
Use a broom to scrub the area as needed to get it clean.
Keep the roof section wet until you finish scrubbing.
If the cleaner begins to dry out, spray on a bit more.
Rinse the cleaned area with fresh water.
Repeat the process until the roof is clean.