Lake Jackson & the Greater Houston Area
Soft Wash Roof Cleaning in Lake Jackson, TX: Remove Black Streaks Without Damage
Those dark streaks running down your roof are not dirt and they will not wash off in the rain. They are algae, they are alive, and they spread.
“Mr Brown was on time as promised. He did a phenomenal job! Very satisfied customer!! Highly recommended! After and before pics to prove!”
Those Black Streaks Are Algae, and They're Eating Your Shingles
The growth is a blue green algae called Gloeocapsa magma, and it feeds on the limestone filler in asphalt shingles. It holds moisture against the surface, which shortens the life of the roof and makes your attic work harder through a Texas summer.
It starts on the shaded, north facing slope and works its way across. On the Gulf Coast, where humidity keeps the surface damp for most of the year, it establishes faster than it does inland. Catching it early is the cheap version of this job.
- 10 to 15%
- Of a roof's life lost to heavy algae, per shingle industry guidance
- North side
- Where it almost always starts
“Great job, concrete and roof look great! Five stars, crew were super nice dudes!”
Why We Soft Wash Roofs (and Never Pressure Wash Them)
High pressure on shingles strips the granules that protect them. Those granules are the roof. Once they are in your gutters no amount of cleaning brings them back, and you have traded a stained roof for a shortened one.
Soft washing uses a low pressure detergent application instead. The chemistry kills the algae and the rain rinses the rest over the following weeks, which is why a soft washed roof often keeps improving for a month after we leave.
This is not a preference. It is the method the shingle manufacturers themselves specify, and using anything else on an asphalt roof can affect your warranty.
Shingle, Metal and Tile: How We Clean Each
Asphalt shingle gets the standard soft wash with thorough plant protection below, because the runoff has to go somewhere and it lands in your beds.
Metal roofs need a gentler detergent mix so finishes, sealants and fasteners are not affected, and a careful rinse so nothing dries in streaks.
Tile is soft washed with extra attention to footing and to the mortar between pieces, which is often older and more fragile than the tile itself.
Before and After: Roofs We've Cleaned
Same roof, same day. The streaking is algae, and this is what happens when it is killed at the root rather than blasted off.
We Clean Roofs, We Don't Replace Them
Worth saying plainly, because people find us searching for roof work: Brown's cleans roofs. We do not install, repair or replace them.
If a wash reveals a problem up there, cracked flashing, a lifted shingle, a soft spot, we will tell you exactly what we saw and where. You can then call a roofer with better information than you had before, and no pressure from us.
Roof Cleaning Cost
Roof soft washing generally runs between $250 and $1,000. Pitch, square footage, and how long the algae has had to establish are the drivers. An average single story shingle roof with moderate streaking lands around $350 to $650.
Roofs are also where a maintenance plan pays for itself fastest, because keeping algae from establishing is far cheaper than resetting a roof every five years.
Get Your Roof Quote
Send the address and a photo of the worst slope and you will get a firm number back, usually without a site visit.
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