Roof Cleaning in Newport News, VA

Black streaks running down the shaded slopes are the most common reason we get called. Those streaks are Gloeocapsa magma algae. It feeds on the roof and spreads each humid season. It will not rinse off with a hose, and it does not fade on its own.

Green patches, moss along the shingle edges, and crusty gray or green spots of lichen also fit this service. Moss holds water against the shingles and can lift tab edges as it grows. Lichen grips the granules. We treat both with a soft wash solution and give it time to release its hold.

Roof cleaning also fits before you sell, before you wash the house, and when stains from the roof start showing up as tiger striping on the gutters. If the siding is also green or black, we can clean it the same visit with house soft washing.

Some roofs do not need cleaning yet. A few faint streaks on one slope may wait a season. If shingles are curling, missing, or bare of granules, cleaning will not fix that. We tell you what we see before we mix anything.

We start on the ground. We walk the house, check the roof from each side, and mark the slopes with the heaviest growth. We check the gutters, the downspouts, and the plants, beds, and lawn under the roof edges.

Next we pre-wet the plants and grass below the drip line. Wet foliage takes up less solution. We cover tender plantings where runoff will collect and move grills, cushions, and planters away from the eaves.

On the roof, we work in a roof harness where the pitch and height call for it. We apply the soft wash solution with low-pressure application. The solution does the cleaning. We do not blast shingles, because high pressure strips granules and shortens the life of an asphalt shingle roof.

Then we let the solution dwell. Algae streaks usually lighten during this time. Moss and lichen take longer, and heavy growth may need a second application.

We finish at the gutters. We do a gutter line rinse, flush the downspouts, and rinse the plants and beds again. We manage runoff so solution does not sit in beds or pool on concrete. Moss and lichen keep dying and loosening for days or weeks after the visit, and rain carries off the dead growth.

Roof pitch and height change how we set up. A low, walkable one-story roof goes faster than a steep two-story roof that needs harness anchors and careful footing. Some steep sections we treat from a ladder at the roof edge.

Growth type changes the solution strength and dwell time. Light black streaks clean with one pass. Thick moss mats and heavy lichen need a stronger mix, longer dwell, and sometimes a return visit to remove loosened growth by hand.

Shade changes how fast stains come back. Slopes under mature trees stay damp longer and grow algae again sooner. Overhanging branches also drop leaves and pollen that clog gutters, so we clear what blocks our rinse path.

Landscaping around the house changes our pre-wetting and covering. Beds of tender plants under every eave take more time than a plain lawn edge.

Roof condition changes whether we clean at all. We note loose, cracked, or missing shingles and tell you before we start. We clean asphalt shingle roofs. If your roof is another material, tell us when you call.

Newport News runs along the James River. Homes near Huntington Park, near Riverview Farm Park where the Warwick River and Deep Creek meet above the James, and along the waterfront at the end of Jefferson Avenue sit in damp river air much of the year. Summers here bring long stretches of warm, humid air and heavy rain. Algae and moss grow fast in that.

Most houses in the city are single-family homes, and many sit under mature trees. Along Warwick Boulevard and around Newport News Park, shade keeps north-facing slopes wet into the afternoon. Those are the slopes where we find the darkest streaks and the thickest moss.

Pollen season leaves a yellow film on the roof and in the gutters each spring. We rinse the gutter lines after treatment so pollen and dead growth do not sit and stain the gutter faces.

We also clean roofs in Hampton, Yorktown, and Tabb. We check each roof for its own shade and growth. Two houses on the same street can need different work.

Will you pressure wash my roof?

No. We use low-pressure application and a soft wash solution. Pressure washing strips shingle granules and can loosen shingles. For more on the difference, read soft washing or pressure washing.

Will the solution hurt my plants?

We pre-wet plants before we apply solution, cover tender plantings where runoff collects, and rinse them again when we finish. Pre-wetting and rinsing are part of every roof job we do.

How long until the streaks are gone?

Black algae streaks lighten as the solution breaks down the growth. Moss and lichen die off over the following days and weeks, and rain washes the dead growth off the roof.

How often does a roof need cleaning here?

It depends on shade and exposure. Shaded roofs near water streak again sooner than open, sunny roofs. We tell you what we see on your roof and when the growth is likely to return. For more on why it grows, see mildew and algae on exteriors.

Do you clean gutters and windows too?

We rinse the gutter line and flush downspouts during roof cleaning. We also offer window cleaning, pressure washing for driveways and walks, and deck and fence cleaning.

Call (757) 697-5416 or request an estimate for roof cleaning in Newport News. Tell us which slopes have streaks, moss, or lichen and whether trees hang over the roof. We will check the roof, tell you what it needs, and put the work in writing.