Roof Cleaning across Blackpool, the Fylde Coast & Lancashire

Different roofs need different methods

There is no single correct way to clean a roof. Concrete interlocking tiles, plain clay tiles, slate and profiled sheets all behave differently, and their age and condition matter as much as the material.

Not every roof should be pressure washed. High pressure can strip the surface from older concrete tiles and drive water under laps. Where scraping is the right approach, specialist scraping tools matched to the tile profile are used so the moss comes away without the tile being damaged.

The process

• Inspection of the roof and its condition before quoting
• Moss removal using tools matched to the tile profile
• Debris cleared from the roof and out of the gutters
• Sodium hypochlorite and biocide applied as part of the cleaning process to slow regrowth
• Work area tidied on completion

What to expect afterwards

A biocide treatment continues to work after the visit, so a roof usually keeps improving in appearance over the following weeks. How long a roof stays clear depends on the aspect, tree cover and local conditions — no honest cleaner can promise a fixed number of years.

If the inspection shows damaged or slipped tiles, or a problem that needs a roofer rather than a cleaner, that is pointed out before work goes ahead.

Small tile repairs noticed during the clean

Working on a roof means being close enough to see things that are not visible from the ground. It is not a roof survey and nothing is guaranteed to be spotted, but where something obvious shows up — a cracked tile, a missing one, a tile that has slipped out of line — you will be told about it rather than left to find out later.

If the repair is a small one and within what Sovereign takes on, it can be discussed there and then and, where you are happy for it to go ahead, dealt with during the same visit. That saves booking a separate trade and waiting another appointment for the sake of a tile or two. Anything beyond that — spreading cracks, sagging, leaks or anything structural — is a job for a roofer, and you will be told so plainly.

Keeping moss from coming straight back

Cleaning a roof deals with what is on it today. How long it stays that way depends on whether the conditions that grew the moss are still there — and some of those can be improved.

• A biocide treatment applied as part of the clean, which keeps working after the visit
• Gutters and downpipes cleared, so debris is not sitting damp against the lowest courses
• Overhanging branches cut back where they keep a pitch permanently shaded and wet
• Blocked or overflowing rainwater goods fixed rather than cleaned around
• Accepting that a north-facing pitch will always regrow faster than a south-facing one

What changes the cost of a roof clean

Roofs are priced after they have been looked at, because the variables are large. Two houses of the same size can be very different jobs.

• Roof size, pitch and the number of separate elevations
• Tile type and condition — fragile coverings take longer and need more care
• How thick the moss is, and how much has to be cleared off and taken away
• Access: scaffolding needs, parking, conservatories, extensions and awkward ground
• Whether gutters need clearing afterwards, which they nearly always do

Roof cleaning in Blackpool, Cleveleys and Thornton-Cleveleys

Local roofs take a particular beating. Damp coastal air keeps pitches wet, and inland around Thornton mature trees keep them shaded, so moss establishes readily in both directions. Being based in Cleveleys means a roof can be looked at properly before anything is quoted, which matters far more here than on hard landscaping.

Roof cleaning and moss removal also travel further — across the Fylde Coast and up to around 50 miles from base for suitable work.