If you’ve already bought or are thinking about getting a coated metal roof, you’re definitely aware that it’s a big investment with a lot of benefits, like longevity and durability. But what about if we said that that leaving one thing undone could lead to your roof failing or requiring replacement sooner than expected? Cleaning a painted metal roof provides numerous advantages, but you must do so correctly to avoid harming the metal or its accessories. Also make sure to wear proper gears to prevent slipping.
What You Should Know About Maintaining a Metal Roof
While cleaning metal roofing, there are a few more things to bear in mind:
- Avoiding cleaning the roof on bright, sunny days since the metal panels may become incredibly hot, and you may injure yourself. Metal panels will reflect the light on sunny days, creating a glare that may impair your vision. Of course, your metal roof will get wet once you start cleaning it, but you should avoid doing so on a rainy, rainy day to avoid slipping and falling.
- Only clean what you can reach – Before dragging up cleaning equipment and materials, check to determine how far on your roof you can reach sections that require more attention. Hoses will expand your reach, but if there are locations that are dangerously out of reach, it is preferable not to brush them by hand.
- Never use damaging items on a metal roof, such as wool scrubbers, sandpaper, paint thinners, high-pressure washers, or wire brushes. With items like those, you’ll end up scratching and damaging your panels. At all costs, avoid them!
- Hire an expert if you’re not sure —Hire the best roof cleaning service if you’re nervous about cleaning a metal roof, don’t know how to do something, or just don’t want to do it yourself. They’ll take care of the task while you relax. While hiring a good service will cost more than doing it yourselves, this will save both time and ensure that your roof is in the finest possible condition.
High-Pressure Washer
For eliminating undesired materials from the roof, a pressure washer is by far the most frequent approach. A mild rinse may be all that is needed to remove the crud and filth that has accumulated on the surface in some circumstances.
- Clean the roof with a quick spraying of plain water before using a little detergent or bleach. Begin by using a low-pressure setting on your pressure washer.
- Wash each metal shingle down top to bottom, allowing dirt to fall off the end of the house as it slides down. If you don’t have a pressure washer, you can use an ordinary garden hose, but you’ll have to brush more difficult spots by hand.
Best Techniquefor Cleaning a Metal Roof
- Clean Up Any Extra Leaves or Debris on The Roof
Remove any large debris from your roof before beginning the cleaning procedure, by either hand or with a broom, to ensure you have a clean surface to work with.
- Make your way down from the top of your roof.
Because dirty runoff drips downhill while washing your roof, you should begin at the top and work your way down. Otherwise, unclean water will harm the area below the roof which you just cleaned if it runs down the roof.
- Clean, sanitize, then sanitize some more.
Using a cleaning agent and a brush, clean each panel. To avoid stains, rinse it with clean water right away. Then, using a towel soaked in plain water, wipe the panel again
To wash a metal roof, what should I use?
You’ll be capable of cleaning your roof when standing on the ground, which eliminates the need for a ladder. The instructions are as follows:
- Connect the bottle to a garden hose with the appropriate jet tip.
- The hose tip sprayer’s detachable tip can be utilized for two separate applications
- FAN TIP: For general use and broad surfaces at ground level, this is the best option.
- JET TIP: For distance and height, this is the best choice.
- Wash down neighboring landscaping by turning the black needle counterclockwise to the “WATER” setting.
- Toggle the switch to “ON.”When the dial is set to this position, you won’t be capable of turning it any farther.
- Use Wet & Forget to saturate your roof. Reset the dial to “WATER” and hose down the lawn. You’re finished once you’ve adjusted the dark dial to “OFF.” To clean it, Wet & Forget uses rain and wind.
Taking Care of Difficult Areas
- For persistent spots, combine water and mild detergent.
Fill it up or another bucket with water to clean any spots that don’t come clean with the pressure washer. Mix 0.05 percent mild dish and laundry detergent with every part of water.
- A fabric can be used to clean
To safeguard your roof’s paint and parts, choose a soft material. Material or wire brushes, for example, are abrasive materials to avoid. Expect your roof to be scratched and damaged.
- Use your detergent solution to scrub troublesome areas.
Scrub inside a left-to-right, back-and-forth motion from the panel’s bottom to the top. To avoid stains and film, rinse each panel immediately after cleaning. Clean the panel again with a cloth dipped in plain water.
When dealing with stubborn dirt, go slow but steady and scrape for longer periods of time rather than applying greater pressure. The risk of harming the panel increases as you apply more pressure.
- If necessary, use more powerful cleansers.
If stains or other blemishes persist after scrubbing with the detergent solution, consult the roof’s maker or installer about the use of harsher chemicals, as some would damage the roof’s materials.
Follow the instructions for using whichever cleaning they recommend. Scrub the soiled panels in the same way you scrubbing them with the detergent solution.
