Does roof cleaning remove leaves and debris?

A roof collects loose material before anything grows on it. Leaves and limbs land and stay where the slope holds them, and finer dust settles across the surface between them.

The finer layer is where TRI Alliance places the start of growth on tile: on dust and other organic material settled on the surface rather than on the tile itself, a line quoted in full where the black streaks on a roof are explained. A leaf lying on a roof and the film under it are different things, and the documents clear them in different ways.

Trees set the pace for the loose layer, and why a roof gets dirty under trees has its own answer.

The roofing documents give debris its own instructions. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) writes that debris that accumulates on the roof “should be cleared regularly with a leaf blower or similar, non-abrasive method as part of a regular maintenance program.”

• Tile, Eagle Roofing Products. Its owner information says that if objects such as tree limbs, leaves or toys must come off the roof, try a rake, a long stick or another tool.
• Tile, TRI Alliance. Its maintenance guide names leaves and pine needles among the debris to take out of gutters and valleys, for the flow of water.
• Metal, the Metal Roofing Alliance. Its cleaning guide lists clearing gutters, downspouts and large rooftop debris as the first step, ahead of any washing.

Growth gets a different step. ARMA's algae and moss bulletin describes a bleach treatment, after which algae will disappear and wash away with subsequent rains, and moss loosens over time and may then be removed with a leaf blower, the same tool ARMA names for debris. What that treatment does to growth, day by day, is taken up under does soft washing kill the algae or just remove it.

Debris on the roof runs straight into three neighboring questions, and each has its own answer.

Leaves that reach the gutters raise the question of whether a roof can be cleaned when the gutters are full, and a ladder or a solution near those gutters raises whether roof cleaning can damage gutters. Moving debris off a roof without standing on it is part of whether a roof can be cleaned from the ground. Eagle's 2024 spring article adds that trimming branches back reduces debris buildup in gutters and potential mold and algae growth on roof tiles.

A tile cracked under a fallen limb is not debris. TRI Alliance says broken tiles can let water and UV rays reach the underlayment and strongly recommends a professional roofing contractor to repair or replace them, and Eagle says the same of tiles broken by foot traffic.

What a particular job covers is not something the documents decide. Free estimates are available by phone at 239-500-WASH or through the estimate form, whose project details field is the place to mention leaves, limbs or full gutters.