Apart from interfering with the beauty and durability of your roof, moss also poses serious health risks to you and your family. To avoid all these, you should always try to get rid of moss from your roof early enough before it spreads beyond control. Even though removing moss from the roof can be a bit challenging, there are a number of effective techniques that if used correctly, can help you greatly in eliminating the harmful plant. Some of these techniques include:
1. Power Washing Method
Using a power spray is one of the best methods of getting rid of moss from the roof. Due to the high pressure being exerted on the roof by water, you need to be very careful when using this method. This is due to the fact that apart from removing moss from the roof, the pressure also loosens your roofing materials which can cause sliding. For best results, do not spray at one point for long. Stop pressure-washing once the roots become loose and then use a wire brush to sweep the weakened moss away from the roof. While pushing off the moss from the roof, be careful not to apply more force on the roof than necessary.
2. Use of Herbicides and Bleach
Due to the fact that moss is a plant, it can easily be killed or controlled by the use of herbicides. You should be very cautious while spraying herbicides on the roof because they not only contain various chemical components that are dangerous to moss, but to other types of plants as well. In order to protect the other plants growing on the ground below the roof from the effects of herbicides, you should cover them using a tarp or canvas before you begin spraying. Start by spraying the herbicide and sweeping off dead moss from the top of the roof as you come down. This is to allow you to walk on dry of tiles and shingles and not on herbicide-filled moss.
3. Getting Help From Nature
Moss thrives on moist roof usually shaded from the sun by tall vegetation. Even though you cannot control nature’s moisture, you can be able to reduce or eliminate the shade preventing sunlight from reaching the roof. By cutting down all tall trees or other types of vegetation surrounding your homestead, you can affect the growth of moss on your roof. Without the tall vegetation, sunlight will easily reach the roof and keep it dry, denying moss the chance to grow or thrive.
4. Use Bleaching Agents
Bleaching agents also play a major role in helping you destroy roof moss. The best type of bleach you can ever use is the oxygen bleach as it is much safer and more eco-friendly as compared to other types of bleaching agents such as chlorine bleach. It contains mild chemical components that are very dangerous to moss but not harmful to metal gutters or other roofing materials. In addition, it is very simple to use. It comes in powder form that you only need to mix with water as per the manufacturer’s directions and then spray directly to the moss growing on your roof.
To avoid bleaching or interfering with the roof shingles or tiles, spray the bleach on an overcast or cloudy day to prevent it from reacting with direct sunlight. You should also spray the plants on the ground with water to protect them from the harmful effects of bleach debris. After you have sprayed the bleach, wait for about 30 minutes before wiping the dead moss from the roof with a wire brush.
References
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/moss-removal-tips#.UWWrtjdQM24
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/roof-moss-removal-tips-for-roofs-with-asphalt-shingles#.UWWr1DdQM24