Roof Cleaning
Soft Wash Roof Cleaning
in Worcester &
Worcestershire
Lift moss, lichen and black streaks safely — restore your roof's look, protect tiles from frost damage, and extend the life of the whole roof by 10+ years without high-pressure water that strips your tiles.
Over 400 roofs softly cleaned across Worcestershire — zero broken tiles, ever.
Fully Insured
£5M public liability cover
10-Year Guarantee
Roofs, chimneys & flat roofs (materials & labour)
24-Hour Quote Response
Detailed quotes within 24 hours
Checkatrade Verified
Local & family-run
Service Overview
Roof Cleaning — explained properly.
What it is
Soft-wash roof cleaning is a low-pressure (under 100 psi) biocide treatment that kills moss, lichen, algae and the black gloeocapsa magma streaks at the spore level — followed by gentle scraping and brushing of mature moss mats. Unlike pressure washing, it does not strip the protective granule layer from concrete tiles or chip natural slate.
Who it's for
Owners of any pitched roof aged 15+ years (concrete tile), 10+ years (clay), or any north-facing slope in shaded gardens. Particularly relevant for properties surrounded by mature trees, which is common across Worcestershire's leafier postcodes.
When you need it
When you can see green or black patches from the street, when moss is visibly falling into gutters, before selling a property to add kerb appeal, or as a preventative every 5–7 years to avoid moss ever colonising in the first place.
Why professional matters
Moss holds 4× its weight in water against the tile face. Through repeated freeze-thaw cycles each winter, that water expands inside the tile pores and lifts the protective surface — visibly pitting concrete tiles and cracking clay over 10–20 years. Removing moss professionally extends the useful life of a tile roof by a decade or more.
Cost of Doing Nothing
What happens if you leave it?
Most homeowners assume a mossy roof is purely cosmetic. It is not — moss is actively shortening the life of the most expensive part of your home.
The risks
- Frost expansion inside saturated tiles pits and spalls the surface, exposing porous concrete to accelerated weathering.
- Moss blocks the lap between tiles, allowing wind-driven rain to back-track under the tile and rot the felt or batten.
- Falling moss blocks gutters and downpipes — leading to overflow, brickwork damp and rafter rot at the eaves.
- Mossy roofs photograph badly — estate agents quote 5–15% slower sale times and lower offers on moss-covered properties.
- DIY pressure washing strips 20+ years of life off a concrete tile in a single afternoon.
Common mistakes
- Hiring a window cleaner with a pressure washer — almost guaranteed to break tiles and force water under laps.
- Buying supermarket roof biocide and applying it from a hose-end sprayer — wrong concentration, no dwell time, no result.
- Walking on tiles without crawl boards — fractures dozens of tiles invisibly, leaks appear the following winter.
- Cleaning the roof but ignoring the gutters — moss debris reblocks the system within weeks.
Our Process
A simple, predictable system — start to finish.
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01
Step 1 — Roof condition survey
We inspect every slope, check tile integrity, photograph existing moss coverage and confirm the right treatment plan. If your roof is too far gone to clean safely, we will say so.
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02
Step 2 — Protect the property
Planting, lawns, driveways, conservatory roofs and rainwater goods all sheeted or rinsed-protected. Gutters covered to catch debris.
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03
Step 3 — Apply softwash biocide
Professional-grade benzalkonium chloride biocide applied at the correct dilution via low-pressure spray. Kills moss, lichen and algae at the spore — they cannot regrow from killed spores.
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04
Step 4 — Mechanical removal
Heavy moss mats scraped and brushed off by hand on crawl boards — never high-pressure jet washed. Gutters cleared of fallen debris and rinsed clean.
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05
Step 5 — Final treatment & guarantee
Second biocide pass to inhibit regrowth, full site clean-down, before-and-after photos and a 5-year regrowth guarantee with optional annual top-up.
The Benefits
What you actually get when we are done.
Extends roof life 10+ years
Removing live moss prevents the freeze-thaw spalling that prematurely ages concrete and clay tiles.
Instant kerb appeal
Most properties look 10 years younger from the street within 48 hours of treatment.
Faster, higher property sale
Estate agents consistently report cleaner roofs photograph better and reduce buyer objections during survey.
Safe for tiles, planting and pets
Soft-wash biocide breaks down within days. Crawl boards distribute weight so no tile is overloaded.
5-year regrowth guarantee
Written guarantee against significant moss regrowth — backed by optional low-cost annual biocide top-ups.
No damage from pressure washing
Concrete tiles lose their factory granule layer to pressure jets. Soft-wash leaves the surface untouched.
Specialist Detail
Materials, methods and the nuances that matter.
Roof cleaning is one of the most over-promised and under-delivered trades in the UK. The difference between a roof cleaned correctly and one wrecked by a pressure-washer cowboy is permanent.
Materials we use
Benzalkonium chloride (BAC) biocide
The professional standard for soft-wash. Kills moss, lichen and algae at the cellular level. Approved for use on roofing substrates and breaks down within days of application.
Sodium hypochlorite blends
Sometimes used on black algae streaks (gloeocapsa magma) on shingle roofs — used carefully, neutralised after dwell time. Not our first choice on UK tile roofs.
Tile sealers (optional)
Breathable acrylic or silane-siloxane sealer applied after cleaning to extend the time before moss can re-establish. Not always necessary; advised case by case.
Methods we follow
Soft-wash (under 100 psi)
The default and only safe method for residential tile and slate roofs. Combines biocide chemistry with extremely low water pressure.
Hand scraping & brushing
On crawl boards distributing weight across multiple tiles. Used to lift mature moss mats without damaging the tile surface.
Pressure washing (avoid)
We do NOT pressure-wash concrete or clay tile roofs. Period. The damage is permanent and invisible until winter strips the now-exposed surface.
Steam cleaning
Used very occasionally on heritage slate and listed buildings where chemical biocide is unwelcome. Slower, more expensive, but completely non-damaging.
Variations of this service
- Soft-wash moss removal
- Black-streak (algae) treatment
- Lichen removal from natural slate
- Pre-sale roof refresh
- Annual biocide top-up
- Gutter clear & roof clean combo
- Solar panel surface clean
When it applies
- Visible green moss patches from the street
- Black streaks running down tile slopes
- Moss debris repeatedly blocking gutters
- North-facing slopes in shaded gardens
- Pre-sale property preparation
- Insurance survey requiring 'no significant moss'
Residential vs Commercial
Commercial roofs (industrial units, schools, care homes) are often metal sheet, EPDM or asphalt — each demands a different cleaning protocol. We assess and quote per substrate, always specifying the biocide concentration and dwell times in writing for facilities managers' compliance files.
Frequently Asked
Straight answers about roof cleaning.
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Roof looking tired and mossy?
Free survey, fixed price, soft-wash treatment that lasts 5+ years — and no high-pressure water near your tiles.
Need a roofer you can
actually rely on?
Free, no-obligation written estimate. Fixed price. Honest advice — even if it costs us the job.