Q: I am interested in your products for [cleaning] a roof on an investment home I am purchasing and would like to know which product will work the best for my application. We live in Wisconsin where the temperatures are now in the 30-50’s during the day. At what temperatures will your cleaners work? And will I see results within days? Thanks, I look forward to hearing from you to order the best product for my roof.
A: Here at CleanerToday.com we receive lots of questions such as this daily and we are always happy to assist customers in understanding how our products work and which ones to use for best results in their particular situation.
Badly Stained Roof!
Clean Severe Stains with Contractor-Strength Roof QSE!
This customer, as most are, is interested in quick results and both of our roof cleaning products, Roof QSE and Roof OX, provide quick results but we recommended Roof QSE in this case and there are several reasons why we did. Given the state of the stains on this roof, which are pretty severe, Roof QSE makes more sense as it is much stronger in a single pass than Roof OX. Roof OX is a great product in many situations, but for more severe staining and in a situation in which you want the fastest possible results, we recommend the contractor-strength QSE.
Curb Appeal for an Investment Property
Another factor in favor of QSE and quick results is that this is an investment home, not a primary residence. The reason this matters to most investment home owners is that they want to commit to the minimum investment of time possible to make the home look as good as it can. A dirty roof is a massive curb-appeal kill switch, whereas a clean roof can almost look new, although to be completely honest nothing except a new roof will make on old roof look truly “new” regardless of some outlandish claims from competitors. A potential buyer, or renter, is just more likely to want a home with a clean roof than one without.
All Temperature?
Another factor in our decision to recommend Roof QSE to this customer is her location and season. Roof QSE will function in any temperature, except freezing temperatures, provided that the roof has been thawed for at least two hours prior to application and the roof must stay above freezing during cleaning. So, even if it has frozen overnight, as long the temperatures during the day have climbed above freezing for a few hours prior to application and rinsing, Roof QSE will work just fine. Roof OX works much better with warm to hot water and such temperatures are hard to maintain during winter.
Rinse, Rinse, Rinse!
As is true of all of our roof cleaning products and all products on the market frankly regardless of claims to the contrary, THOROUGH rinsing is CRITICAL to success! The importance of rinsing, preferably with a power washer at no more than 200 pounds/inch and no less than 125 pounds/inch pressure, cannot be overstated and insures the greatest possible success, especially if immediate results are desired.
“Natural” Rinsing?
On the chance that a customer is willing to wait, sometimes up to months, then rain, and especially snow and ice accumulations, will rinse the roof, provided that adequate precipitation falls, but most customers are not interested in waiting for this to happen, or they live in areas where there will never likely be enough natural precipitation to do the job.
There Are No “Miracle” Solutions in Roof Cleaning
You do need to actually be on the roof for roof cleaning to work. NOTHING will clean a roof while simply standing at the edge on a ladder and spraying with a garden house. If such a product existed, we would manufacture and sell it. It doesn’t, so we don’t and we won’t tell you that our product will do what it simply can’t. Our products are custom formulated in consultation with industrial chemists to give the best possible roof cleaning experience, so while you do have to get up on the roof, the cleaning is the best the science of cleaning chemistry can provide.
Grass, Plant, and Paint Safety
Many customers are concerned, rightly so, about the safety of our cleaners for foundation plants and grass. Once diluted during the rinse cycle, all of our cleaners are plant and grass safe. However, the CONCENTRATED version of QSE that is applied to the roof prior to rinsing is not safe for plants or grass as it is likely to cause at least yellowing. However, the rinse water coming off the roof is not dangerous, just take care not to spill or slop the concentrate. Roof OX is not at all dangerous to plants or grass.
It is critical to avoid allowing Roof QSE contact with painted surfaces as it can remove paint. Roof OX is paint-safe. Usually, it is best to have gutters around a roof onto which you intend to apply Roof QSE, as this eliminates the potential risk to painted surfaces as well as to grass and foundation plantings, but if you don’t have gutters it doesn’t mean you can’t use Roof QSE. Just take care to avoid concentrate contact with any painted surface. In addition, spray down any plants or grass that might come into contact with the concentrate that could drop off the roof prior to rinsing.
An Ounce of Prevention…
Finally, we always recommend the use of Roof Armor preventative treatment after cleaning a roof to avoid ever having to get up on the roof again to clean it. Roof Armor preventative treatment should be applied three to six months after initial cleaning and then once yearly afterward. Roof Armor will kill roof algae on contact and the dead material will wash down with natural precipitation long before it becomes thick enough to be visible, provided you maintain an annual treatment schedule.
By using Roof QSE, or Roof OX, depending on your particular roof cleaning situation, followed with Roof Armor preventative treatment, a clean roof can be yours affordably for many years to come!
