Roof Washing
Soft-wash roof cleaning that clears black streaks, moss, and lichen without stripping the granules off your shingles.
Estimates
Towns Served
Locally Owned
Those Black Streaks Are Algae, Not Dirt
If your roof has dark streaks running down from the ridge, you are looking at Gloeocapsa magma, a blue-green algae that feeds on the limestone filler in asphalt shingles. It thrives in exactly the conditions we have in northern New Jersey: humid summers, heavy tree cover, and roof planes that stay shaded and damp for months. It is not dirt, it does not rinse off, and it does not stop on its own.
Left alone it holds moisture against the shingle and gradually loosens the granules that protect it from UV. On shaded pitches in towns like Kinnelon, Bloomingdale, and Towaco, it is usually joined by moss and lichen, and lichen is worse. It grips the surface hard enough that pressure washing it off takes the granules with it and can void your shingle warranty outright.
Soft washing is the method every major shingle manufacturer actually endorses. Low pressure, the right cleaning solution, and time. The growth dies at the root, releases, and weathers away over the following weeks, and the roof stays clean for years rather than months.
What Our Roof Washing Service Includes
We clean roofs gently and thoroughly. Service includes:
- Inspection to locate algae streaking, moss, lichen, and shaded trouble spots
- Protection and pre-wetting of plants, beds, and everything below the drip line
- Low-pressure application of shingle-safe cleaning solution, never a pressure washer
- Treatment across the full roof plane so the result is even, not patchy
- Clearing of debris from valleys and gutter lines
- A final review together to confirm the result
Asphalt shingle, architectural shingle, cedar shake, and flat roofs.
Free estimates. Call or text 973-897-1757.
Other Services We Offer
We do more than one thing. From house and roof washing to concrete, decks, gutters, and windows, every exterior surface on your property gets handled by the same local crew.
What sets us apart
We soft wash, we don't blast
Siding and roofs get low pressure and the right cleaning solution, so the algae dies at the root instead of just getting knocked off the surface. That is the difference between a house that stays clean for years and one that greens up again by spring.
The right approach for every job
The right pressure and solution for every surface, from vinyl and cedar siding to shingles, pavers, concrete, and weathered wood. Hard surfaces take real pressure. Roofs and siding never do.
A real quote, fast
Tell us about your property, or email photos of each side of your home, and get a clear, detailed estimate back quickly. No vague 'starting at' numbers and no high-pressure sales visit.
Local to Pequannock
Owner-operated out of Pequannock, serving Morris and Passaic County, not a franchise routed in from out of town. We know what Jersey humidity and heavy tree cover do to siding and roofs here, because we clean them every day.
What Morris & Passaic County Homeowners Are Saying
Real reviews from real neighbors. See what homeowners and property managers say after we've washed their homes.
FAQs
Common questions about roof soft washing in northern New Jersey.
Never. High pressure blasts the protective granules off asphalt shingles, which shortens the life of the roof and voids most warranties. We soft wash instead: low pressure, shingle-safe detergents, and a gentle rinse.
Because that's the side that stays shaded and damp. Moss and lichen take hold where moisture lingers, and everywhere else the roof just collects dust, needles, and debris that hold moisture against the shingles.
Left long enough, yes. Moss works its way under the shingle edges and pries them apart, which turns a cleaning problem into a roofing bill. That's the main reason to deal with it before it spreads.
Eventually something will, since the shade and moisture that caused it are still there. But soft washing kills the growth at the source rather than knocking it off the surface, so it stays clean far longer than a rinse would manage.
We protect and pre-wet the plants, beds, and gutters below before we start, and we clear debris out of the valleys and gutter lines as part of the job. Then we walk it with you to confirm the result.
Roof soft washing in northern New Jersey generally runs $300 to $700. A single-story roof is usually $300 to $450 and a two-story $400 to $600, with steep pitches, multiple dormers and complicated rooflines at the upper end.
It costs more than a house wash because the work is slower, the access is harder, and everything below the drip line has to be protected and pre-wet before any solution goes on the shingles.
It is still a small fraction of a roof replacement, which is where unchecked moss and lichen eventually lead. Free estimates: 973-897-1757.
Still have questions?
Give us a call or text us a few photos and we'll send a flat quote, usually within an hour.
Your best-looking exterior
is one call away.
Fast, free estimates by phone or text. We're booking 2026, and weekends fill first.