Cedar Shingle Cleaning, Products And Cleaning Tips
Cleaning cedar shingles is simple if you follow these tips and buy the right product to clean with. Cedar shingles must be cleaned to get the full life span out of the shingle. Cleaning the wrong way can shorten the life of your shingles and lead to early replacement.
Why clean your shingles? The first thing that comes to my mind is how much they cost to replace, that alone should be enough reason to clean your shingles. Cedar shingles are a perfect breeding ground for mold, mildew, algae, moss and lichen all of which eat away at your shingles causing cracks and curling. These funguses hold water sometimes leading to leaks but the most damage comes from the rotting of the wood. The most infected areas are usually the north facing sides or sections in constant shade. Cleaning your cedar shingles is proper maintenance of an expensive investment. A new wood roof on an average size home would cost approximately $25,000 and the siding of the same home about $15,000 to replace and yet people do not clean them regularly.
The equipment you will need; Most of the equipment you probably already have, a ladder (with outrigger stabilizer bars for safety), a medium bristle scrub brush on an extendable pole, a garden style sprayer and a hose. I defiantly do not recommend using a pressure washer; the pressure will loosen and sometimes blow shingles right off the house. High pressure also cuts anywhere from 1/8th to a inch of the shingle thickness, this for sure will lead to curling shingles. If you choose the right shingle cleaning product, you will not need the high pressure thus preserving the integrity of the shingle.
The correct procedure; whether it is a cedar shingle roof or siding that you are cleaning, the first step is to moisten the area with regular water from your hose, not a soaking just enough to moisten the shingles. Then from your highest point start applying the shingle cleaning product with your pump sprayer. Only coat an area big enough to clean before it dry's, get your scrub brush and work the product in to the wood. Once you have scrubbed the area that was coated rinse thoroughly with your hose and then move to the next section. You will see all the mold, dirt and algae run off the shingle. Your roof or siding will continue to clean with the next few rain storms.
Purchasing the correct wood shingle cleaning product is the key to the whole procedure. Bleach, TSP or chlorine based products should be avoided. These products do not clean evenly, leaving a "blotchy" looking effect, they destroy your plants and lawn, excessively dry out the wood, stain everything they come into contact with and the fumes linger for weeks. I personally substitute environmentally safe cleaning products for toxic-hazardous cleaners every chance I get, I have found that they work the same without all the side effects. We can't rely on "Corporate America" to change the toxic ingredients in their cleaners; it is the individual who is buying the cleaners that will make the difference in our environment, make a "green" choice when given the opportunity.
Find the right product, clean regularly without pressure and your cedar shingles will last forever.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
About the Author
John Redihan is the founder of Wash Safe Industries of Brewster, MA. Wash Safe Industries manufactures Cedar Shingle Cleaning Products, purchasing the right cleaning product can make the difference in how clean your cedar shingles come out. Wash Safe also has a "eco-safe" cleaning division
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by: JohnRedihan
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