While a mold on roof problem may not be deadly, those black or green stains can cause wear and tear on your shingles – not to mention, make your home look bad.
It may seem like replacing all the roofing with new shingles would be the easiest solution, but in reality it’s not the most practical. If however you do find that the shingles are worn out, you should consider replacing them with copper granules laced ones since it will help prevent future mold growth.
A less expensive solution however, would be to spray wash the shingles with a mold spray. Do not use a pressure washer since it can remove surface granules from the shingles and damage them.
And if you have any plants that are below on the ground, you’ll want to water them or cover them if you can with plastic since some cleaners can harm them. Afterwards you’ll want to rinse the plants even if they were covered in plastic just to be safe.
When spraying the shingles, you should allow the solution to sit for at least 15 minutes, and then rinse the areas with a hose. To check if there is any remaining mold, test the surface to see if it feels slimy. If it does then there is still mold present and you will need to allow the area to dry, then spray the shingles with the mold cleaner again.
As a word of caution, you may be tempted to use a solution of water and bleach to kill the mold. While in some cases using bleach may work, it’s has been recently shown in studies that it cannot kill deep down below the surface where mold tends to hide. Bleaching can also damage the shingles if it is allowed to set in for even a short amount of time.
Because many of us are not fond of climbing roofs (or simply can’t) even if it means spending a little more money, there is always the option of hiring a professional to do the job for you. However, you should know that the cost of mold remediation will not come cheap and some companies may charge as much as $800 for their services.
Just be sure to shop around first before you go with the first company you see. Not every company will charge the same fees for their services so shopping around and comparing prices can actually save you money.
But before you hire a black mold removal professional you may want to make sure that it’s really fungus growing on your shingles and not dirt. You can do this by placing a few drops of a mold remover on an affected area. If the area becomes clean chances are you have a mold problem. If the area remains the same, it’s probably just dirt.
With or without a professional, you’ll want to prevent future mold on roof problems after the job is done by keeping tree branches away and any other debris that may be preventing the shingles from staying dry and help prevent another mold attack on your roof.
There are many different areas where your roof can leak. I always felt it is important to isolate the problem area and get it fixed as soon as possible. Remember, it is important to have regular roof inspections done to ensure its integrity isn’t compromised.