Moss removal and roof cleaning in Bedford

Why moss matters

A bit of moss looks harmless, but it holds water against the tiles like a sponge. In winter that water freezes and cracks the surface. Clumps wash down and block the gutters, so rain spills over the edge and down the wall. Shaded slopes and houses under trees get it worst, and Bedford has plenty of both along its tree-lined streets and riverside roads.

Why we never jet wash

Jet washing a roof is quick, and that is about all it has going for it. The pressure cracks tiles, strips their surface and drives water up under them into the felt. We have replaced plenty of tiles that were broken by pressure washers, often for people who paid someone else to clean the roof in the first place.

We do it by hand instead. Moss is scraped off each tile, swept down, bagged and taken away. It takes longer, and it leaves the roof in one piece.

How a roof clean runs

1. Look first. We check the roof is safe to work on and note anything broken.
2. Scrape by hand. Moss comes off tile by tile, working down the slope.
3. Clear the gutters. All the moss and debris is lifted out of the gutters and checked at the downpipes.
4. Tidy up. Paths, drives and borders are cleared and everything goes away with us.
5. Report back. You get photos of anything we found that needs attention.

Sometimes moss hides a bigger problem

Being up on the roof is a good chance to see how it is really doing. More than once a call about moss and gutters has led us to find the felt underneath has failed. When that happens, we stop, show you the photos and explain it. We will not turn a clean into a re-roof unless the roof needs it, and the choice is always yours.

Keeping it off

Once the roof is clean, a preventative treatment can slow moss coming back. We will talk you through whether it is worth it for your roof and how it faces. Keeping gutters clear and trimming back branches that hang over the roof both help too, and cost very little.