Moss removal and roof cleaning in Cambridge

Cambridge is a leafy city. Mature trees line many of its streets and back gardens, and the shade and leaf litter they drop onto roofs give moss everything it needs. If your roof looks green from the street, or your gutters overflow every autumn, a proper clean before winter is worth it.

Signs your roof needs attention

• Thick cushions of moss on the shady slope, not just a light film
• Moss and debris collecting in the gutters and valleys
• Water spilling over the gutter edge in heavy rain
• Clumps of moss on the path or patio below
• Tiles or slates lifting where moss has built up in the overlaps

Slate and tile need different care

Slate is smooth, so moss tends to gather along the edges and overlaps. Clay and concrete tiles have more texture, and moss can cover the whole face. We adjust how we scrape to the material, and take extra care on older slates that may already be held by tired nails.

What we will not do

We will not jet-wash your roof. It is quicker, which is why some firms do it, but high pressure water cracks tiles and slates, wears away their surface and pushes water up under the laps into the roof. We have had to replace tiles broken this way. On an older Cambridge roof, perhaps a listed one, that kind of damage is costly and hard to match.

What we do instead

1. Check the roof from the ground and the loft before going up
2. Hand-scrape the moss from every slope that needs it
3. Clear valleys, gutters and downpipes
4. Bag and remove the waste
5. Apply a preventative treatment to slow regrowth
6. Show you photos of anything that needs looking at

A close look while we are up there

While we clean we look at the lead, ridges and verges and note anything worth knowing, and you get the photos either way. If something needs more than a clean, we say so plainly and leave the decision with you. We are rated 4.9 on Google, and many of those reviews mention how tidy we leave things. We travel to Cambridge from Bedford, about 30 miles away.