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ROOF CLEANING INSTITUTE of AMERICA - Technical Bulletin

What you should know about cleaning your roof. DON'T REPLACE IT..CLEAN IT!!

Your house is most likely your biggest investment and your roof is one of the most expensive parts of your house. It is extremely important to have the utmost in confidence in your decision before hiring a qualified roof cleaning contractor.

Certified Roof Cleaning Institute of America roof cleaning contractors only use chemicals approved by the ARMA* Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association and do not use pressure on your shingles. RCIA roof cleaning contractors also provide our customers with technical bulletins directly from Asphaltroofing.org and shingle manufacturers to prove that our procedures and chemicals are properly formulated for roof cleaning. Our chemicals provide enough cleaning power to remove all mold, mildew, and streaks...without pressure washing or heavy rinsing. We 100% guarantee your roof will look brand new.

Pressure washing is never recommended because it will remove a large amount of the ceramic coated granules from your shingles, which will void the warranty. Even low pressure will cause granule loss and shorten the life of your shingles. If you have ever cleaned out the inside of your gutters you will notice granules in them just from the rain taking them off. Think what any additional pressure would do to your roof. For instance, you see someone cleaning a roof with pressure and it appears they have done a good job just because the streaks and discoloration are gone, but guess what? So is a large amount of the protective ceramic coated granules which insure your shingle's warranty. Nobody wants to replace a prematurely failed roof due to an incompetent roof cleaning contractor, and you shouldn't have to.


Always use a 'chemical only' cleaning process for your roof. Roof cleaning is a completely different trade from pressure washing requiring different pumps, plumbing, hoses, nozzles, valves, chemicals, caution, knowledge, experience, skill, and insurance. The certified RCIA roof cleaners have all of the necessary tools, and have learned from the best.

Make sure you know what kind of chemicals are being applied on your property. Do not accept "it's biodegradable" for an answer. Even uranium is biodegradable over 50,000 years or so.

Because many "competitors" lack our roof cleaning equipment, knowledge, training, and experience, they sometimes apply a dangerously strong chemical solution. S Hydroxide and Potassium Hydroxide will dissolve the asphalt and tar on your roof, shortening the life of your shingles and voiding the roof's warranty.

Our chemicals do all of the work to remove streaks and discoloration from your roof and require no pressure or heavy rinsing. Because we do not have to rinse, your roof will stay cleaner longer than our competitors. Leaving the chemicals on the roof creates a roof treatment or a hostile environment for future algae growth. Each time it rains, a small amount of chemical is washed off to help re-clean your roof over and over again.

Concerned about your plants, pets, and landscaping?

We only spray the roof, not your plants. We always bag the ends of your downspouts and collect all the chemical run-off from the roof and dispose of them away from your landscaping. If the roof does not have gutters we will thoroughly dilute the roof cleaning chemical down to safe levels by spraying the landscaping with water before, during, and after applying chemical. After the chemical biodegrades and evaporates from the roof, the dried crystals and surfactant act as a roof treatment and keep the roof cleaner longer as it rains.

Thank you Bruce ,  I missed that one that is great I will use it , do we have one of them for tile roof cleanning to have both,  Thank you so much have a good one  Dabber