You see it every time you pull into the driveway. Dark streaks running down the roof, worst on the side under the pines. A neighbor says it’s mold. A roofer says it means the roof is shot.
Streaks alone don’t tell you a roof is finished. They tell you it’s time for a cleaning. The trick is getting them off without hurting the shingles.
We soft wash shingle roofs in The Woodlands, Spring and Conroe. It’s the first step of every treatment we do, and you can book it on its own.
What the black streaks are
Those streaks are usually algae, a kind called Gloeocapsa magma. It grows where a roof stays damp and shady, which describes a lot of roofs around here.
The air is wet. Average relative humidity at Houston’s main airport is 74.7%. The area gets 51.84 inches of rain a year (1991 to 2020 normals). Conroe gets 51.02 inches. Now put a tall pine over the house. The shade keeps the roof from drying after a rain, and fallen needles hold water against the shingles.
Soft wash, never a pressure washer
The top of a shingle is covered in granules, the colored grit you find in your gutter. A pressure washer aimed at a shingle can blast them off. Once they’re gone, they don’t come back, and a shingle that has lost too many is a replacement job.
So we never point a pressure washer at your shingles. A soft wash uses low pressure and a cleaning solution, then a gentle rinse. The solution does the work, not the water pressure. The streaks come off, and the granules stay where they belong.
We save the pressure for driveways and concrete. A driveway can take it. A shingle can’t.
Before every treatment, or on its own
Every roof rejuvenation job we do starts with a clean roof. The treatment is an oil that has to soak into the shingle, and it can’t do that through a layer of algae and grime. The cleaning is built into the $1.00 to $1.50 per square foot treatment price.
If you only want the roof cleaned, that’s fine. Maybe your roof is too young to treat, or you’re getting the house ready to list. We’ll soft wash it on its own. Chris prices a cleaning once he’s seen the roof.
Needles, valleys and gutters
Under pines, needles pile up in the valleys, where two slopes meet and the water runs together. A wet pile of needles keeps that spot damp. We clear the valleys and the rest of the roof as part of the cleaning. If you’d rather not keep track, the C&D Annual Roof Checkup clears the needles once a year.
The needles you can see on the roof are only part of it. The rest are in the gutters. We do gutter cleaning on the same visit if you want it. If the green has crept onto your walls too, a house wash takes care of that while we’re there.
What the Township lists as your job
In The Woodlands, a clean roof is also on your maintenance list. The Township’s 2024 Residential Development Standards spell out what owners have to keep up. Section 3.2 includes “removal of substantial yard debris such as leaves, pine needles, branches, etc. from roofs” and “removing exterior algae/mildew on dwellings.”
So a soft wash and a needle cleanout help the roof and check two boxes on that list. For roofs, storms and covenants village by village, see roof care in The Woodlands.
Five questions to ask before anyone cleans your roof
- Will a pressure washer touch my shingles? The only good answer is no.
- Will I get photos of every slope, before and after? You can’t see most of your roof from the yard. Photos show you what got done.
- Do you clear the valleys and gutters, or only the shingles? Needles left in a valley keep that spot wet.
- If you see damage up there, what happens next? You want it in the photos, explained in plain words. We don’t do repairs, so if we spot something, we show you and point you to a roofer.
- Can I see your insurance paperwork first? Anyone working on your roof should have it ready. Ask Chris for current insurance paperwork before any work starts.
Want the streaks gone? Book a free roof inspection and Chris will tell you whether a cleaning is all you need. Or call or text (281) 466-7436.
Common questions
Does soft washing strip the granules off my shingles?
Not when it’s done right. A soft wash uses low pressure and lets the cleaning solution loosen the algae, so nothing blasts the surface. If your shingles are already shedding, a few loose granules will rinse off, the same as they would in a hard rain. If that happens, you’ll see it in the photos, and Chris will tell you what it means for your roof.
Is cleaning my roof the same as treating it?
No. Cleaning takes things off the surface: algae, dirt and needles. The treatment puts something back in. It’s an oil that soaks into the asphalt so a dry shingle bends again. A clean roof looks better, but cleaning alone won’t make stiff shingles flexible. If you get both, the cleaning is already in the treatment price.
Can you clean my gutters on the same visit?
Yes. Same crew, same day, if you want it. We’re already up there, and the needles we clear off the roof would end up in the gutters anyway. We can wash the house or the driveway on that trip too. Tell us what you want when you book, and Chris will price it all once he’s seen the place.
Do I have to keep my roof clean in The Woodlands?
Yes, it’s on your list. Section 3.2 of the Township’s 2024 standards names two owner jobs that touch the roof. One is clearing leaves, pine needles and branches off it. The other is removing algae and mildew from the outside of your home. If you’re not sure what your village expects, call Covenant Administration at 281-210-3800. Outside The Woodlands, your HOA’s own rules apply.