Roof Cleaning in Lorton, VA

Clearly Amazing cleans asphalt shingle roofs in Lorton, Virginia, with crews based at our Northern Virginia office on Trade Center Place in Sterling. The estimate is free and done in person. The Census Bureau’s 2024 five-year estimates put the median year built for housing in the Lorton CDP at 1997, compared with 1975 in the Springfield CDP. That is a figure about when houses went up, not about the age or condition of any roof on them.

Call (703) 723-7770 for a free on-site estimate.

What the dark streaks on your roof are

The black streaks that run down many shingle roofs are usually caused by Gloeocapsa magma, a cyanobacterium often called roof algae. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association describes algae growth as a discoloration issue.

Moss is a different matter. It grows in thicker mats and holds water against the shingles. A thick mat of moss holds water against a roof and is linked to granule loss, so heavy moss is worth taking off.

Reagan National Airport’s 1991–2020 NOAA normals list 41.82 inches of annual precipitation. Fairfax County’s 2017 i-Tree study measured tree cover of 51.2 percent across the county, with American beech, red maple and tulip tree the most common species. That is a county-wide figure; it says nothing about the shade over any particular Lorton roof.

What your shingles can and can’t take

ARMA warns never to use a pressure washer on an asphalt shingle roof. Because working on a roof is dangerous, ARMA also recommends that only trained professionals do it. Power washing asphalt shingles is something GAF, CertainTeed and Owens Corning all advise against. ARMA adds that the effect of cleaning is only temporary and that discoloration may recur.

How we clean it

Areas we cover in Lorton

We work throughout Lorton from Sterling, including homes with Lorton mailing addresses in the Laurel Hill CDP. Homes with Lorton addresses in the Mason Neck CDP, where Gunston Hall stands on Gunston Road, are covered too.

When to schedule in Lorton

Spring and fall are ideal for roof cleaning, when mild days make the work comfortable and there is time before summer or winter to deal with anything the inspection turns up. That said, any season is a fine time to book: before listing the house, after noticing a new dark streak from the driveway, or once moss starts to show along the north side. Since growth returns over time, think of roof cleaning as ongoing maintenance, repeated every few years depending on shade.

Questions Lorton customers ask