Roof Cleaning in Sterling, VA

Clearly Amazing does residential roof cleaning in Sterling, across Northern Virginia and in Washington DC, working out of our office on Trade Center Place. It’s soft wash roof cleaning: a low-pressure cleaning solution does the work, not a pressure washer. Every estimate is free and done on site.

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

Black streaks, moss and your shingles

When an asphalt roof shows dark streaks, the usual cause is Gloeocapsa magma, a cyanobacterium better known as roof algae. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) describes algae as a discoloration issue.

Moss is the more serious of the two. Moss removal matters for more than looks, because clearing a heavy layer of it helps prevent the moisture retention and granule loss that go along with it.

The rain and shade your roof deals with

NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for Washington Dulles International Airport put annual precipitation at 43.24 inches. No month at that station averages less than February’s 2.61 inches, and May is the wettest at 4.72. How long a roof stays damp after rain depends partly on shade.

Tree canopy covers 45 percent of Loudoun County, according to a countywide assessment built on 2023 aerial imagery. In Fairfax County, two separate studies both put the county’s tree canopy at 55 percent in 2021, and the county’s goal is 60 percent by 2030.

Those are county-wide measurements. They can’t tell you how much shade sits over your own roof, and that is worth a look at the estimate, because how often a roof needs cleaning depends on shade.

Call (703) 723-7770 for a free on-site estimate in Sterling, or request one online.

When to schedule roof cleaning

The ideal is a stretch of dry, mild weather, which gives the crew a dry roof to work on. A different week can be the right one for good reasons, though: getting the house ready to sell, a home inspector’s note about moss, or streaks that have started to bother you every time you pull into the driveway.

Commercial roof cleaning in Northern Virginia

Along with homes, we take on commercial roof cleaning for business properties across Northern Virginia and Washington DC, from the same Trade Center Place office. Business properties get the same free on-site estimate as a house: we look at the roof in person first.

Roof cleaning Washington DC to Loudoun County: areas we cover

Our office is in Sterling, and we provide roof cleaning in Sterling and throughout Northern Virginia and Washington DC. The communities we cover include Fox Mill Estates, McNair Farms, Centreville, Arcola, Stone Ridge and Dulles South, along with Manassas Park and the wider Prince William County area. Brambleton, Broadlands, One Loudoun and Loudoun Valley Estates are on the list as well. If your neighborhood isn’t named here, send us the address and we’ll tell you whether we reach it.

Your roof cleaning questions, answered

Is roof washing the same thing as pressure washing a roof?
It shouldn’t be. ARMA’s guidance for an asphalt roof is a bleach solution rinsed off at low pressure, and it warns never to pressure wash one. Among shingle makers, Owens Corning, GAF and CertainTeed advise against power washing too.

Will the streaks come back after a cleaning?
They can. ARMA notes that the results of cleaning are temporary and that discoloration may return. That’s why it works best as ongoing roof maintenance, with a cleaning every few years. Shade decides where in that range a roof falls.

Can I clean my own roof?
That’s your call, but a wet roof is very slippery, and a fall from a roof or a ladder can do serious harm. ARMA encourages hiring professionals to clean shingles and recommends that only trained professionals work on a roof at all.

What insurance do your roof crews carry?
General liability and workers’ compensation, on every crew. If you’d like a certificate, just ask.

Clearly Amazing
43676 Trade Center Place, Suite #140, Sterling, VA 20166
(703) 723-7770

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