​Prices are rising fast on roofing materials. Roof cleaning can save money.
However, thoughtless and reckless roof cleaning can be highly costly for the homeowner and roof cleaner. 

WARNING: "America's Most Dangerous Jobs" lists a Roofer in its Top Ten Most Dangerous Jobs. Since most homeowners have neglected their roofs, a roof cleaner could be the most dangerous job, especially when adding water and chemicals to sloped, slippery algae, mold, moss, and lichen-infested roofs.
Without forethought, when seeking a roof cleaning service, most homeowners click a pressure washing service ad, check review stickers, call, and ask: how much does your roof cleaning service cost? Unfortunately, in 2023, haphazardously hiring a pressure washing service to clean a roof based on pressure washing reviews and the lowest price can be highly costly for homeowners.
Any roof cleaning or pressure washing contractor near or in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Hampton Roads, Williamsburg, Northern VA, and throughout Virginia and the United States can purchase a soft-wash roof cleaning system. Next, offer low-cheap prices to buy a few "good boy" internet and social media review stickers and call their pressure washing "company" the top or #1 roof cleaning service in the State.

NOTICE: It is 2023, and times have changed; playing the victim or pleading ignorance no longer works. Therefore, research is essential when choosing roof cleaning services. You, the homeowner(s), are not buying an online product from Amazon or hiring the local pressure washing service to power wash your house; You, the property owner(s), are hiring, therefore, authorizing a HUMAN to CLIMB a LADDER and CLEAN your sloped slippery algae, mold, moss, or lichen-infested ROOF.
What happens when the pressure washing contractor or roof cleaner dies after falling off the ladder or the roof? What happens when the pressure washing contractor or roof cleaner is injured and cannot work for weeks, months, or years? What happens when the pressure washing contractor or roof cleaner shows up at the homeowner's door several months after the roof cleaning service occurred and says, "I hurt my ... on your property, and it has not healed?" Who pays the high-priced or costly bills when the pressure washing contractor or roof cleaning company does not have workers compensation insurance? Who pays the repeated bills when the homeowner's insurance company says NO? Who pays the costly weekly and monthly statements when YouTube, Home Advisor, Angi, Thumbtack, Bing, or Google says we are not responsible? Regardless of a pressure washing contractor's or roof cleaner's reviews or experience, a roof cleaner can be seriously injured or killed performing roof cleaning services. 
Unfortunately, most pressure washing contractors or roof cleaning services deliberately refuse to obtain Workers Compensation Insurance because they are betting on the homeowners, the homeowners' insurance company, or others paying the bills. Additionally, they refuse to get Workers Compensation Insurance and a State License to have a lower operating cost than their fully licensed and insured counterparts. Lower operating costs allow pressure washing contractors or roof cleaning services to submit cheaper estimates to homeowners than their competitors' quotes. If a roof cleaning estimate is low, this is a red flag that the roof cleaner might not have a State License or Workers Compensation Insurance. Hiring an unlicensed and underinsured pressure washing or roof cleaning contractor to save a few dollars may seem clever to naïve and cheap homeowners, but the potential risks outweigh the benefits.
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The following roof cleaning questions and answers eliminate the Evening News' most popular homeowners' excuse, "But nobody told me!" 
Seven Questions Homeowners must ask Roof Cleaning Services:

1) The first question that intelligent homeowners ask a roof cleaning service is, "do you have Workers Compensation Insurance?" 
The internet is full of roof cleaning or pressure washing searches, including how much roof cleaning costs, soft wash cost, best roof cleaning companies, low-pressure roof cleaning, roof cleaning services near me, roof cleaning prices, roof washing cost, roof shampoo services, soft washing services, the best roof cleaning method, home advisors roof cleaners, 5-star roof cleaners, and on and on and on. However, what is not listed or what needs to be listed is the most important aspect of roof cleaning: roof cleaning is dangerous!

ATTENTION: Do It Yourself, homeowners.
FAQ) "Can I clean my roof myself?"
​A) Yes, with the proper safety equipment (roof safety harness for roofers, roof shoes, etc.), insurance, training, and chemicals. However, your question should be, is my life only worth cleaning my roof? Honey-do-list DIY projects can save money, but DIY roof cleaning can cost you your life. Watching a reckless DIY Clean Your Roof Easy Step by Step Roof Cleaning YouTube video and stupidly adding DIY roof cleaning to a honey-do list can be the worse or last decision of a person's life. One slip, and you are either seriously injured or killed. 
Most homeowners, roof cleaners, and internet search engines such as "Google" categorize roof cleaning as another pressure washing service without considering the extreme dangers of roof cleaning. However, roof cleaning is not just another house pressure washing service performed on a home or item added to a DIY honey-do list. Roof cleaning is in a category by itself. Roof cleaning carries significantly more complexities and danger than house pressure washing. Therefore, do not take roof cleaning lightly! Instead, be smart and hire a State Licensed roof cleaning service company.
Most importantly, ensure (verify) that the company that performs work on your property has Workers Compensation Insurance. Workers Compensation Insurance protects the workers, the property owner(s), and the company. Unlike fly-by-night pressure washing services trying to make cheap, quick bucks low-pressure or soft washing roofs, a State Licensed roof cleaning company with Workers Compensation Insurance cares about its workers, the property owner(s) and plans to be in business tomorrow.
BOTTOM LINE: Hiring an unlicensed, underinsured roof pressure washing service to clean your roof is not smart, but attempting Do-It-Yourself (DIY) roof cleaning is... (ok, it's stupid)! Climbing a ladder, walking on a sloped slippery algae-infested roof while wearing tennis shoes, pushing a broom, and carrying a pump sprayer filled with old-school bleach and soap is not a roof cleaning recipe; it is a recipe for disaster.

​2) The second question knowledgeable homeowners ask a roof cleaning service is, in addition to Workers Compensation Insurance, "do you have General Liability Insurance?"
Before any work begins on the Federal Government, State Government, City Government, and Commercial Companies' properties, they require a company to be licensed by the State. Also, the company must have Workers Compensation Insurance, General Liability Insurance, Employer's Liability Insurance, and Commercial Insurance. Therefore, like government agencies and businesses, homeowners are not immune from lawsuits. In addition, homeowners' insurance does not cover all contractor's accidents or mistakes. So, before the roof cleaning service begins, verify that the contractor has general liability and workers compensation insurance. 

3) The third question should be obvious and go without saying: "are you fully licensed by the State?"
A City Business License is not a State Contractor's License. In addition, Home Advisor, Angie, and Google Review Stickers are not State contractors' licenses. Anyone, including criminals, can purchase a City Business License, Google Reviews, Home Advisor, and Angie badges. A State Contractor's License requires passing a test and criminal history.
NOTICE: Always ask to see the state license, workers compensation insurance, general liability insurance, and multiple before and after pictures with addresses before agreeing to any work performed on the property. The Better Business Bureau verifies a company's state license and lists the license number and expiration date on its website. If the BBB does not list a contractor's state license, the roof cleaner will likely not have one.

4) The fourth question that informed homeowners ask a roof cleaning service is, "does your roof cleaning service require water pressure or chemical pressure to remove algae, mold, moss, and lichen infestation from my roof?" 
If your main objective is to locate the cheapest pressure washing service to low-pressure or soft wash your roof, it is best to stand by and watch your ugly-infested roof deteriorate; it will likely last longer. Roof algae, mold, moss, and lichen can decrease a roof's life; however, incorrectly cleaning (low-pressure washing, soft washing) a roof can rapidly reduce the shingles' lifespan.
IMPORTANT NOTICE! Although most homeowners, roof cleaners, and internet search engines ignorantly categorize roof cleaning with pressure washing services, DO NOT PRESSURE (high, low, or soft) WASH ROOF SHINGLES! 
Unfortunately, most property owners call concerning their roof algae, mold, moss, and lichen problems long after the infestation has heavily infested most of their roofs. Removing or cleaning the roof infestation incorrectly at this stage of growth can rapidly decrease the remaining life of the roof shingles. 
Roof pressure washing services use terms such as "gentle as rain," "shingle safe," "approved for roof shingles," "soft washing," and "low-pressure" to describe their roof cleaning methods. These roof cleaning methods merely involve lowering and raising pressure to wash or remove visible stains from the roof. The rooted growth of algae, mold, moss, and lichen is between the roof shingle granules. Extracting the visible stains with pressure can rip or pull up the rooted algae, mold, moss, lichen, and shingle granules. Pressure washing has its place; however, it is not on a roof. 
The best roof cleaning treatments for asphalt and PVC membrane roofs are 100% Zero Pressure Roof Cleaning chemicals (NO old-school bleach and soap methods) Treatments. Today's FRAGILE exterior building materials such as roof shingles, PVC roof membrane, vinyl, Dryvit, stucco, and EIFS require Zero Pressure Cleaning to preserve their longevity.  

5) The fifth question awake homeowners ask a roof cleaning service is, "how long have you been in the roof cleaning business?" A roof cleaning service that has been in business for a while (7 years or more) means that there is a significant chance that if they offer a re-treatment warranty, they are more likely to be in business to honor it rather than a "fly-by-night" roof cleaner. 
A few signs of a "fly-by-night" roof cleaner are no state license, no workers compensation insurance, no BBB accreditation, one-price fits all online quotes, bait-and-switch prices, bait-and-switch ads, "I can beat anybody's price," "we do what they do, we are just cheaper." When a homeowner asks about State license and insurance, they mention that we do not have to be State licensed and fully insured, or they change the subjects to 5-star reviews, fair price, bleach, environment friendly, low-pressure, soft washing, #1, top, on and on and on. 

6) The sixth question cautious homeowners ask a roof cleaning service is, "does your roof cleaning service require you to walk on my roof?" Unfortunately, since most property owners have neglected their roofs, attempting to walk on property owners' sloped slippery algae, mold, moss, and lichen-infested roofs can be highly hazardous and costly. 

7) The seventh question environmental concern homeowners ask a roof cleaning service is, "do you capture and contain the roof cleaning waste to protect the storm drains and the environment?" No matter which product or products a roof cleaning company uses, the roof cleaning runoff (waste) should be captured and removed from the property during the cleaning process. ​

Roof Cleaning is Dangerous!

A Roofer is in the Top 10 Dangerous Jobs!  Walking on algae, ... infested roofs may look bold or manly on roof washers' videos and websites, but roof cleaning is NOT a joke. Roof washers can be seriously injured or killed. In addition, hiring a roof cleaner who does not have a State License, Workers Compensation, or General Liability Insurance can cost you!

​DIY Roof Cleaning is Stupid!​

DIY Roof Cleaning: It only takes ONE slip!
Climbing a ladder, walking on an algae-infested roof, wearing tennis shoes, and carrying a pump sprayer can end your life. Roof cleaning is not just another item you add to your honey-do list. Trying to CLEAN a ROOF after watching a Youtube video or buying a roof cleaning product is brainless.

DO NOT Pressure Wash Roof Shingles!

​The roof algae, mold, moss, and lichen growth infestation are between the roof shingle granules. Attempting to remove the infestation growth with low pressure, including roof soft washing, roof shampoo washing, simple beach roof cleaning, or DIY roof cleaning, can rip or pull up the algae, mold, moss, and lichen along with the shingle granules.

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