Roof cleaning & treatment in Pakenham.
Moss, lichen and algae take over Pakenham roofs faster than almost anywhere in Melbourne’s south-east. We soft wash and apply a long-lasting biocide treatment that keeps killing regrowth for months. We never high-pressure a roof.
Why Pakenham roofs grow lichen.
The same damp, cool air that greens up the south walls of Pakenham homes settles on the roof, and a roof gets it worse because it never dries out fully and it is shaded by the tree canopy that blankets Pakenham Upper, Nar Nar Goon, Maryknoll and the older parts of town. Concrete tile roofs are the most vulnerable because their slightly porous surface gives lichen something to grip. Within ten years an untreated tile roof on the shaded side can be more green and grey than its original terracotta or charcoal.
Soft wash plus treatment, never high pressure.
A roof is the worst surface on the house to attack with high pressure. On a concrete or terracotta tile, blasting strips the factory glaze that protects the tile, which then absorbs water and deteriorates faster, and the pressure drives water up under the tile laps into the roof space and your ceiling. We treat roofs in two stages. First a low-pressure soft wash removes the loose growth and dirt. Then we apply a biocide moss and lichen treatment that soaks in and keeps killing the spores for months. The roof actually keeps getting cleaner over the weeks after we leave as the dead lichen weathers off in the rain.
Colorbond and steel roofs.
Colorbond roofs streak with dark algae and develop a chalky oxidised film, worst on the shaded southern pitch. We soft wash these with a detergent matched to the coating, lifting the streaks and restoring the colour without ever using an abrasive pad or high pressure that would mark the paint.
Safety and access.
Roof work is height work. We use roof anchors, harnesses and the right access equipment, and we carry $10M public liability insurance. We assess pitch and tile condition before quoting, brittle old terracotta sometimes needs extra care, and we tell you honestly if a tile or two should be replaced rather than walked on.
What a Pakenham roof clean costs.
A single-storey roof clean and moss treatment is $600 to $1,000, a double-storey or steep roof $1,000 to $1,800 for the extra access and safety setup. A worked example: a 180 square metre concrete tile roof on a single-storey Pakenham Upper home, heavily lichen-covered under tree shade, is about $950 to soft wash and treat. Many owners book the roof alongside a house soft wash so the whole exterior matches. See the pricing guide for the full breakdown.
Where we clean roofs.
Roof cleaning questions.
How much does roof cleaning cost in Pakenham?
A single-storey roof clean and treatment is $600 to $1,000, double-storey or steep roofs $1,000 to $1,800. A 180 square metre lichen-covered concrete tile roof on a single-storey Pakenham Upper home is about $950 to soft wash and treat.
Do you pressure wash roof tiles?
No. High pressure strips the protective glaze off tiles and forces water under the laps into the roof space. We soft wash plus apply a biocide treatment that kills moss and lichen, which then weathers away over the following weeks.
Will roof cleaning fix my Colorbond roof streaks?
Yes. A soft wash with the correct detergent lifts the dark algae streaks and chalky oxidised film off Colorbond and restores the colour, with no abrasive pads or high pressure that would scratch the coating.
How long does a roof treatment keep moss away?
The biocide keeps working for months. In Pakenham’s damp climate a treated roof typically stays clear two to four years, longer on sunny exposed roofs and shorter under heavy tree cover in the hills suburbs.
Free roof cleaning quote.
Send a photo of your roof and we will assess and price it safely.