Metal roofs need regular maintenance and cleaning like any other part of your home. While metal roofs are typically low maintenance, they still need occasional attention. Here are three tips on cleaning and maintaining your metal roof.
Follow Proper Safety Precautions
The first tip for cleaning and maintaining your metal roof is to follow proper safety precautions. When you want to clean a roof, you have to get up onto it. And when you get onto a roof, you face some serious safety risks. The last thing you want is to experience a fall, accident, or injury. Therefore, you should always follow proper safety precautions when cleaning a roof. For example, you should always have another person with you in case you must deal with an emergency. You should also use a safety ladder, wear shoes with appropriate traction, and only clean the areas you can reach.
Consider the Weather Forecast
Considering the weather forecast is another essential tip for metal roof cleaning and maintenance. Cleaning a metal roof is a bit different than cleaning other roofs because of the material. For example, metal roofs can get hot to the touch on sunny summer days, so you’ll want to avoid working in this type of weather. You’ll also want to avoid performing roof maintenance on a rainy day, as this poses many serious hazards. You could slip, fall, or get injured. There’s also the possibility of lighting striking. As a best practice, you should wait for a dry, overcast day to clean your metal roof.
Avoid Using Damaging Products
The third helpful tip for metal roof cleaning and maintenance is to avoid using damaging products. Cleaning and washing a metal roof differs from dealing with regular roofs, so you want to consider the kind of tools, equipment, and products you’re using. For example, you should always avoid using wire brushes, wool scrubbers, sandpaper, high-pressure washers, and paint thinners. These kinds of products can cause damage and scratches to your metal roof, so it’s best not to use them at all. Instead, you should use a gentle cleaning solution and a sponge or microfiber cloth. Metal roofs tend to be very low maintenance, so on average, cleanings are only necessary every two to three years.
Now that you have some helpful tips for metal roof cleaning and maintenance, you can use these strategies today. And remember that you can always hire a professional roof cleaning service to perform maintenance for you if you have any reservations about doing it yourself. American Metal Roofs has a great selection of metal roofing materials to help you keep your roof looking its best.