As a homeowner, hearing you have mold anywhere in your home is one of the worst things you can come across. Mold isn’t exclusive to inside your home, though. You might see mold growing on the outside of your home from the foundation to the roof.  Mold growing on your roof might go unnoticed a little longer than other parts of your home simply because it’s harder to see, and you don’t spend too much time on your roof. Once you know you do have mold, though, you can still remove it and help prevent it from growing back. Here’s what you need to know about removing mold from the roof of your home.
 
Before You Treat the Roof
If you have an attic or crawl space above your home, this is the perfect time to check that area and see if the mold has spread. If the mold has been on your roof for some time without treatment then it is very possible it could breakdown the shingles and move into your home. If the inside is also affected then you’ll want to make sure you also treat the mold inside when doing the roof. Based on the treatment you choose, most are bleach based, you’ll want to make sure you have a sufficient way of airing out the space so the smell doesn’t move to other areas of your home.
 
Getting Ready to Treat Mold
Usually mold can be treated with regular household bleach, so you can treat the problem long before you’ll need to spend a lot of money replacing an entire roof. Once you’ve located the area, or areas, you need to treat on the roof you’ll want to make sure you protect your plants and grass since the treatment includes harsh bleach, which can damage plants. You can protect them with large tarps draped over top – just make sure you cover a wide enough area so that none of the treatment lands on exposed plants.
 
Make and Apply the Solution
Before you start making the solution, make sure you have rubber gloves and a mask so that you can protect your lungs and skin from the harsh chemicals you’ll be dealing with. In a two gallon bucket, approximately, you’ll want to create a mixture that is ¾ water and ¼ bleach. Once you have that mixed, add in one teaspoon of trisodium phosphate and mix very well. Once it is all mixed, fill a manual pump sprayer with it and apply to the affected areas of shingles.
 
Rinse off the Roof
Once you have applied the mixture to the affected area, wait about 10 minutes (maybe more if there’s a lot of mold) and then rinse the shingles off with a garden hose at its lowest pressure. Start rinsing downward so the water runs off the shingles without too much saturation. Once you’ve rinsed the whole area, run your hand over it, still with your gloves on, and if there’s any slimy areas left you can reapply the solution and rinse again.
 
You should never use a pressure washer to remove the solution because it can remove some of the pebbles on the shingles which will compromise their ability to repel water and that could make your mold situation worse.
 
If you complete this treatment yourself, but still find the mold is coming back, then you should consult with a professional to determine if the source is elsewhere or the cause is something you can’t treat yourself.
 
Next – Does Your Home Need Roof Ventilation?
Click here if you need a roof inspection.