Roof cleaning
Roof cleaning across the
Northern Rivers and the Tweed
Soft wash roof cleaning for tile and colorbond, at low pressure
That black is not dirt. It's alive, and it spreads. We treat it at the root with low pressure and a solution rather than blasting it off, so the roof stays clear for years instead of a season. Easy to book, fast quoting, cost effective.
Get a free quote today
Roof cleaning is the removal of the algae, moss and lichen growing on a roof, along with the leaf litter and grime that feed them. TLB Cleaning cleans tile and colorbond roofs across the Northern Rivers, the Tweed and the Southern Gold Coast, using low pressure soft washing rather than a high pressure blast.
Soft washing means a cleaning solution and dwell time instead of force. It matters because high pressure on a roof strips the surface coating off concrete tiles, blows water in under the laps and can crack pointing along the ridge, and none of that is repaired by the clean that caused it. A soft wash also kills the growth at the root, so the roof stays clear for longer rather than greening up again next wet season.
Before you let anyone up there
Three things worth understanding about a roof, and one of them will save you money.
What the black streaking actually is
It is algae, and the pale crusty blotches with it are lichen. Both live on the roof rather than sitting on it, which is why hosing does nothing and why the streaks always run downslope from the ridge in the same pattern.
It grows fastest where the roof stays damp longest: the shaded southern side, under trees, in the valleys and along the bottom two rows of tiles. That is also why one elevation of a house can look filthy while the sunny side looks nearly new.
Lichen is the one to deal with early. It anchors into the surface of the tile and holds moisture there, and on an older roof that speeds up the day the tiles need replacing rather than washing.
What a soft wash does that a blast cannot
Low pressure and a cleaning solution, left to work, then rinsed. The growth dies rather than being knocked off, so it comes back on a scale of years instead of months.
High pressure looks more impressive on the day and costs you later. Enough force to strip lichen off a concrete tile also strips the factory coating, which is the layer keeping the tile from soaking up water. Wet tiles are heavier, they grow moss faster and they break more easily underfoot.
On colorbond the same rule applies for a different reason: pressure gets under the laps and into the screw holes, and a roof that has never leaked can start after it has been blasted.
Who is on your roof
The same small local team, in TLB uniform, harnessed and anchored. We are local, insured and there is one number to ring if something is not right.
We walk the roof before we start and tell you what we found. Cracked tiles, failed pointing, a rusted valley or a sheet that has lifted are all things you want to hear about while somebody is up there, not in the next storm. We clean roofs, we do not repair them, so there is nothing in it for us either way.
Never let anyone high pressure your roof
A high pressure wand held on a concrete tile takes the growth off and the surface coating with it. The tile underneath is porous, so it drinks water, grows moss faster and gets heavier and more brittle. The roof looks its best on the day it is damaged and worse every year after.
On a tiled roof the other two casualties are the pointing along the ridge, which cracks, and the laps, where water is forced up under the tiles into the roof space. If a quote is low because the job is quick, this is usually why. Ask what pressure they use and what they do about the growth in the surface, and if the answer is a number of thousands of PSI, keep looking.
The same roof, both ways.
Drag the handle across the photo.
After 
Before Illustrative sample, shown while we collect before and after photos from real TLB jobs.
When to do it
Roof growth here is seasonal, and the best time to deal with it is before the wet rather than after.
- Late winter and spring is the sweet spot. The growth is dormant and slower, the weather is settled enough to work, and the roof is clear before the summer storms.
- After a long wet summer is when people notice it, and it is also when everyone rings at once. It can still be done, it just books out.
- Before selling, do it early. A dark streaked roof is the first thing in an aerial photo and the first thing a buyer values as a future cost.
How often depends on the shade, not the calendar. A roof in full sun with nothing overhanging it can go many years. A roof under trees on the southern side of a hinterland block will be greening up again long before that, and the honest answer is that we will tell you what yours looks like rather than sell you a schedule you do not need.
The rest of the outside
Roofs are usually booked with the gutters, and often with the walls, because everything we take off the roof lands on both.
- Window cleaningGlass, frames, sills and tracks, inside and out, with the salt film taken off properly.
- Gutter cleaningGutters, valleys and downpipes cleared and flushed, and the debris taken away with us.
- High pressure cleaningDriveways, paths, patios, pool surrounds and fences, at a pressure the surface can take.
- Exterior house washingWalls, eaves, soffits and window frames washed down so the whole house looks newer.
How TLB compares
This is the trade where the lowest quote can cost you a roof. What you are buying is the judgement about pressure, not the hour of labour.
| Why TLB Cleaning is different | A national brand or app | An independent cleaner | TLB Cleaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who cleans your home | Whoever is rostered that day | The same person | Your own local team, known by name |
| When someone is away | A different contractor | Rebook for another week | Someone from your team covers, and we let you know first |
| How you book | Online only | Text or a phone call | Online, text, phone or email |
| Reminders | Automated | Usually none | Before the day, and again when we're on our way |
| Holiday lets | A standard turnover | Depends on availability | Worked straight off your booking calendar |
| Your schedule | Whatever slot is available | Whenever they can fit you in | A set day and a set team |
| Commitment | Often a subscription | None | No lock-in, no minimum term, no exit fee |
| Where they live | Wherever the contractor is based | Locally | In the towns they clean in, across the region |
Where we clean
Northern Rivers, the Tweed and the Southern Gold Coast.
Northern Rivers NSW
- Lismore
- Goonellabah
- Alstonville
- Wollongbar
- Casino
- Kyogle
- Nimbin
- Clunes
- Bexhill
- Dunoon
- Ballina
- East Ballina
- Lennox Head
- Skennars Head
- Wardell
- Evans Head
- Broadwater
- Woodburn
- Coraki
- Bangalow
- Byron Bay
- Suffolk Park
- Mullumbimby
- Brunswick Heads
- Ocean Shores
- New Brighton
- Billinudgel
- Federal
The Tweed
- Murwillumbah
- Tweed Heads
- Tweed Heads South
- Banora Point
- Terranora
- Bilambil
- Bilambil Heights
- Chinderah
- Fingal Head
- Kingscliff
- Casuarina
- Cudgen
- Cabarita Beach
- Bogangar
- Hastings Point
- Pottsville
- Uki
- Burringbar
- Mooball
Southern Gold Coast QLD
- Coolangatta
- Bilinga
- Tugun
- Currumbin
- Palm Beach
- Elanora
- Burleigh Heads
- Burleigh Waters
- Miami
If a town isn't listed, ask us anyway.
Easy to book, fast quoting, cost effective
Managed for you. A date that suits you, a confirmation in writing, a message when we are on the way, and told first if anything changes.
Book online in a couple of minutes, or send a text, ring us or email, whichever you'd actually do.
Condition drives the price on work like this, so the honest answer is a fast quote rather than an instant one. Tell us what you've got and roughly what state it's in, and we'll come back with a number quickly. Photos are usually enough. If it needs eyes on it, we'll say so rather than guess.
You'll know the price before we start, not after. If the job turns out smaller than you described, we'll tell you rather than hold you to the bigger number. If it needs more time than we quoted, you'll hear that before we begin.
How it works
- Tell us about the job.
- We confirm the price and agree a time and access.
- We do the clean, and you get a message when we're on the way.
- If something needs fixing, you hear it from us first.
Booking a roof clean
1. Will it come back?
Eventually, and much more slowly than after a high pressure blast. A soft wash kills the algae and lichen at the root rather than knocking the top off it, so the roof stays clear for years rather than a season. Shade is the variable: under trees on the southern side it returns sooner than in full sun.
2. Can you walk on our roof without breaking tiles?
On a sound roof, yes, and it is walked in the right places by someone who knows where those are. Old, brittle or previously blasted tiles are more fragile, and we assess that before starting. If a roof should not be walked we will tell you rather than risk it and hope.
3. What about a colorbond roof?
Colorbond usually needs less work than tiles, because growth has less to hold on to, but it still films up with grime and algae in the shade, and it needs low pressure for a different reason: force gets under the laps and around the screws.
4. What about our garden and our pets?
Beds along the drip line get wet down before and rinsed after, furniture is moved or covered and pets stay inside until we have finished and rinsed off. Tell us about anything precious in the beds when you book and we will work around it.
5. Can you paint or restore the roof too?
No. We clean roofs, we do not recoat or repair them, and we do not have a painter waiting in the van. If a roof turns out to need pointing, sealing or replacement, you will hear that from us with no quote attached to it.
Soft washing, roof tiles and what it costs
1. What is soft washing a roof?
A low pressure application of a cleaning solution, left to work for a period and then rinsed off gently. The pressure is closer to a garden hose than a pressure washer. It suits roofs, render, painted surfaces and cladding, where force would strip the finish or drive water in behind it.
2. Why does my roof have black streaks?
It is algae growing on the surface, running downslope from the ridge because that is the way water carries it. Humidity, shade and leaf litter feed it, which is why the streaking is always worst on the shaded elevation, in the valleys and under overhanging trees. The pale crusty patches with it are lichen.
3. Does roof cleaning damage tiles?
Soft washing does not. High pressure can, and often does: it strips the surface coating off concrete tiles, cracks ridge pointing and forces water up under the laps into the roof space. Once the coating is gone the tile absorbs water, grows moss faster and becomes more brittle underfoot.
4. Can old fibre cement roofing be cleaned?
Not by us. Fibre cement roofing and eave sheeting installed before the 1990s can contain asbestos, and cleaning disturbs the surface, so it is work for a licensed asbestos removalist rather than a cleaner. If you are not sure what your roof is made of, get it identified before anyone washes it.
5. How much does roof cleaning cost?
Roof cleaning is usually priced per square metre of roof area, with a minimum charge, and the rate moves with pitch, access, roof type, how heavy the growth is and whether the gutters are done at the same time. That's why we quote rather than publish a flat rate that would be wrong for most roofs. Ask for a price against a written scope that says which method is being used. Tell us the basics and you'll have a price back quickly, with no obligation attached to it.
Roof cleaning
Start with a look at it.
Send us the address and a photo from the street if you have one. We will tell you what is growing up there, what will come off and what it will cost. Get a free quote today.