Roof & Exterior
Roof cleaning, without wrecking the roof
Soft-wash for tile and Colorbond across the Tweed and the Northern Rivers. We pick the pressure for the surface, not the other way around.
Northern Rivers tile roof half-cleaned, dark mould stripe meeting the original terracotta — illustrative placeholder until real photos are loadedMost roof-cleaning quotes you’ll get are one of two things: a high-pressure crew that strips the surface and drives water under the laps, or a soft-wash operator who treats and rinses properly. We’re the second one.
The mould you see on a Northern Rivers roof isn’t really dirt. It’s biological growth feeding on the surface, fed by humidity, leaf litter and shade. Pressure alone strips the visible top of it and leaves the roots; the dark stripes come back within a season. A roof-safe biocide breaks the growth down to the root, then a low-pressure rinse takes it away without abrading the tile or the Colorbond.
What we don’t do: walk a roof that isn’t safe to walk, blast tiles that are already cracking, or promise a roof clean will fix problems that are actually a roof restoration. If the pointing’s gone, if the ridge caps are loose, if the tiles are past their useful life, we’ll tell you on the quote and walk you through the options.
If the roof is sound but tired, a soft-wash will pull it back to something you’d happily put in a sale photo. We’ll send before-and-after pics either way.
When you need this
The reasons people call
- Dark mould stripes running down the tiles from the ridge
- Lichen patches growing on the north side, lifting with a fingernail
- Salt streaks on Colorbond after a season of easterlies
- Roof looks tired against the neighbour's, and you're getting the place valued
How we work
What actually happens
- Walk the roof, check the tiles, the pointing, the flashings and the gutters before we set up
- Treat with a roof-safe biocide, let it dwell, then soft-wash at a pressure that won't drive water under the laps
- Cocos-palm fronds and leaf litter pulled out of the gutters and downpipes as we go
- Rinse, sweep the surrounds, walk you around the roof when we're done
What's included
In the quoted price
- Pre-clean inspection of tiles, pointing, ridge caps and flashings
- Soft-wash treatment with roof-safe biocide
- Gutter clear-out and downpipe check
- Photos of anything we find that needs attention (cracked tile, lifted cap, rusted flashing)
Honest about scope
What can go wrong, what's not included, what we check first
A recent job
"Will pressure cleaning wreck my roof tiles?"
Banora Point, NSW · Roof clean, Banora Point hill house
The brief
Dark mould stripes running down the tiles from the ridge, cocos palms overhanging the roof, gutters overflowing in the last big rain. The owners wanted a quote for 'cleaning the roof'.
What we found
Loose ridge pointing on the eastern run, two cracked tiles near the valley, and a blocked downpipe at the rear corner where palm-frond seed clusters had built up over two seasons. Tiles themselves were structurally sound.
What we did
Treated with roof-safe biocide and dwelled fifteen minutes. Soft-washed at low pressure top-to-bottom. Cleared gutters and flushed downpipes. Photographed the loose pointing and cracked tiles, scoped them as a separate restoration line on the quote so the owner could decide whether to fix now or later.
Result
Roof looks fresh, gutters are flowing properly into summer storm season, the owner has photos of the pointing issue for their records. They booked the small restoration the following week.
FAQ
Roof Cleaning questions, answered
Soft-wash vs pressure-clean — what's the difference and why does it matter?
Pressure-cleaning strips the visible top layer of mould off but leaves the roots; the dark stripes come back within a season. Soft-washing uses a roof-safe biocide to break the growth down properly, then a low-pressure rinse to take it away. The roof stays cleaner for two to three years instead of two to three months, and the tiles/coating don't get abraded in the process.
Our roof has solar panels — does that change anything?
We work around solar panels carefully. We don't clean the panels themselves (that's a specific service with a specific cleaner; we can recommend). We don't walk on them, we don't get detergent on them, and we soft-wash the rest of the roof without compromising the panel edges or seals.
How often should we be cleaning the roof?
Every two to three years for most Northern Rivers homes. Coastal-strip homes with mature cocos palms or eucalyptus overhanging the roof: closer to every two years. Sheltered inland homes with minimal tree cover: every three years is fine. Annual gutter cleaning regardless.
Related
Often booked together
Quote for roof cleaning
Specific to this service. We'll come back with a written number within one business day.
Ready for a real number?
Phone is the fastest. Quote form if you'd rather write. Either way, you'll hear back with a written number, not a starting price.