Cleaning Cedar Shingles, the Products and Methods

Cedar Shingles or Cedar "shakes" are used as a roofing material or for siding. Cleaning is necessary to extend the life of the shingle and also to keep them looking new. Cleaning them the wrong way, which most people do, could shorten their life. Why clean your cedar shingles? What cleaning product will do the best job? What equipment do you need? How to clean? Let's take a look.

Reasons to clean your cedar shingles; A new wood roof for an average size home could run close to $25,000, to side a medium size home with cedar shingles is easily $15,000, that alone should be enough reason to clean your shingles. Natural wood products are food for mold, mildew, algae, moss and lichen, when these types of fungus are attached to your shingles they are feeding on them, causing them to curl, crack and dislodge. Fungus also holds water and their roots could lead to leaks. To the eye, you want to keep your home looking new and clean, a clean exterior will add to the home's value.

The equipment you will need; Most of the equipment you probably already have, a ladder (with outrigger stabilizer bars for safety), a medium bristle scrub brush on an extendable pole, a garden style sprayer and a hose. I defiantly do not recommend using a pressure washer; the pressure will loosen and sometimes blow shingles right off the house. High pressure also cuts anywhere from 1/8th to a inch of the shingle thickness, this for sure will lead to curling shingles. If you choose the right shingle cleaning product, you will not need the high pressure thus preserving the integrity of the shingle.

The correct procedure; whether it is a cedar shingle roof or siding that you are cleaning, the first step is to moisten the area with regular water from your hose, not a soaking just enough to moisten the shingles. Then from your highest point start applying the shingle cleaning product with your pump sprayer. Only coat an area big enough to clean before it dry's, get your scrub brush and work the product in to the wood. Once you have scrubbed the area that was coated rinse thoroughly with your hose and then move to the next section. You will see all the mold, dirt and algae run off the shingle. Your roof or siding will continue to clean with the next few rain storms.

Purchasing the correct wood shingle cleaning product is the key to the whole procedure. Bleach, TSP or chlorine based products should be avoided. These products do not clean evenly, leaving a "blotchy" looking effect, they destroy your plants and lawn, excessively dry out the wood, stain everything they come into contact with and the fumes linger for weeks. I personally substitute environmentally safe cleaning products for toxic-hazardous cleaners every chance I get, I have found that they work the same without all the side effects. We can't rely on "Corporate America" to change the toxic ingredients in their cleaners; it is the individual who is buying the cleaners that will make the difference in our environment, make a "green" choice when given the opportunity.

Routine cleaning, every 3 or 4 years will keep your cedar shingle looking new, extending the life of a costly investment. Choose an environmentally safe cedar shingle cleaning product and stay away from high pressure cleaning.

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John Redihan is the owner of Wash Safe Industries of Brewster, MA. Wash Safe Industries produces Cedar Shingle Cleaning Products, purchasing the correct cleaning product can make the difference in how clean your cedar shingles come out. Wash Safe also has a "eco-safe" cleaning division

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Cleaning Cedar Shingles, the Products and Methods

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