Roof Cleaning, Algae & Moss Removal in Gorey, Co. Wexford
Half the roofs we look at in Gorey are dirty rather than grown over, and the two want completely different work. Here is how to tell which one you are looking at before anyone quotes you.
Grime washes. Growth does notRoad film off the Dublin route settles as a flat grey haze and comes away with water. Anything green, black, red or crusted is alive, and water alone will not shift it.
You can go by the colourGreen is algae or young moss. Dark streaks running down the slope are black algae. Reddish-brown is red algae. Grey-green crusting that will not lift is lichen.
Look at the texture nextTraffic film sits flat and even across the whole roof. Growth is patchy, starts on the shaded side, and stands proud of the tile if you get close enough to see it.
The three we find most on Gorey roofs.
Being on a busy route means Gorey roofs carry a layer of road film that roofs in the inland villages simply do not get. Underneath it, the shaded pitches hold damp like anywhere else, so black algae streaks and general staining are what we treat most here.
Black algae
Gloeocapsa magma — the dark streaking that runs down concrete and clay tiles and gets mistaken for dirt. It carries a pigment sheath that shrugs off ordinary washing, which is why scrubbing at it disappoints people. A proper dwell-time treatment is what actually clears it.
Green algae
A flat green film across the tiles and the shaded verges, and normally the first thing anyone notices. In a town it sits under traffic grime, so a roof can look worse than it is. That works in your favour, because the film comes away readily once it is treated.
Organic staining
Years of algae, moss spores and airborne dust colonising and dying back leave a general darkening rather than any one visible growth. The roof reads as tired rather than dirty. The staining lifts, though, and the change on a stained roof is one of the biggest you will see.
How we tell one from the other.
Getting this wrong is how people pay for the wrong job.
1. We read the roof
Your photos tell us whether it is even or patchy, which elevation went first, and whether the colour sits flat or has depth to it. That answers it for most roofs the same day.
2. We work out the cause
If it is film, it comes off gently and quickly. If it is growth, it wants biocide at the root, and rushing that is how people end up doing it twice.
3. You get it in writing
You get told which one you have in plain terms. If it is mostly road film, we will say so, and it is a smaller job than you were expecting.
Before you decide anything.
One short read and one quick check, neither costing you a thing.
Guide
How to choose a cleaner
Getting quotes and not sure what to make of them?
A roof that only needs washing and a roof that needs treating are different jobs at different prices. Our guide sets out what to ask so you can tell whether you are comparing like with like.
Free check
Try the Gutter Check
Gutters worth a look too?
The Gutter Check runs through what to look for from the ground in under a minute. Road film fills them faster than people expect.
Around Gorey.
We cover Gorey, Ramstown and Clonattin, through the estates on the edge of the town and out along the roads either side of it.
Same film, other surfaces.
Road grime lands on render, walls and glass as readily as it does on the roof, and it comes off the same way.
Softwashing
Render and boundary walls carrying the same film
Softwashing
Window cleaning
Pure water, and no film left behind on the glass
Window cleaning
Telling one from another.
The questions people ask once they have had a proper look.
Does it matter whether my tiles are concrete or clay?
It changes how we work rather than whether we can. Clay is more brittle than concrete and takes a lighter touch; concrete is more forgiving but holds growth in its texture. We match the handling to the covering, so either way the roof is safe.
Does any of this matter if I can live with how it looks?
It is not only cosmetic. Moss keeps the covering wet, works its way under tile edges as it thickens, and blocks the gutter line with what it sheds. Clearing it takes that pressure off the roof, which is the part that pays for itself.
What do you need to give me an estimate?
Your town or Eircode, front and rear photos, the roof type if you know it, a note on access, and a line on what you want — cleaning, treatment, solar panels or the lot.
What about roof windows and skylights?
They are worked around, and the glass gets attention while we are there rather than being left with everything that came off the tiles sitting on it. It is the sort of detail people notice afterwards, so we do not skip it.
The full library of what grows on roofs.
Six organisms, what each does to tile and slate, and the treatment each needs, set out properly on the main roof cleaning page rather than repeated here.
Send a photo and we will tell you which it is.
Two shots from the ground is enough, and it costs nothing to ask.
Talk to us
Phone: 089-949-1525
WhatsApp: Send a couple of photos
Email: info@eireshine.ie
- Mon–Fri08:30 – 19:30
- Saturday10:00 – 18:30
- Sunday12:00 – 18:30
Not sure what you are looking at?
Send it over. We will tell you whether it is film or growth, and which of the two your roof actually needs dealing with.
A photograph beats a description every time, even a blurry one.