Roof Cleaning
Often the very last thing on any building owner’s maintenance plan is cleaning the flat roof. This is mainly because of the “out of sight out of mind” attitude.
When you see what is up there causing damage to your flat roof membrane in a relatively short time frame from when the property was built, you would be surprised.
More often than not when a flat roof has a survey, it is found to be covered in very dark, thick organic matters. From ancient Cyanobacteria’s, mosses, fungi, lichens and other biological growth such as grass and saplings, all eating away the very surface of the flat roof membrane.
Commercial buildings with flat roofs which are covered in all this organic funk, should look at the cost of keeping the building cool in summer. Most flat roof membranes are white or light grey in colour and for good reason, they reflect sunlight, which helps keep the building cooler. We all know what happens when we wear black clothing on a hot summers day, we end up burning hot. Well it’s the same for your flat roof, when covered in dark organic matter it cannot reflect heat well, instead it absorbs the heat which makes the building hotter inside. Your air conditioning units end up working overtime to keep the building cooler.
Flat roofs also tend to have pools of water on them, great for organic matter pond life to thrive. Foul smelling spores are often evident throughout the flat roof surface.
Do Contaminated Flat Roofs Help Cause Sick Building Syndrome?
Would you let any child sleep inside a mouldy bedroom? Of course, you wouldn’t, the child would be at risk from getting sick. Headaches, sore throats and respiratory problems would soon occur. Do you know that many buildings usually have air vents high up on the building near or on the flat or pitched roof? Airflow going inside the building allowing it to “breathe”.
What are you and your employees actually breathing in all day long? How many sick days with coughs and colds, asthma etc are taken off each and every year.
This may be avoided with proper building and roof maintenance treating and cleaning plans being put in place.
Cleaning a Flat Roof
When you decide to have your flat roofed cleaned by a professional exterior building cleaning company, what should you demand of them? They should understand “how to” safely clean the roof completely free from organic matter, without causing health issues to occupants inside and outside of the building.
Many people incorrectly assume a pressure washer is the ideal piece of equipment to carry out flat roof cleaning works. The reason for this mistake is the fact that not many people know about exterior surface cleaning. They do know about pressure washers due to numerous TV and magazine adverts from pressure washing manufacturers. And that is because they have been around a long time. Hence the reason they “think” a pressure washer is needed.
Roof Cleaning – Before Roof Cleaning – After
Have you even though about what might happen should a pressure washer be used to clean up organic matter build up on a flat roof? The powerful jets may damage the flat roof membrane and WILL also kick up clouds of bacteria infested biomatter. The bacteria will than find their way inside you building through air vents and air conditioning units which are often found sitting up on the roof. Open top floor windows will also allow the contamination to enter the building. Will this cause your employees to get sick? Research suggests that organic matter which enters and lives inside a building is not good for our health. Often hiding and breeding above false ceilings and wall cavities in many buildings, where did they enter the building from?
Pressure washers atomise the water into a spray cloud which can be seen from close by or at a distance. This is the reason pressure washers are dangerous to use on flat roofs. Not only that, water cannot get rid of the root of the organic plant life, spores are left behind and grow back much quicker and thicker, creating a worse problem than was there before.
How to SoftWash a Flat Roof?
SoftWashing cleans flat roofs safely, the treatment lasts 4 – 6 times longer than cold water pressure washing because it kills the organic matter at the root. Any future growth would be New Growth and not Re-Growth.
Any loose matter such as leaves as plants, rubbish etc are first collected and safely bagged up to be disposed.
A SoftWashing mixture is then applied to the flat roof membrane by an experienced certified applicator, who has undergone classroom training, in field training and MUST pass a 200-question exam before being allowed out there to treat roofs and walls free from organic matter build up.
The SoftWashing Solution
The SoftWashing Solution is made up of specially formulated products designed to mix with sodium hypochlorite safely. Flat roof surfaces MUST be sanitised and the only way to do this is by applying a carefully blended SoftWash chemical which is eco friendly and bio degradable.
After the flat roof has been SoftWash treated the roof must be neutralised with a product known as Final Wash, which ensures the flat roof has been rinsed free from any chemical residue.
Because the SoftWash mixture is NOT atomised there is no danger of it blowing in the wind up and through vents, unlike a pressure washer would do.
The SoftWash Roof Cleaning Solution is held on the back of a SoftWashing truck parked in your carpark or close to the building. Long SoftWashing hose pipes are hoisted up onto the roof and the SoftWash operator simply opens up the SoftWashing wand to carefully apply the flat roof treatment mixture.
SoftWashing is safe
No heavy lifting of any equipment up through the building is required. No water tap is required upon the roof. Because NO pressure is used, no damage to the flat roof membrane can occur, ensuring no leaking of water after rainfall enters the building.
The end result
The end results look fantastic making sure the membrane flat roof is back to its original condition and free from all organic life.
When You Want Your Flat Roof Cleaning by Experts Call 0800 1577484 Today to Arrange Your FREE Roof Cleaning Survey. Samples Treatments Can Be Arranged Please Ask Us
Other articles that could be of interest to you
Roof Cleaning Aberdeen – Building Cleaning Upminster – Render Cleaning – Cladding Cleaning – Hotel exterior surface sanitising – Render Cleaning Bexhill on Sea – Softwashing – Building Cleaning Hornchurch – Cladding Cleaning Prices in 2019
I look forward to helping you get your building super clean,
Yours sincerely
Darran Smith
Darran Smith, Director, Purple Rhino Building CleaningCase Studies of Our Cleaning Work
See all case studies
-
Case Study
K Rend – Render Cleaning Services
-
Case Study
Industrial Warehouse Cleaning – Dartford
-
Case Study
HTC – Stone Cleaning
-
Case Study
Window Cleaners – Queen Ethelburgas & Thorpe Underwood Estate
-
Case Study
Oracle Apartments Render Cleaning Brent Cross London
-
Case Study
Prodrive – SoftWash to Cladding
What our Clients Think
See all testimonials
-
I contacted Purple Rhino with a view to cleaning the external K Render panels on our large out of town retail park in Llandudno. The works were completed effectively on time, within budget and the K Render panels were extremely clean upon completion. This is was the first time I have used them but would definitely consider using them again.
Stephen Pearson Property and Operations Manager
WHR Property Consultants LLP, Llandudno -
We have used Purple Rhino for a few years now and have found them to be reliable, good workers and always do a good job.
Sally Bourn Office Facilities Manager
Hayes and Jarvis Travel, Crawley -
Once again Purple Rhino have proved they are the best K-Rend, Render Cleaning Company out there.
Well done and look forward to working with you on the next project.
David Hazell Contracts Manager
Bell Group Ltd, East GrinsteadThe Process was not too noisy and Purple Rhino really cared about our staff, visitors and residents, nothing was too much trouble for them.
Lady Elizabeth House Manager
Bell Group Ltd, SloughPurple Rhino Blog
See all Purple Rhino News-
Stone Cleaning Guide – Cost or Price?
22/04/18 Stone Cleaning
Cost or Price – which is more important when Cleaning the Stone? ( Stone Cleaning ) There is a crucial
Read Full Article -
Exterior Building Cleaning Law
27/03/18 General
Don’t let a cleaning company “take you to the cleaners” (Exterior Building Cleaning Law) Learn how to avoid costly fines
Read Full Article -
Render Cleaning Bexhill on Sea
09/02/18 Doff Cleaning, Render Cleaning
Render Cleaning Bexhill on Sea During February 2017, Purple Rhino Render Cleaning Division was contacted by the residents of the
Read Full Article
©copyright 2010-2019 Purple Rhino