Roof cleaning is a vital part of properly maintaining a home, but do commercial buildings need roof cleaning as well? Absolutely! In fact, roof cleaning is key to making sure that a business looks professional, successful and most importantly, that it is welcoming to current customers or potential clients. Many business owners are unsure about when or how often their roof should be cleaned, but below are a few guidelines that should make it much easier to schedule your next cleaning and to establish an effective cleaning schedule. The suggestions are based on smaller office buildings rather than extremely large, industrial-style buildings, however, the cleaning schedule for a larger building can still use some of the following guidelines and may require more frequent maintenance.
If your roof is sloped and asphalt shingles are the chosen roofing material, then the cleaning schedule will be very similar to the cleaning schedule of any residential home. One to two cleanings per year should be sufficient to keep the roof looking its best and to extend the lifespan of the shingles, since mold, debris and the weather can all degrade a dirty roof much faster than a clean one. It is very important that customers see that your property is well maintained and in good shape, since a poorly maintained property might indicate that your business has poor attention to detail or that your business is not doing well financially and has let the property get out of hand a s a result. It is usually a good idea to lean towards more frequent cleanings than too few cleanings, since it only takes one or two customers on a day when your roof is clearly dirty to spread the word that your business is not looking its best.
If your business has a flat roof, it will be much harder for customers to see if the roofing surface is not clean anymore. However, regular cleanings every 6 months to one year are still very important. If the roof is not cleaned for a long period of time, it is very possible that mold and debris might cause small cracks in the surface of the flat roof. These cracks might not be visible at first glance, but they will allow water to leak into your commercial building and nothing looks worse to a customer than water-stained ceilings or a bucket to catch the drips during a storm. Keeping your roof clean will extend the lifespan and can help avoid this costly and embarrassing problem.
In a humid, rainy and hot climate like Florida, your commercial building’s roof can become severely affected by the weather. Heavy rain, high winds and many cycles of getting rained on followed by periods of very intense hot sun are all factors that can make the appearance of your roof less attractive without regular cleanings. Of course, it is recommended that residential homes always clean their roof after a period of stormy weather and it is no different for a business. A storm puts a great deal of stress on the roof and can blow debris into the shingles or leave debris on top of a flat roof. When this happens, the building not only looks unmaintained to customers, but it also might cause damage to the roof if left as is and this damage is more costly to a business than regular cleanings. The added benefit of cleaning your roof after a major storm is that other businesses may not have cleaned their roof yet, which leaves your commercial building looking great among the others in your area. Being so prepared after a storm will leave your customers with the impression that your business is on top of everything and prepared for anything.
Overall, roof cleaning is a simple way to make sure that you leave your customers with the best possible impression of your business. A sloped roof is especially visible to customers and cannot be left without proper cleaning for more than one year, but a flat roof is important to clean as well since the negative effects of leaving the roof dirty, such as roof leaks, will leave a very negative impression on any customer. A clean roof makes the customer see you as a capable and professional business, which is key to being successful among your competitors. When in doubt, opting for an extra cleaning after particularly harsh weather is never a bad idea and can only help your business look fantastic!
We offer free roof cleaning estimates! Give us a call at 407.256.8610 or contact us online here.