Roof Cleaning in Conway, AR

Roof Cleaning in Conway, AR

The black streaks running down the north slope of your roof are not dirt, not mildew, and not
a sign the shingles are wearing out. They are a specific blue-green algae that feeds on the
limestone filler used in asphalt shingles, and it spreads by airborne spores — which is why
it appears on one house and then, three or four years later, on the neighbors on that side of the
street.

Understanding that changes what you should do about it, and more importantly what you should
not.

Never Pressure Wash an Asphalt Roof

An asphalt shingle is a mat saturated with asphalt and surfaced with mineral granules. Those
granules are not decoration — they are the shingle’s entire UV protection. Strip them
and the asphalt beneath is exposed to Arkansas sun, which is what actually degrades a roof.

High pressure removes granules. Not some of them, not only the loose ones — it takes
working granules off a sound shingle, and you can see them in the gutter afterwards. Pressure also
lifts shingle edges and can drive water up under the courses to the deck.

The result is a roof that looks clean for a season and has had years taken off its life. It is
the single most damaging thing done to residential roofs in this trade, and roofing manufacturers’
guidance is consistently against it. Any contractor who offers to pressure wash your roof is
telling you they either do not know this or do not care.

What We Actually Do

Soft washing: a cleaning solution applied at roughly garden-hose pressure, given time to work,
then rinsed thoroughly. The solution kills the algae rather than blasting off the visible layer.
Nothing scrubs, nothing scrapes, and no granules are removed.

The streaks do not always vanish the moment we rinse. The algae is dead at that point, and the
staining continues to lighten over the following weeks as rain carries the dead organism off.
That is normal and expected, and it is worth knowing before you look up the next morning.

Conway’s Specific Roof Problem

Faulkner County is loblolly country, and pine changes roof maintenance here in three ways.

Needles hold moisture on the roof. They mat in valleys, behind chimneys and
along the low edge, and a damp mat sitting on shingle is exactly the environment algae and moss
want. Roofs under pine grow streaks faster than roofs in the open.

Shade extends the wet period. A roof that dries by mid-morning grows very
little. A roof under canopy that stays damp until afternoon grows a great deal.

Debris blocks drainage. Needles, catkins and sweetgum in valleys back water up
under shingle courses, which is a leak risk rather than a cosmetic one.

So on a Conway roof we clear the debris as part of the job rather than washing over it. Cleaning
a roof and leaving a needle mat in the valley is treating the symptom.

Moss and Lichen Are Different From Streaks

Streaking is algae and it is a surface organism. Moss and lichen are more serious.

Moss grows in the gaps between shingles, holds water against the roof
permanently, and its growth physically lifts shingle edges. That lifting is how water gets under a
course. Moss on a roof is a structural concern, not an appearance one.

Lichen bonds into the granule surface with root-like structures. It will clear
with treatment, but it often leaves a visible ghost where it was attached, and it is worth knowing
that in advance rather than being disappointed.

Neither is scraped or brushed off. Both are treated and allowed to die and release naturally,
because removing them mechanically takes granules with them.

Whether to Walk the Roof At All

The typical Conway home dates to around 1997, which puts a lot of roofs here at
or near the end of a second shingle life. An older, brittle or steep roof is not something to walk
casually — a foot in the wrong place cracks shingles that were fine that morning, and on a
hot afternoon asphalt is soft enough to scuff under a boot.

Where the roof can be treated safely from ladders and edges, that is what we do. Where it
genuinely cannot be reached that way, we will tell you what is and is not achievable rather than
putting somebody up there to save time. And if a roof is close enough to end of life that cleaning
is cosmetic work on something that needs replacing, we will say that too.

Keeping It Clear Afterwards

Zinc or copper strips fitted near the ridge release trace metal ions in rainwater as it runs
down the slope, and that suppresses algae regrowth on the area below. It is not a cure and it does
not clean an already-stained roof, but on a Conway roof under shade it meaningfully extends the
interval between cleanings. Worth discussing at the same visit, because fitting is easiest when we
are already up there.

The other lever costs nothing: trimming back the branches that keep the roof damp. Light and
airflow do more than any product.

Roof Cleaning in Conway, AR — Questions We Get

More From American Services AR

• pressure washing
• soft washing

Roof Cleaning Pricing in Conway, AR

Roof cleaning costs in Conway typically range from $300 to $750 depending on roof size, pitch, and severity of algae growth:

• Average Conway home (2,000 sq ft): $350–$500
• Larger homes (3,000+ sq ft): $500–$750
• Metal roofs: pricing varies — contact us for quote

We offer bundle discounts when combining roof cleaning with house washing or gutter cleaning.

Roof Cleaning Near Conway

We provide roof cleaning throughout Faulkner County and Central Arkansas, including Conway, Vilonia, Greenbrier, Mayflower, Maumelle, Little Rock, and North Little Rock.