Roof Cleaning and Soft Washing in West Palm Beach
Typical roof: $400 to $900
The black streaks on roofs across Palm Beach County are Gloeocapsa magma, an airborne blue-green algae that thrives in warm humid air and takes hold on the limestone filler in shingles and the porous surface of tile. It spreads from roof to roof on the wind and is worst on the north slope and under trees. Beyond looks, the growth holds moisture, lifts shingle granules, and on tile roofs fills the overlaps with debris that traps water. Insurers and HOAs both notice. Florida insurers increasingly review aerial roof photos at renewal, and roof condition is a common reason for an inspection request or a nonrenewal notice. A roof with no streaks or lichen gives an underwriter nothing to flag, so cleaning is also an insurance matter.
How roofs are cleaned here
No pressure washer goes on the roof. The crew applies a soft-wash solution from the roof edge or with a low-pressure pump, lets it dwell long enough to kill the algae and lichen, then rinses gently or lets the roof rinse naturally depending on the surface. Gutters and downspouts are flushed so the runoff is diluted, and landscaping is pre-wet and rinsed afterward.
- Barrel and flat tile: solution applied and rinsed at low pressure. Tiles are never walked unnecessarily.
- Asphalt shingle: solution applied and allowed to rinse with rain where possible, which is gentler on the granules.
- Metal: solution applied and rinsed; oxidation and chalking treated separately if requested.
Results on heavy black streaking are visible the same day, and lichen colonies continue to release over the following weeks of rain.
Safety
Roof work is done with fall protection and the right footwear for the surface, and the crew is insured for work at height. Ask any company cleaning your roof for their certificate before they start; we send ours with the quote.
Pricing
A typical single-story roof in West Palm Beach runs $400 to $900. Steep pitches, two stories, heavy lichen and large footprints are quoted on site. Pairing the roof with a house wash on the same visit reduces the combined price.
If the roof is what the association letter is about, say so. The job gets scheduled ahead of the date on it and you get photos for the file.
Black streaks on the north slope are the first sign; a lichen crust is the last. Call (561) 717-7286 at whichever stage you are at, and the West Palm Beach quote comes with our insurance certificate.