A roof around here takes a beating from the weather long before it ever looks dirty. Our humid subtropical Lowcountry climate, with its high humidity, heavy rainfall, and hot summers, is exactly what algae and mildew need to take hold, and Summerville homes sitting near ponds or standing water tend to show it first. That dark streaking creeping across your shingles isn’t dirt at all; it’s living organic growth, and left alone it keeps spreading and darkening across the roof.
We soft wash roofs to kill and lift that staining without ever putting high pressure on your shingles. It’s what we’ve built Holy City Hydroshine around: getting the growth off in a way that protects the roof underneath it, not just making it look better for a season.
If your roof is starting to darken or streak, we’re glad to take a look and set honest expectations. Call us at (843) 729-3095 to get started.
Our soft wash process is matched to your roof’s material, because the chemistry does the cleaning, not force, so there’s no high pressure on any surface we touch. Whatever your roof is made of, the approach stays gentle on the surface and hard on the growth.
Asphalt shingle is the most common roof material on area homes, and it’s the surface most affected by the heavy algae growth our humidity drives on the region’s many two-story homes. We soft wash it only, never high pressure, applying a sodium hypochlorite solution at 4 to 6 percent depending on how severe the growth is to kill and lift the organic staining, then we rinse the roof.
Metal roofs get the same chemistry, and they tolerate the process well. There’s no high pressure that could disturb coatings or fasteners; when a spot is stubborn, it gets a second application rather than added force.
Barrel tile is uncommon around here, but when we see it, we soft wash it too, and the chemistry lifts organic growth without any surface-contact pressure. Where pitch or fragility calls for it, we work from ladders and the ground rather than putting the crew up on the tile forcing anything.
Here’s what sets our roof cleaning apart.
Every roof clean has two crew members on site: one applying the solution and one on the ground the entire time, doing nothing but protecting your property. That second set of hands is what keeps your beds, shrubs, and lawn safe from the moment we start to the final rinse, actively tended the whole time rather than left to chance. It’s the same care we bring to soft washing a home, where plants and property get protected before a drop of solution goes on. It’s slower than a one-person job, and that’s the point.
Some companies clean only the slope you can see from the street, then leave the solution to sit and drive off. We don’t work that way. You get an even, finished result across every slope, with the roof rinsed clean once the solution has done its job and nothing left sitting on your shingles.
We’re PWNA-trained, so the people on your roof understand the chemistry and the right concentration for the growth in front of them. Soft washing a roof safely comes down to reading that growth and dialing in the solution correctly, not just spraying something on and moving fast.
The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association points to low-pressure cleaning for a reason: it lifts the growth while leaving the shingle itself untouched. Choosing the approach that protects your roof’s lifespan, instead of one that can cut it short, is part of doing the job right.
It starts when you call or request a free estimate online. We can often quote a roof from photos of the affected areas, or come out in person, scoping the roof material, the pitch, and how severe the organic growth is. You’ll get a free estimate back, and as a residential customer you can take an instant online estimate and self-schedule, or have us come out first.
Once you approve the estimate, we book the job. You’ll get a confirmation and reminders leading up to the appointment, plus a heads-up before the crew arrives so you’re never caught off guard.
A two-person crew shows up, and before anything goes on the roof, the ground person wets down all the surrounding plants and landscaping, bags the downspouts, and stages neutralizer pods so any runoff is neutralized and can’t reach your beds.
We soft wash the roof with our soft wash system, applying a sodium hypochlorite solution at 4 to 6 percent depending on how heavy the growth is. That kills and lifts the algae and organic staining without any high pressure, and the ground crew member stays at their post protecting your landscaping while it works.
Once the solution has done its work, we rinse the roof at low pressure rather than leaving it to sit. If any staining is holding on, we treat it again instead of reaching for more pressure, and we cover the roof in full, every slope, every time.
We take before-and-after photos and send them straight to you, then walk the finished job. The invoice only follows once you’re satisfied with the work in front of you.
Most roof cleans land within a predictable range, and the final figure comes down to the size of your roof, its pitch, and its material. We quote it up front so there are no surprises, and here’s what to expect.
No, we use sodium hypochlorite, and the honest answer is that it comes down to concentration, not “bleach.” It’s the same active ingredient found in pool shock, and at a tiny dosage even in eye drops like Clear Eyes; the difference is how much is applied. On a roof we apply it at 4 to 6 percent depending on how heavy the growth is to kill and lift the organic staining before we rinse, and a second crew member wets and neutralizes your plants the entire time.
No, soft washing is the low-pressure method, and most shingle manufacturers actually recommend it over pressure washing. High pressure is what damages shingles and strips their granules, and we never put high pressure on a roof; the chemistry does the work.
Every two to three years is the honest answer, and we’d rather give you that than push you onto a schedule. It really depends on your roof and how much shade and organic growth it gets, so a roof near ponds or under heavy tree cover in this humid climate may need it sooner. That same humidity feeds growth on flatwork, which is why many homeowners pair a roof clean with driveway and concrete cleaning on a similar rhythm. If you have panels up there, we clean those too — see solar panel cleaning, which is a separate service on its own schedule.
No, you don’t need to be home. We document every job with before-and-after photos sent straight to you, and if you happen to be home, we’ll do a final walkaround together.
If your Summerville roof is showing the streaks and staining our Lowcountry humidity is so good at growing, we’re ready when you are. Call us at (843) 729-3095 for a free, no-obligation quote, online or in person, and put a clean, protected roof back over your head.
