Living on the west coast means living with roof moss and knowing how to deal with it. Fortunately, you have us in your corner to help you know how to tackle roof moss affordably, effectively, and perpetually. If you're not interested in reading about all the ways that some companies will sell you on roof moss products that don't work, skip to the last paragraph. For the sake of transparency, I'm going to quickly touch on all the common ways that some companies convince customers to fork over heaps of money on solutions that don't really work.

Now, this probably isn't what you want to hear, but roof moss doesn't simply go away in a one-and-done solution. It is a perpetual problem that, for as long as wind blows and rain falls, will keep showing up on your rooftop. Roof moss, like any moss, comes from tiny, microscopic spores that float in the wind and collect in small cracks or wind-sheltered areas on your roof. There, during our notoriously rainy fall, winter, and spring, it thrives as it soaks up moisture and sunlight. Moss needs virtually nothing else to grow - just water and light. So, how the heck do you take care of it once and for all?

There are a number of chemicals that roof moss does not like. Zinc, copper, and other metals are often bonded with sulfides to create powerful chemicals that you might think would work great if simply sprayed onto your shingles. The problem is, these chemicals don't stick around very long. Exposure to the sun, rain, snow, and ice degrades and washes them away. They do the job of killing what's there, but in terms of long-term effectiveness, they fall short. What's worse is that these chemicals end up as run-off that collects in your storm drainage. Storm water runoff is untreated, which means it directly affects nearby streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and eventually the ocean. Chemicals like zinc sulfide and copper sulfide are known to cause some serious ecological issues and may even be illegal to use for the purpose of roof moss treatment or prevention, depending on who you talk to. It's worth pointing out that MossAway exclusively uses eco-friendly treatment solutions that are specifically designed for the purpose of treating asphalt shingle rooftops for moss, algae, and lichen - but more on that later.

Surely sealing your shingles with a sealant will keep the moss off, right? Well, no. To be quite honest, I'm really baffled by how some companies can sell these products to customers in good faith. Moss just needs a place to land followed by a bit of sun and moisture and sealing your roof does nothing to stop that from happening. It does, however, keep your roof shingles from breathing as designed which can actually worsen the situation with aging shingles. This is according to a number of roofers we've asked about the product - and believe me, we've asked around. Being in our business, you naturally want to find the very best solution for your customers and I truly wish this was a good one. But in the end, it seems to be nothing more than selling people on the faint hope that it will do some good, long-term - and it's an expensive bet, to say the least.

You've probably been told that zinc strips are a good way to keep moss away. If you haven't, you've likely seen those dull strips of silver metal dangling from under your neighbors ridge cap and wondered "what the heck are those?". For a long time, zinc strips were sold as a way to keep moss gone, but the folder in my camera roll fully dedicated to pictures of moss growing under zinc strips would argue that it is in fact, yet again, nothing but expensive snake oil. There may be some places in the world where these work, but the west coast seems to be beyond the limits of the capability of zinc strips.

The answer is to keep tackling it year after year. Tackling it early and often will keep the growth from taking over your roof and keep the cost low. The most affordable way to keep roof moss off your roof is a regular preventative maintenance plan.

MossAway is Victoria's award winning roof moss removal service - and for good reason. We offer a free service called the Moss Free Membership that addresses any concerns year after year in a roof report. We even include things that aren't moss-related like missing shingles, storm damage, chimney issues, and more. 

How does it work? Each year, we schedule your free roof assessment. Our evaluator takes photos of anything that you might be interested in addressing and we tackle moss problems early, before they become expensive problems.

As you'll know if you've ever received a quote for moss removal, the most expensive service is the first moss removal & treatment. This is typically because we're reacting to the problem. The Moss Free Membership is a way to be proactive and reduce costs, significantly. Ideally, Moss Free Members should expect to spend no more than a few hundred dollars on preventative maintenance every 1 to 2 years to keep moss gone.

If you'd like to learn more about our services, please feel free to call by phone or send us a free quote request.

We've been in the business of delivering award-winning roof moss removal & treatment service for several years now and I'm always surprised at how many different answers customers get from different companies. So is there a best time of year? When is the best time to clean your roof? Let's answer these questions and try to clear up some myths and misconceptions about roof moss removal.

Spring typically signals the start of the roof moss removal season. Warmer weather and fewer rainy days means that this is the perfect time to get your service done. However, the official start isn't a fixed date. Each year, rain and weather plays a role in finding ideal scheduling for your service. 

Summer is the best time of year to get roof moss removal and treatment service done on your home or business. Hot, dry weather makes the moss crumble away easily which translates to better roof preservation overall. Summer is also the busiest season, so be sure to book early if at all possible.

Fall on Vancouver Island is typically still quite hot and dry, so roof moss removal and treatment is still ideal during most of the fall season. However, like spring, we can sometimes see unpredictable wet weather towards the last few weeks. If fall is approaching, get on top of booking your service ASAP. If you've identified a moss problem on your roof you can guarantee it will get worse over the wet winter months.

Winter is a very difficult season to book service. Typically during early winter we focus on getting customers gutters ready for the rain and wet. We wouldn't recommend booking a roof moss removal mid-winter, as the growth tends to be quite vigorous during this time. Removal during winter adds undue stress and wear to your roof and becomes quite difficult to reliably schedule. MossAway has an official off-season each year, where we rest up and ready ourselves for another busy spring, but you can always find someone out there, happy to make a buck, who might do work during the off season.

In the end, it's all about finding a business you can trust. MossAway takes great care to abide by WorkSafeBC regulations and our service has earned us quite the positive reputation throughout Greater Victoria. If you're looking to get rid of some roof moss this year, ask us for a free quote. No hassle, no pressure.

As the days get longer here in Victoria, roof moss removal season is fast approaching. With over 315mm of rain in November alone, it's safe to say we've had a pretty wet winter. With heavy rainfall comes heavy moss growth and we're expecting a busy spring 2022 season.

If you have a friend or relative who needs some information on how to tackle roof moss maintenance, or has questions about the cost and process of removing moss from their roof, please feel free to share this article with them.

It's best to tackle moss before it completely takes over your roof. But whether you're catching it early or finally getting around to it, know that MossAway has you covered. The easiest way to know how much roof removal will cost is to start a free quote with us today.

Roof moss removal here on the west coast is typically best done during dry weather. The hotter and dryer it is, the easier it is to remove moss safely from your shingle. It also gives the treatment more time to do its work and sterilize the surface to prevent grow-back.

We feel there are a number of great reasons to choose MossAway for your roof moss removal project including safety, reputation, quality, speed, friendliness, and reliability - just to name a few. Perhaps one of the best reasons to choose us in 2021 is our new Moss Free Membership, which we'll talk about next...

Here on the west coast, keeping moss off your roof is like trying to keep rain off your roof. It's just another force of nature we have to deal with as west coasters. The best you can do is find the most affordable way of keeping moss off your roof - and here is where MossAway really has you covered.

MossAway goes above and beyond the competition by offering a free membership to each of our moss removal customers called the Moss Free Membership™. Every year MossAway will send out one of our specialists to inspect your roof and evaluate the situation. If we see an area where a spot treatment is needed, we make the recommendation. In tackling the problem this way, our customers pay around $100 - 200 to treat the problem proactively, rather than $1100+ to treat the problem reactively. If our projects are correct, MossAway will save customers close to $240/year over a 14 year period, or a grand total of over $3,100! Over the complete life o a 25 year roof, MossAway customers will save a grand total of over $6,600 or $265/year in roof maintenance. 

You guessed it - it's gutter cleaning season here in Victoria. Are your gutters ready for seasonal rains and winter weather? Are you looking for the best gutter cleaning company in town? Our team can help. We deliver fast, professional, quality gutter cleaning at affordable rates.

When your gutters are clogged up with leaves and debris they don't drain well under wet winter conditions. If your gutters are holding water when a cold snap hits the water freezes and expands which can cause serious damage to your gutter system. Additionally, in heavy rains, debris flowing down your downspout can enter your perimeter drain, causing blockages in the perimeter drainage system.

Get your gutters cleaned every fall to remove a buildup of debris allows your system to function properly. 

MossAway uses a high-powered gutter vacuum system to minimize the use of ropes, anchors, and ladders. A professional company, accredited with WorkSafeBC, will always rope & harness or use standoffs on their ladder systems. Working from the ground with our vacuum system means the team typically won't need to install roof anchors and oftentimes won't even need to ladder up to clean your system. Guttervac's also tend to do a better job at cleaning small particulate than hand-scooping alone.

So who do you want working on your gutter cleaning project this season? We think you should give us a call and see the difference an award-winning, professional, WorkSafeBC insured, BBB accredited, and affordable service can make.

A quick search of the web will give you a wide variety of different entities offering roof moss removal services in your area but are all these businesses offering roof-safe services?

The Roofing Contractors Association of British Columbia publishes an extremely helpful guidebook for general consumers. This guide can help you make the best decision when choosing a roofing contractor but also a roof maintenance service such as roof cleaning.
https://www.rcabc.org/wp-content/uploads/Consumer-Guide-to-Roofing.pdf

Here are just a few of the key takeaways from the guide, as well as a few of our own tips.

Never let a contractor take a pressure washer to your asphalt shingle roofing. While this may be appropriate for moss removal on clay or concrete tiles, your asphalt shingle roofing is not designed to be pressure washed. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of homes in Victoria that learned this fact the hard way and we see the aftermath of pressure washed shingles all too often. In most situations, we suggest that homeowners save the money they were looking to spend on maintenance and, instead, spend it on re-roofing.

The guide highlights brushing as is the typical method of physical moss removal from asphalt shingle roofs. We would expand on this only to say that not all brushing is roof-safe. Moss removal is about roof preservation. To keep in line with that mission, it takes a certain amount of finesse and skill to get the job done right. If you see someone going ham on a rooftop, they might not know what they're doing. Physical moss removal can be done with a light touch and doesn't require heavy force to achieve a quality result.

Roof moss treatment is often what sets different companies apart. Each seems to swear by their brand of chemical and often lists a number of reasons why theirs is better than others. The truth is, there are a wide range of different roof moss treatments that are very effective, but beyond moss-killing efficacy, these chemicals are far from equal.

MossAway uses a hydrogen peroxide based treatment, specifically designed for the treatment of moss, algae, lichen, and mold. It's also specifically designed for roof-top application. Other chemicals, although equally effective, are not designed for rooftop application. Furthermore, they're not ideal for washing down the storm drainage system which is where roof runoff ends up.

Sodium Hypochlorite is another popular option in the exterior cleaning world. This chemical is extremely effective, but it's also extreme. The chemical is also known as chlorine bleach but companies often tone down the name, calling it a "soft wash". Chemical contact with exposed wood, paint, and plants will often end up with tragic results. It's not plant-safe, pet-safe, or even human-safe for that matter. Contact with eyes or skin can cause burns or blindness and ingesting the chemical can even cause death. While it may be right in certain situations, this chemical is best left for use in other applications. Especially when we consider how many different options we have at our disposal that do the job just fine.

There are many different ways to perform roof-safe roof moss removal & treatment on your home. Different companies each offer a different set of skills and experience. Whatever you do, make sure the company is reputable and carries an active account with WorkSafe BC. We always strongly recommend pulling the WorkSafeBC clearance letter yourself, for free, from the WorkSafe BC website.

This is a more complicated question than most homeowners realize. There are many factors that go into a roof moss quote including:

• moss effected area of roof (physical removal area)
• total roof moss treatment area (inhibitor area)
• pitch (steepness) of roof surface
• age and condition of roofing material
• overall height and complexity of roof area
• requirements for fall arrest safety anchoring
• moss removal process or method

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There are many different processes or methods for removing moss from a roof surface. MossAway uses the process that we feel is the safest and most effective which we call the "Brush & Treat" method. Hand brush removal of the moss is labour intensive but the quality of removal is extremely high compared to any power form of physical removal. It is also considerably safer for your roof than other removal methods. We would never recommend that a homeowner allow a contractor to pressure wash or "soft wash" your asphalt shingles. We have plenty of photos of severely damaged rooftops that were pressure washed - stay tuned for that post later in the month.

MossAway has an average service cost of just $750 across all services conducted in 2018 with invoices ranging from just $350 to just over $2500. [Edit: June 2022] It's important to note that the global pandemic, rising fuel prices, and supply chain issues have dramatically increased costs since this post. In 2022, the average quote is currently closer to $1150, with the largest residential projects typically hovering around $3500. Since this post in 2018, we have also implemented the moss-free membership. Customers booking roof moss removal & treatment projects with MossAway are treated to free yearly reviews of their roof. MossAway catches moss growth early, aiming to spot-treat for around $150-250, only if you need it, every 2 - 4 years. This should greatly increase the longevity of our service and the lifespan of your roof. See our more recent articles for more details. [End of edit]

Are there even more affordable methods? This is quite reasonably the most affordable process possible to safely & effectively remove moss from an asphalt rooftop. Every so often a customer sends us a lower competitor quote, and almost every lower quote we've received was from a "guy with a truck and ladder" outfit. Do keep in mind - our industry sees some of the highest WCB rates of any industry, quality workers for this time of work do not come cheap, and if you employ someone who is not covered by WCB and/or doesn't carry liability insurance you could be in for quite the unpleasant experience. For more on that, check out our post about why WorkSafe coverage is so important when selecting a contractor, coming out later this month.

The best time in Victoria to remove moss from your roof is mid-March until late May. June and July are also good months to remove moss however by late spring to early summer moss has started to seed and spread to other areas of your property that might later become a nuisance.

We do not recommend removing moss in December, January, or February. In our climate, moss is full of life and quite difficult to remove mid-winter. If rains are bringing vigorous growth to your mossy roof the best thing you can do is wait until drier weather when the moss can be brushed away with relative ease.

Moss treatment can be conducted at almost any time of year. As you might suspect, a spray treatment should be done during an absence of wet weather so as to increase the overall efficacy of the treatment. Speak with a member of our service team by calling or emailing us for more information, and book a free, no-hassle quote for moss removal on your​ roof this summer.