LESLIE: Peter in Alaska is calling in with a roofing issue. Tell us what’s going on.
PETER: On the dark side of my house – actually, some parts are sunny; I thought it was bad – but I’m getting moss growing.
TOM: Right.
PETER: What’s the best way to get rid of that?
LESLIE: Is there any way to thin out the trees just a smidgen, to get more sunlight on there? I know you’re about to enter in zero sunlight (Leslie and Peter chuckle) but …
PETER: Yeah, I have but even in the sunny parts, I still get it there; it’s coming up, too, on the front of the house. I have a south-facing house and the front of the garage is still getting moss.
LESLIE: Mm-hmm. Well, it’s not going to pose any sort of damage to the roof structure, itself, although you might not think it’s that attractive. The best way to really get rid of it is with a mildicide, which could be as simple as bleach and water or a housecleaning product like a JOMAX or OxiClean makes one. I always go for bleach and water just because it’s what I keep handy in the house and I can sort of control how tough it is; aggressive, I should say.
PETER: So you just pour it on there?
LESLIE: You kind of pour it on there. I know when I deal with the trim around my windows on the side of my house that grows moss, I put some on there, I let it sit for a few minutes, I’ll take a stiff-bristle brush that’s more like a boat-deck-cleaning brush and give it a good scrub and wash it off with water and it really goes away.
Now on the roof, you need to be careful because bleach or any of those house cleaners are slippery. So you’ve got to put it on there. If you can do it on a day when the sun’s kind of getting to it the best it can, it’ll help to sort of help that process. It’s just a maintenance thing.
PETER: Hmm. So just bleach, huh?
LESLIE: Now, I think it works.
PETER: Yeah, OK. Thank you.
TOM: You’re very welcome. Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.
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