When it comes to professional roof cleaning, one product has industry-wide consensus: sodium hypochlorite (SH). Used at the right concentration and applied following the right protocol, SH is not only effective — it is also the officially recommended method by the main asphalt shingle manufacturers in North America.
What is sodium hypochlorite?
Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is the active compound in household bleach, but used at much higher concentration for professional applications. In Soft Wash roof cleaning, SH is typically diluted between 1% and 6% depending on the severity of the buildup.
How it works
Black streaks, moss and lichens on your roof are living organisms. Gloeocapsa magma (responsible for black streaks), moss and lichens all have a cellular structure that SH destroys chemically. Unlike high-pressure washing that only displaces organisms on the surface, SH kills them at the root — that's why results last 3 to 5 years.
The importance of specialized surfactant
SH alone runs off too quickly on sloped shingles. That's why we always combine it with a professional surfactant specifically formulated for Soft Wash. The surfactant plays three key roles: it reduces surface tension for better penetration, improves SH adhesion on the shingle for optimal contact time, and facilitates the final rinse.
Vegetation safety and continuous rinsing
Our protocol includes continuous rinsing of vegetation throughout the application. Before starting, we pre-rinse all shrubs, lawn and flower beds in the runoff area. During application, a technician monitors and rinses continuously. Afterward, we perform a complete final rinse. This level of rigor is what differentiates professional work from a rushed result.
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