If you have ever walked by an abandoned home you may have seen a roof covered in green and white splotches. The splotches are usually mold and/or lichen (I.e., moss). While it’s easy to see a lot of this on a roof of an abandoned house, it’s not quite so easy to see on your own roof.
Where to Find the Mold on Your Roof
Mold often looks like it starts in random spots in the center of your roof. It doesn’t. It actually starts in areas where organic debris is most likely to accumulate and rot. These areas include:
- Along the edges of your roof where leaves, dirt, and animal feces can collect and pile up before entering a gutter
- Along the flashing near the areas where two angled sections of the roof meet
- Around your chimney as it rises out of the roof (if you have one)
- Along the seams of gables and where panels of shingles meet
- Anywhere that wooden shaker shingles overlap (because the wooden shingles are organic, there’s an increased risk of mold)
- In the gutters, although regular cleaning of the gutters will prevent this
If you want to check your roof on your own, you can. However, it is advisable that you hire a roofing contractor or a mold remediation specialist to climb up there and look for you. They know best what to look for and how to spot it.
The Best Ways to Keep Mold off Your Roof
The best way to keep mold off your roof is to install an all metal roof. Nothing can accumulate and rot on a metal roof. If you can’t afford a complete overhaul of your current roof to install a metal one, then cleaning the roof at least once a year is good. At the very least, have it checked once a year (e.g., while you’re having the gutters cleaned out) to make sure there’s no sign of mold present.
