Soap on roof to kill moss - does it work?

Soap ? Zinc strips are common for new roofs. Roundup, that should work.

Yeah, but it'll grow back eventually. Moss and sun don't mix, so most people with mossy roof probalems usually do no-cost stuff like prune back the tress around the house that block the sun from naturally drying your shingles. More sun, dry shingles, no moss.

Nature's balance is pretty simple and it doesn't cost a thing or require you to climb a ladder.

AJS

Don't like the sound of laundry soap, sounds like a prescription for slipping/falling off the roof. For a new roof, I used a 10 inch wide zinc metal strip near the top of the roof. I am monitoring effectiveness, after a year it has very little moss. Can also use a Moss-Away compound spray avail. at Home Depot. It is a zinc salt of some kind. You use a pump sprayer to apply it, but being liquid, it works best when there is already moss around. There is also a mechanical approach - trim trees, as suggested, or just go up there from time to time and sweep off the moss with a stiff-bristle broom. Also, keep roof free of tree debris, that shades and feeds moss.

soap on

eventually

One roofer told me to sprinkle garden lime on the roof to reduce the acidity that promotes moss.

Bob

Zinc strips, man. Tom Someday, it'll all be over....

I suggest the commercial products made for the job. Most involve zinc strips that need to be replaced from time to time, but last a good time in-between.

Not just any laundry soap. Choose one that contains bleach. (ex: Tide w/bleach).

It works but the results are only temporary.

(ex: Tide w/bleach).

You could just use bleach. Chlorine bleach is very alkaline. It may not be good for the roof, but it supposedly does kill moss. The commercial zinc products would be a better bet. I get the powdered stuff from the garden dept. and sprinkle some on the roof each year.

Bob

I wonder how Roundup would do, i think very well.

Roundup is designed for broadleaf plants, not moss. It kills, then goes away. The moss killer lasts at least awhile as it disolves.

Bob

You can install zinc, copper, or any other metal strips near the top. I did this on my new roof 13 years ago and it does work! But, I heard it only works on new roofs--after the moss or algae starts growing it has little effect. It has something to do with metal ions covering the roof. One product is "Shingle Guard." Ask about it at your local hardware store or DIY.

I spray mine with moss killer, then pressure wash carefully.

I've heard of diluted vinegar. And I've heard of diluted bleach. But not heard of soap.

to me roundup seems to just be some motor oil... you could put motor oil on the grass that grows in the cracks on the street and it would die, just like with roundup.... kinda greasy stuff......

replying to Bob, Nwman wrote: Roundup is designed for grasses, not broadleaf plants. Glyphosate, available as Crossbow, is designed for broadleaf plants. But I live in the wet Pacific Northwest and spray bleach on my missy roof, it kills the moss, the moss blows away in a while. Easy peasy

Even though the OP's house has been completely overgrown with moss since