What Is Growing On My House?

Property ownership is no light burden. You are responsible for everything that goes wrong in that house or business building. While most people think of their plumbing or HVAC when they consider the burden of property ownership, they may tend to forget about how important it is to keep their exteriors clean.

Your outdoor surfaces are subject to a barrage of containments and hazards that can sometimes go overlooked until it's too late. Sometimes, it is hard to understand how much damage those black streaks are doing to your roof tiles, or how hazardous it is to allow mold to grow on your sidewalks and decks.

Luckily, keeping your exterior surfaces clean is easy and simple with a professional pressure washing company like Soft Wash Mafia at your disposal.

The Types Of Growths

Here is a master list of everything you may find growing on your property.

• Black streaks on your roof are a type of algae bacteria called gloeocapsa magma. It occurs when spores from algae group together, and they grow on roofs where there is less exposure throughout the day. They are actually blue-green in appearance but appear black on roofs.
• Green streaks on your outdoor surfaces are also algae. This type thrives in moist environments, and can be found anywhere there is less sun exposure throughout the day, just like gloeocapsa magma.
• Moss is a substance we are all familiar with. It is the fluffy green patches that thrive in moist shady areas.
• Lichen is lesser known than moss, but still common. It has a light blue-green color and is often mostly flat with spiky edges.
• Mold and mildew are fungi that can appear almost anywhere the sun doesn't shine. You can recognize mold by its grayish fuzzy appearance and mold by its brownish flat splotchy appearance.

These substances are all pretty stubborn to remove but don't stand a chance against pressure washing.

The Damage They Can Do

Algae are well known for eating away at the limestone without our outdoor structures, but they also deteriorate compounds of similar pH levels to that. This means that any surface is at risk of premature deterioration if there are algae growing on it.

Moss and lichen don't really eat away at the material beneath them, but they tend to grow in cracks or crevices and expand them. This is detrimental to roof shingles, as lifted roof shingles can result in wood rot within the structure of the roof itself.

Mold poses a health concern. Although it may be growing on your deck or siding, walking past it can carry spores into your house. This is a major concern for those with young children of those with respiratory issues.

Luckily, all of these dangers can be mitigated with regular pressure washing services like roof cleaning.