How much does roof moss cleaning cost?
Short answer. Roof moss cleaning is usually priced by roof size, pitch and height, plus how thick the moss is, and a proper job is a low-pressure treatment that kills the moss, followed by gentle removal rather than a pressure washer. Light growth on a single shaded slope costs far less than heavy moss across a steep two-story roof.
What a moss cleaning visit includes
- Protecting plants and surfaces. Wetting or covering beds and shrubs under the drip line.
- Applying a cleaning solution at low pressure to the affected slopes, following the shingle manufacturer's guidance.
- Dwell time. Moss needs time to die and loosen. Some cleaners return later to brush off what is left; others let rain carry it off over weeks.
- Gentle removal. Soft brushing downslope, never scraping upward under shingle edges.
- Rinse and gutter check. Dead moss ends up in the gutters, so ask whether clearing them is included.
What raises the price
- Thick, established moss that needs a second visit.
- Steep or high roofs requiring harnesses and roof anchors.
- Large areas of the roof affected rather than one shaded slope.
- Combined algae and lichen, which can take repeated treatments; lichen holds tight and fades slowly.
Where moss grows in Georgia
Moss favors roofs that stay damp and shaded: north-facing slopes, roofs under dense hardwoods and pines, and homes in the mountain counties with cooler, wetter conditions. Metro Atlanta roofs more often show black algae streaks than moss.
Before paying for cleaning
Moss lifts shingle edges and holds water against the mat. If shingles are already curled, lifted or missing granules under the moss, cleaning will improve the look but not the roof. Consider the roof's age and condition first. Read moss and lichen on roofs and trees and your roof.