We know you mean well, we do. But fixing or “cleaning” your own roof can be dangerous – not only to yourself, but to your roof, pets, landscaping and more. Some home maintenance tasks (like gutter cleaning) are excellent choices for DIY-ers. But others … not so much. Check out the information below on common situations that cause issues.
1. Holiday Roofing Decorations Gone Wrong
Many people want, understandably, a great holiday display. And your roof is an obvious place to attempt to install such festive décor: bright lights, reindeer carting a sleigh, Kris Kringle himself, and much more. Handily, there are clips designed precisely for this purpose, intended to allow homeowners to festoon their homes while minimizing potential damage. Christmas light clips and gutter clips are built for such decorative displays and are designed to avoid damage to shingles and other roof structures. When people go rogue and staple their shingles – or hammer nails in, or add screws – in order to secure their decorations (a la the “Christmas Vacation” movie) they can really do a number on the integrity of their roofing. They will tear shingles, create leaks, and otherwise cause mayhem. What’s worse, these homeowners may not discover that Santa’s elves broke their roof until months after the damage has been done, when it’s already become too severe to fix easily.
2. DIY Roof Cleaning
There often isn’t much you need to do to keep your roof clean. Roofs are built to be exposed to the elements, and the occasional rain or snow will generally help keep them free of dirt buildup. If you feel the need for an extensive cleaning, and insist on doing it yourself, please do your research. Some homeowners have used bleach, which not only damages the shingles, but can be hazardous to pets and kids once the rain comes and it trickles down the sides of the house – not to mention it can permanently discolor your roof and your walls, and it will almost certainly kill any plant life in the vicinity of your downspouts. Similar accidents have happened with pressure washers, where homeowners can rip off full shingles with the spray and put holes in their own roofs – those roof materials are not built for that kind of pressure.
3. Excessive Roof Walking
We’d all love to use the roof as a patio (except that it 100% isn’t safe). It would be great to hang out up there socializing and enjoying that lovely, lofted view. But most roof materials are not made for routine foot traffic. You could step through the roof, as weak spots in the structure are usually difficult to see. You can easily dislodge shingles or tiles while up on your roof. Depending on what the bottoms of your shoes contain, you could be puncturing holes in your shingles as well. If you do ever need to walk on your roof, exercise great caution, and only step as much as you absolutely need to.
Most roof repair and maintenance should be left to professionals, like those of us here at Harper Siding and Roofing in Cincinnati. Homeowners can help maintain their homes by cleaning their siding, cleaning their gutters regularly, and arranging for roof repair experts to visit regularly to check on the state of the roof. And then you can leave the roof work to the experts!