Your roof is one of your first lines of defense against the elements. Therefore, it is essential to prepare for any attack caused by rain, mold, wind, or fire. Failing to do so may expose you to health hazards, costly damage, and other unwanted consequences.

You want to inspect your roof each Fall and Spring as a matter of practice. You also want to observe it for damage after any significant storms. In Florida, that means tropical storms, as well as powerful thunderstorms. Hurricanes, of course, always require some serious inspection to make sure nothing became loose after all of that wind!

As you walk around your house and on the roof, look for missing or lost shingles/panels and flashing. You also want to look for damage to the seals around roof vents. Those are all areas that can introduce moisture into the wood that should be covered, so you’ll want to have a professional fix them right away.

Leaves, moss, twigs, and other debris collects in your gutters as the year progresses. So when you do your spring and fall DIY roof inspections, check the gutters and downspouts as part of your roof maintenance plan. As they build up debris, they’ll clog and let water back up to the edge of your roof, where it’s more likely it can find a way in to start attacking the wood.

You can get rid of loose debris quickly with a blower, though you’ll want to grab a pair of gloves to dig out any significant build-up—some advocate using gutter guards. However, even these need to be monitored and maintained to ensure they perform as expected.

Mold, mildew, and moss are frequent intruders that start to make roofs look dingy. One of the most popular techniques to clean it is with a pressure washer. However, that high-pressure spray can get right up under the shingles and find its way through the tar paper to your wood. It can also blow off the granules on asphalt shingles.

Instead, we recommend using a commercial-grade mold/mildew/moss roof cleaner. Apply it, and then let it sit for 30 – 45 minutes. You can then use a long-handled brush to scrub the roof before rinsing it off.

If you want to use your solution instead of commercial-grade chemicals, check out the following DIY roof cleaners:

• White vinegar: 3 cups in 2 gallons of water

• Dawn dish soap: 8 ounces in 2 gallons of water

• Oxygen bleach (powdered): 1 pound in 2 gallons of water

• Chlorine bleach (liquid): 3 cups in 2 gallons of water

Even if your spring/fall DIY inspections pass with flying colors, you may still want to call in a professional to inspect your roof periodically. How often depends on what climate you live in, but every 3 to 5 years is a good rule of thumb. Temperatures that get more rain and snow will want to be closer to the 3-year side, while those in the drier southwest can go longer.