Safety

Is soft washing safe for tiles and slates?

Yes, done properly. Low pressure and a biocide make it a safer option for ageing or delicate tiles than pressure washing (Dirtbgone). Natural slate needs the gentlest hand: scraping by hand is the safest method on slate (HP Roofing).

Roof by roof, and what to protect on the ground.

Get a free quoteFree. Answer 4 questions, or upload a photo for a preview. One company rings you with a price.

€900 to €2,500soft wash roof cleaning with treatment, RoofQuote.ie's national range
€400 to €700a standard three-bed with moderate moss, HP Roofing, Dublin
No high pressureon tiles or slates: low pressure and a biocide (WestClean)
13.5% VATon cleaning a house, the reduced rate, if the company is registered (Revenue)

FreeNo obligationOne company rings you, not fiveNothing booked until you say yes

Before and after

Real roofs, real photos

Real roof cleaning jobs, shared by the Irish company that did them. Each says where it was. The company we pass you to may not be the one that did these.

Before: Slate roof of a church, moss removed, Co. Meath — **Slate roof of a church, moss removed** Co. Meath

After: Slate roof of a church, moss removed, Co. Meath — **Slate roof of a church, moss removed** Co. Meath

Before: Slate roof, moss removed by hand, Co. Meath — **Slate roof, moss removed by hand** Co. Meath

After: Slate roof, moss removed by hand, Co. Meath — **Slate roof, moss removed by hand** Co. Meath

Before: Tiled roof with solar panels, cleaned, Co. Meath — **Tiled roof with solar panels, cleaned** Co. Meath

After: Tiled roof with solar panels, cleaned, Co. Meath — **Tiled roof with solar panels, cleaned** Co. Meath

An AI preview of your own photo, free. Your photo isn't kept, and the real job is priced from the real roof.

Roof by roof

Tiles, slates and solar

Roof	What to know
Concrete tiles	The commonest Irish roof. High pressure strips their granules; a soft wash doesn't.
Natural slate	Brittle, often old. Walking on it cracks it. Scraping by hand and a low-pressure wash.
Fibre cement slate	Smooth and flat. Light growth; treat gently and don't walk on it.
Solar panels	Ask the company how it cleans round the panels and the fixings, and whether the panel maker's guidance allows the product.

Our summary of HP Roofing's, WestClean's and RoofQuote.ie's notes on each roof (HP Roofing, WestClean, RoofQuote.ie). RoofQuote.ie says slate needs more care than tile.

Check first

What gets checked before cleaning

Cracked tiles, slipped slates and loose ridge mortar, often hidden under thick moss.
Whether the roof is near the end of its life: cleaning won't fix it (RoofQuote.ie).
Fragile areas: rooflights, old asbestos-cement sheets on outbuildings.

The HSA's main concern on roofs is falls, through fragile coverings or from unprotected edges.

Below the roof

Plants, cars and gutters

Applied correctly, a soft wash is safer for plants and gardens than other methods (Dirtbgone). Ask how they'll cover beds and ponds.
Cars moved off the drive.
Windows closed.
Gutters cleared after: loosened moss ends up there.

See it first

Your roof clean, on your own photo

Take a photo of the house from the road and see the roof without the moss and streaks before anyone quotes. Free, in under a minute.

Upload a photo, or answer 4 questions.
We pass it to one company that covers your county.
They ring you with a price.

Preview of your photo, not a guarantee. Your photo goes to Google's Gemini service to make the picture and isn't kept.

A photo that works

Daylight, from the footpath or the garden.
The whole roof in the shot, ridge to gutter.
The worst side: usually the north-facing slope.
Never go up on the roof to take it.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Will a soft wash damage old slates?

Not the wash itself. Walking on brittle slate is the risk, which is why it's applied from the ground or the edge where possible (Dirtbgone).

Is it safe for pets?

Ask the company about the product and how long to keep pets off treated areas below.

Can it be done on a roof with solar panels?

Yes, the third job in the photos is one. Ask how the panels themselves will be cleaned.

Keep reading

Related guides

Where these numbers come from (2 public sources, checked 3 November 2026)

Sources (4)

Prices and facts on this page were checked against these published pages. We are not connected to these businesses.

Dirtbgone: dirtbgone.ie
HP Roofing: hproofing.ie
RoofQuote.ie: roofquote.ie
WestClean: westcleanpropertycare.ie