Roof Cleaning in Miami

Residential tile and metal roof cleaning in Miami runs $0.35–$0.85 per sq ft, with most single-family homes between $450 and $1,800. Commercial flat-roof cleaning (TPO, EPDM, modified bitumen) runs $0.20–$0.55 per sq ft. Drone delivery typically saves 25–40% vs lift- or rope-access soft-washing on tall and steep Miami roofs.

No. Florida tile manufacturers (Eagle, Boral, Crown) and standing-seam metal manufacturers (MBCI, ATAS, Englert) explicitly void warranties for high-pressure cleaning. We soft-wash with low pressure and a manufacturer-approved biocide — the same method specified by the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) and tile roof manufacturers.

No. The drone never contacts the tile, so there is zero foot-traffic load on the underlayment — which is the #1 cause of premature tile and underlayment failure in Miami. The cleaning chemistry is the same warranty-approved biocide tile manufacturers specify. We document the work with 4K aerial video for insurance and recertification records.

Miami's humidity and proximity to salt water make algae and gloeocapsa growth aggressive. Most Miami-Dade roofs need cleaning every 2–3 years; oceanfront properties in Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove waterfront, and Miami Beach run on a 12–18 month cycle. Regular cleaning extends roof life by 5–10 years vs letting biological growth degrade the surface.

Yes. Most of Miami-Dade sits under Class B, C, D, or E controlled airspace. Our pilots file LAANC authorizations 24–72 hours in advance — approvals typically return within minutes for our standard cleaning altitudes. We bake LAANC into the project schedule so it doesn't add a delay.

Yes. We routinely clean tile and flat commercial roofs ahead of Miami-Dade 40-year recertification and Florida SB-4D Milestone Inspections. The 4K geotagged photo set we deliver is what engineers, condo associations, and Unsafe Structures Boards expect for the cleaning portion of the inspection record.

Salt cake, palm-frond debris, and dust film are our highest-volume Miami project type after a named system. We can mobilize a drone crew within 48–72 hours of a closure being lifted and work alongside roofers on punch-list cleaning ahead of insurance inspections.

Pressure washing blasts the surface at 2,000+ PSI, which strips granules off shingles, cracks tile, dents metal, and forces water under the roof covering. Soft-washing applies a low-pressure, manufacturer-approved biocide that kills algae, gloeocapsa, and lichen at the root, then a gentle pure-water rinse. Soft-wash is the only method tile, metal, and single-ply manufacturers approve — and the only one that doesn't void the warranty.

Gloeocapsa magma is the blue-green algae responsible for the black streaks on Florida roofs. It feeds on the limestone filler in shingles and the calcium in tile, and Miami's heat, humidity, and airborne spores make it grow aggressively. Left alone it spreads into a full black mat that holds heat, raises cooling costs, and shortens roof life. Soft-wash biocide kills it at the root so it doesn't simply regrow.

Yes — and on warranty-sensitive roofs, better, because the result depends on chemistry and coverage, not on someone standing on the tile. The drone delivers the same biocide and pure-water rinse to every plane, including steep and fragile sections a crew would avoid or damage, while the underlayment takes zero foot-traffic load.

No. We pre-wet and rinse landscaping around the work zone, and the biocide is diluted and biodegradable. Gutters are flushed as part of the rinse. Pools are covered or the adjacent elevation is scheduled when the pool can be protected. The runoff volume from soft-washing is a fraction of pressure washing.

Algae and gloeocapsa start dying immediately and you'll see visible improvement the same day. Full whitening — where the dead biology weathers and rinses off completely — takes 7–14 days depending on rain and sun. Heavier lichen growth occasionally needs a second light application, which we note during the survey.

That's one of the best uses of the drone. Steep tile, brittle older tile, painted metal, and aging shingle that a crew can't safely or responsibly walk get a full clean from the air with zero contact. The pilot works from the ground; the roof covering and underlayment are never loaded.

Yes. Every roof cleaning includes 4K geotagged aerial video and stills of the full roof before and after, delivered to the owner, HOA, or property manager. Insurers, condo boards, and 40-year recertification engineers routinely accept this as the cleaning record.

Yes. The drone cleans around rooftop solar arrays, AHUs, satellite dishes, and vents without contact, and we can clean the solar panels themselves in the same visit with a panel-safe pure-water rinse. Equipment intakes near the active area are noted in the survey and avoided during application.

Not for years, if it's soft-washed. Because the biocide kills algae at the root, the roof stays clean until new airborne spores re-establish — typically 2–3 years inland and 12–18 months oceanfront. A cheap pressure wash, by contrast, leaves living roots and regrows within months.

Often, yes. A black algae mat absorbs heat and raises attic and roof-deck temperatures; restoring tile or a reflective membrane to its original color reduces heat gain. The bigger financial win is roof life — controlling biological growth typically adds 5–10 years before replacement.

Yes, and it's a common rush request. A streak-free roof materially improves curb appeal and removes a common inspection flag. We can turn around residential roof cleaning quickly and deliver before/after 4K documentation for the listing or the buyer's file.

Mixed roofs are routine. The drone applies tile-appropriate biocide and dwell on the sloped tile and a membrane-safe formulation on the flat TPO/EPDM section in the same visit — different chemistry, one mobilization, one documentation set.

Yes. While staged, we can flush and rinse gutters, and soft-wash fascia, soffits, and eaves — the surfaces that streak alongside the roof. Bundling them into the roof visit is far cheaper than a separate trip.

Heavy long-neglected growth — thick lichen, deep gloeocapsa matting — may need a stronger biocide concentration and occasionally a second pass on the worst planes. We assess it in the survey and price it into the fixed quote, and the first deep clean resets the maintenance clock.