How Do I Remove Leaves From My Roof?

Don’t count on the wind to blow dead leaves off your roof. If left alone, dead leaves will decay and trap moisture against roof shingles.

This creates the perfect conditions for mold, algae, and rotting wood.

We recommend using a strong blower, roof rake, or broom to get the dead leaves off your roof before winter arrives. Please contact us today with any additional questions!

How Do I Keep Leaves Off My Roof?

Use a strong blower, roof rake, or broom to remove dead leaves from your roof. The tools you use for the job entirely depend on the pitch of your roof and what you feel comfortable using. For example, a leaf blower is perfectly fine for blowing leaves off a low-pitched roof.

For a high-pitched roof, we recommend using a roof rake to remove dead leaves and other debris. A broom on an extension pole would also work in a pinch. (Check out our roofing tools to see what the professionals use.)

For a long-term solution, we recommend trimming back tree branches that touch your roof. Doing this will help leaves fall onto your lawn instead of onto your roof. It will also help prevent insects from using tree branches as bridges to your home. For example, carpenter ants will feast on rotting wood and burrow beneath deteriorating shingles.

Is it Necessary to Clean Gutters?

Yes, you should clean your gutters at least twice a year in the fall and spring. In fact, you may need gutter cleaning more often if you have a lot of trees near your house. Gutters tend to get filled with leaves, pine needles, seeds, branches, and other natural debris.

Do Gutters With Gutter Guards Need to be Cleaned?

Yes. Seeds, pine needles, and other small debris are still able to slip past gutter guards. For this reason, it’s important that you clean your gutters at least twice a year. The good news is that gutter guards keep out large debris like branches, so you don’t spend as much time and effort cleaning. Read our blog post on gutter guards to learn more.

What Happens If You Don’t Clean Your Gutters or Roof?

If left to rot, dead leaves will absorb water and weigh down your gutters. Eventually, your gutters will pull away and possibly damage the exterior of your home. If water doesn’t drain properly from your gutters, there’s also the risk that it will seep underneath your roof shingles.

Trapped moisture creates the perfect conditions for mold and algae, both of which reduce the lifespan of your roof. This is why it’s important to remove dead leaves from your roof before winter. Otherwise, clumps of dead leaves will be left to decompose on your shingles over several months. It’s much better to clean your gutters and roof now than to schedule a roof repair next spring.

Read more: 7 ways home builders prevent roofing leaks >>

Learn More About Our Roofing Products

To learn more about our roofing products, call any of our 9 Michigan locations. You may also fill out our contact form. Eikenhout is a roofing supply company that’s proud to serve Grand Rapids, Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Holland, Traverse City, Saginaw, Petoskey, Kalamazoo, and Muskegon.