Today we’re on day 6 of cleaning the TPO roof of a client. This will end up being a $29,000 job over 8.5 days of work.
We are still solving some problems here at the job site.
Video
Watch my short video below to see what the job is all about. Or click here to watch it on my X.
TPO roof cleaning 101 pic.twitter.com/Cy5qm4VKa3
— Ethan Realander (@erealander) September 19, 2025
Our Cleaning Process
TPO is a really common commercial roofing material, but it’s pretty fragile.
You need to use low pressure on it, and you can’t use the typical bleach that you use for a house wash.
So what we’ve done is we’ve sprayed basically a mixture of just Dawn dish soap and water all over the roof. This helps to lighten up all this dirt and mold.
Warranty Over Perfection
There are some spots of dark mold that are harder to remove. But my perspective on this is that I’d rather it be 95% clean with a zero percent chance of voiding the roof’s warranty than 100% clean and have to replace this massive roof.
Here’s a before and after.
Conclusion
In summary, cleaning a fragile TPO roof requires a specific approach. Instead of harsh chemicals, a simple mixture of dish soap and water, combined with low-pressure washing, is the safest method to remove dirt and mold without causing damage.
This strategy protects the roof’s warranty, which is more important than achieving a perfectly spotless surface. This massive hospital project also includes cleaning other areas of the building, and we are getting very close to completion.
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