A seven-story oceanfront building with one of the steepest roofs in the neighborhood — and a client who couldn't find anyone willing to touch it. Here's how we cleaned it safely and kept it clean for years.
Every so often we get a call about a building that other cleaning companies have already turned down. The New Orleans, a seven-story beachfront condominium in South Florida, was one of those buildings. The roof wasn't just tall — it was steep. Steep enough that most contractors took one look, shook their heads, and walked away. The property manager kept calling around until they found us.
We took the job, cleaned it safely, and the roof stayed clean for years afterward. This is the kind of work Texas Pure Clean is built for.
Why This Roof Was a Problem
Tall isn't unusual in South Florida. Steep isn't unusual either. What made the New Orleans difficult was the combination. Seven stories of elevation, a roof pitch far steeper than a typical low-slope commercial building, hard edges dropping straight down to concrete pool decks and beachfront walkways, and wind coming off the ocean almost every day.
Ordinary roof cleaning gear does not solve a roof like that. You can't safely walk it. You can't reach it from a standard ladder. A boom lift can't get to every section because of the pool, the landscaping, and the beach side of the building. And the moment you introduce cleaning chemistry, you have to control every drop of runoff so nothing lands on cars, cabanas, or the pool below.
How We Approached It
Before we ever put a technician on that roof, we planned the job like a rope-access operation. Access points were mapped out. Anchor points were identified. Rigging and fall protection were staged. Chemistry was pre-mixed to the exact strength the roof needed — strong enough to lift years of algae and salt-air staining, gentle enough to protect the finish and the surrounding property.
Then we ran the job in controlled sections. Each section was soft-washed at low pressure with the correct cleaning solution, allowed to dwell for exactly the right amount of time, and rinsed thoroughly before it could dry. On a steep roof in Florida sun, that timing window is short. Rush it and you leave streaks. Wait too long and you risk damage. Our crews have done enough of this work to know the difference.
Runoff was managed the whole time. The pool below stayed protected. The courtyard landscaping stayed protected. The beach side stayed protected. Nothing was left for the client to clean up after we left.
Why the Results Held Up
The best proof that a roof was cleaned correctly is how it looks a few years later. This one stayed clean for years. That doesn't happen by accident. It happens because the biological growth was actually killed at the surface, not just rinsed off, and because the finish wasn't damaged by too much pressure or the wrong chemistry.
Cheap or rushed roof cleaning gives you a roof that looks good for a season and then streaks back in. Done properly, a soft-wash roof cleaning can hold up for many years — especially on metal, tile, and coated commercial surfaces.
Difficult Roofs Are Kind of Our Thing
Between our Texas and South Florida crews, we've been cleaning roofs since 1990 and have worked on more than 35,000 of them. Steep pitches. Tall commercial buildings. Historic tile. Painted and coated metal. Occupied properties that couldn't be shut down. Buildings where the last contractor bailed.
If you have a roof that other companies won't touch — or a project that has to be done safely, cleanly, and without disrupting the people using the property — we've probably already seen a version of it and figured out how to do it right.
Have a Difficult Cleaning Situation?
Send us a few pictures of your building or your roof. Tell us what other companies have said. We'll take an honest look and let you know what's actually possible. Chances are, we've done it before.
Ready to get it done right?
Texas Pure Clean has been the trusted name in San Antonio exterior cleaning for over 30 years.