Tumwater, WA
Roof Cleaning and Pressure Washing in Tumwater
Tumwater has tall firs and a river valley that holds the damp. Roofs here grow moss. We take it off with soft washing, and we don't put a pressure washer on your shingles.
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We clean roofs in Tumwater all the time and the story is always the same: if there’s tree cover and moisture, there’s moss.
Old town, old trees, wet roofs
Tumwater is old by Washington standards. Settlers arrived in 1845, and some of the firs look like they watched it happen. Tall trees mean shade. Shade means a roof that never fully dries between October and May.
The Deschutes River runs through the middle of town, and the low ground near Tumwater Falls holds damp air longest. Add needles in the roof valleys and you've built a moss farm.
A pressure washer strips the granules off asphalt shingles, and the granules are the roof. So we don't use one. We apply a solution that kills moss at the root and rinse at low pressure.
Tumwater means waterfall.
The name comes from the Chinook Jargon word tumwata. The falls on the Deschutes are still there, right where the river drops toward Budd Inlet, and the Steh-Chass people lived beside them for thousands of years before anyone drew a town plat.
American settlers platted the place in 1845 and called it Newmarket. That makes Tumwater the oldest permanent Anglo-American settlement on Puget Sound. Olympia, two miles north, came later.
Interstate 5 went through in 1958 and took 100 downtown buildings with it. What's left of the old town is a historic district now. Out by the airport there's a Garry oak that's stood for 400 years. When it was slated to come down, people here fought for it, and in 2025 they won.
One more thing, since it's our business. The state office that licenses contractors, Labor and Industries, has its headquarters in Tumwater. Our license number is OLYMPSL755B4.
Shady driveways go green first
Concrete under trees turns green and slick by spring. Around Black Lake and Barnes Lake that's most driveways.
We clean it with a pressure washer and a surface cleaner that gets into the small cracks where moss hides. Then a mild treatment to slow the regrowth. How often? For most homes, once a year.
Gutters under firs
Maples drop their leaves once, in fall. Firs drop needles all year. So one cleaning in November won't cover a Tumwater house. Look again in spring.
Older siding
Tumwater has more wood siding and old paint than the newer towns. Pressure tears up wood fibers and takes paint off in strips. We soft wash it.
When to book a roof
Late spring through early fall is the easy window. But moss doesn't care what month it is. If it's lifting shingle edges, don't wait for June.
Moss that looks dead in August
It dries out, turns brown and fools people every year. It isn't dead. The first good rain in fall and it's green again, a little bigger than last year.
Killing it takes a solution that reaches the root, and the solution needs time on the shingles. The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association's guidance calls for 15 to 20 minutes before a low-pressure rinse. So the best day is dry and mild.
What to expect afterwards
Thin growth is gone that day. Thick moss is dead but keeps letting go of the roof for a while, and the rain finishes the job. Most roofs stay clear for 12 to 24 months.
Not sure yours needs it yet? Walk around the house after a few rainy days and look for mossy patches and shady spots that stay wet. Or send us a photo.
Everything we clean in Tumwater
- Roof Cleaning
The main event here. Moss killed at the root, rinsed at low pressure.
- House Washing
Soft wash for siding. It works, and it keeps the siding intact.
- Gutter Cleaning
At least once a year. Twice if you've got lots of trees, and in Tumwater you do.
- Pressure Washing
Concrete, brick and stone that can take the pressure.
- Patio and Driveway Cleaning
Green concrete cleaned and treated so it stays clean longer.
- Deck and Fence
Wood and composite, washed at the right pressure for each.
- Window Cleaning
All year. Winter light is worth having.
- Commercial Building Pressure Washing
Storefronts, metal siding and sidewalks.
Tumwater questions
Every one to two years for most roofs. Under heavy tree cover, plan on every year.
No. We clean at low pressure, so the granules stay on the shingles. A cleaning solution that is sprayed on, left to work and rinsed at low pressure is also the method the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association recommends.
Yes. We clean windows in Tumwater year-round. Clean glass lets in more light, and in January you'll want all of it.
Under trees, yes. Shade and fir needles bring moss back. For most homes here we recommend pressure washing once a year, and we use a mild treatment to slow the regrowth in shady spots.
Typically 12 to 24 months. Under heavy tree cover, closer to 12.
Yes, on dry days above freezing. Ice on a roof is where we draw the line.
No. As long as we can get to the roof or the driveway and there's a water source, we can do the job without you.
Moss on your Tumwater roof?
Quotes are free. Tell us what you're seeing and we'll tell you what it needs.