$1,300/Day Washing Roofs

There’s a quiet goldmine sitting on top of every house in your neighborhood.

Roof cleaning.

It’s not sexy. It’s not trending. But people are making $1,000+ a day doing it — with minimal gear and no license required in most areas.

Spencer Claeys, owner of Northwest Pro Wash in Seattle, started out just offering basic pressure washing and went door-to-door. He cleaned exteriors like driveways and decks. The business was great, but people kept asking if he did roofs. Eventually, he decided to give it a shot because the demand was super strong. It took off.

🧽 What Is Roof Cleaning?

Roof cleaning involves removing moss, debris, algae, leaves, and black streaks that shorten a roof’s life.​

Most homeowners either:

• Don’t want to do it

• Don’t know it needs to be done

• Or are scared to climb a ladder​

That’s your opportunity.

You can charge $300 to $1,300+ per job, depending on roof size and condition — and it usually takes 1–3 hours.​

💰 What You Can Make

Spencer charged $300 his first time for a full moss treatment and gutter clean. Now he charges double that price for three to four hours of work. He makes about $3,000 per week working with one other person. He aimed for $2,000 a week when it was just him. He also usually gets a tip between $30 and $100. ​

One roof + gutters + house wash = $1,300+ in a single morning.

And the best part?
Once you’re known in the area, referrals stack up fast.

🧰 What You Need to Start

This is a low-barrier hustle.

Start with:

• Leaf blower

• Scraper or broom for moss

• Garden sprayer + roof-safe cleaner (like sodium percarbonate)

• Ladder

• Safety harness (non-negotiable)​

Optional upgrades later:

• Soft wash system

• Pressure washer (for siding, not roofs)

• Trailer or truck setup​

Startup can be below $500 if you keep it scrappy.​

📍 How to Get Clients

Spencer stopped going door to door during the Covid-19 pandemic. But people still needed their homes maintained, so he ran a Facebook ad with four different services: roof cleaning, gutter cleaning, pressure washing, and roof and gutter combo. The roof and gutter option took off, and he still uses Facebook ads to find clients. ​

Also, this is visually obvious work — when you are cleaning a roof, everyone on the block sees it. Put a sign by the road with your company name and service while you are on the roof cleaning, this does very well to get more clients.

📈 How to Grow It

After you’ve cleaned a few roofs:

• Offer gutter cleaning and soft washing as easy add-ons

• Hire help for ladder work while you run sales

• Invest in better gear (soft wash system = faster jobs = more $$)

• Build a local reputation and stack contracts​

⚠️ What to Watch Out For

• Always wear a harness — roof work is risky

• Don’t pressure wash shingles — you’ll destroy them

• Be careful with chemicals — not all are safe for landscaping

• Make sure you’re insured once you get rolling​

🚀 Why This Hustle Works

• High margins (50%+ on most jobs)

• Zero saturation compared to pressure washing or landscaping

• Easy to upsell once you're on-site

• No fancy branding needed 

Hope you guys enjoyed this one. Whether you want to do this as a side hustle or go all in as a business, I think roof washing is a great lower competition hustle to get into.

Have a great day!

— Tim