Professional COLOURBOND® Roof Cleaning

Clean the roof. Protect the roof. A COLOURBOND® roof is more than painted metal.
 
It is a pre-painted, protective coated steel roofing system, engineered to protect the steel beneath it from the Australian environment. That protective coating is part of what makes the roof work.
So how you clean it matters.
 
At Ultrasoft, we don't pressure clean or water-blast COLOURBOND® roofs. We developed our own purpose-built COLOURBOND® roof cleaning system specifically to clean these roofs while working within the manufacturer's recommended cleaning parameters.

WHY WE DON'T PRESSURE CLEAN COLOURBOND®
High-pressure water is not necessary to clean a COLOURBOND® roof.
More importantly, forcing high-pressure water across a coated roofing surface can place unnecessary mechanical stress on the paint and protective coating system. It can also drive water where it shouldn't go. Water doesn't always stay on the roof.

High-pressure water can be forced beneath laps, flashings, penetrations and other roof details, potentially introducing moisture into areas that normal rainfall would not go. That can create problems within the roof and ceiling cavity, where unwanted moisture can contribute to dampness and other moisture-related issues, like mould rot and corrosion.

A professional roof clean should remove contamination — not introduce unnecessary water into the roof system.
That's why our system uses controlled application and low-pressure rinsing rather than water blasting.

WE COULDN'T FIND THE RIGHT SOFTWASH SYSTEM — SO WE BUILT ONE - Ultrasoft!
Before Ultrasoft was developed, there was no purpose-built Softwash or roof-washing system available that gave us the level of control we wanted for cleaning COLOURBOND® roofs within the manufacturer's recommended parameters. Even today, we still haven't been able to find one that does! 

So we developed our own!

The Ultrasoft COLOURBOND® Roof Cleaning System allows us to:

Apply cleaning solution in controlled sections


1. Control chemical exposure 


2. Manage dwell time


3. Rinse each section thoroughly - copious amounts of water


4. Work within the manufacturer's 3–5 minute dwell-time requirement


5. Avoid high-pressure water blasting. Ultrasoft uses a maximum pressure of 100psi - Commercial pressure cleaners do not function this low.


Ultrasoft is more than a chemical mix applied via a pressure cleaner or pump, It's a complete cleaning system designed around the roof.

THE CHEMISTRY MATTERS
BlueScope Technical Bulletin TB-27 provides a specific cleaning method for fungal growth on COLORBOND® steel.
The recommendation is: Maximum of 2% SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE (SH) - The solution is applied to the roof, left for: 3–5 MINUTES (no more) and then washed off with copious amounts of fresh water. BlueScope also states that higher-than-recommended sodium hypochlorite concentrations, extended contact times, or the use of commercially available fungicides may be detrimental to the long-term performance of COLOURBOND® steel products.

WHY DWELL TIME MATTERS
A stronger mix left on the roof for longer isn't automatically better cleaning. It means greater chemical exposure.
Our system was specifically developed to allow us to apply and rinse in controlled sections, keeping the cleaning process within the manufacturer's recommended 3–5 minute dwell time.
*Controlled chemistry.
*Controlled dwell time.
*Controlled rinsing.

WHAT ABOUT SODIUM HYDROXIDE?
Some roof-washing mixes include sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda, as an additional cleaning agent.
You may ask:

“If BlueScope doesn't specifically say 'don't use sodium hydroxide', does that mean it's okay?”
This is where it's important to understand how manufacturer guidance works.
BlueScope's technical bulletins specify the cleaning methods and parameters they recommend for their products. They don't necessarily provide an exhaustive list of every possible chemical combination that could be used.
For COLOURBOND® fungal-growth cleaning, TB-27 specifies 2% sodium hypochlorite, 3–5 minutes dwell time and thorough rinsing. It also specifically warns about the potential detrimental effects of higher concentrations, extended contact times and commercially available fungicides and alkaline algaecides.

There is also relevant information in BlueScope's own Safety Data Sheet (August 2024) for COLOURBOND® pre-painted steel.
Under incompatible materials (Section 10.5), BlueScope identifies alkalis, including sodium hydroxide, as incompatible with the product.
SO WE LEAVE IT OUT.

Sodium hydroxide is a powerful caustic alkaline chemical with legitimate uses in heavy-duty cleaning.
But more aggressive chemistry isn't necessarily better chemistry for a protective coated steel roof. 
  
Ultrasoft has proven that effective cleaning can be done correctly without resorting to unnecessarily aggressive chemistry. Our licensees have successfully applied the Ultrasoft system from Tasmania, dealing with heavy lichen growth, through to Cairns, dealing with wet tropical biofilm and organic growth—very different environments, but the same fundamental principles of surface-specific chemistry, controlled application, appropriate equipment and proper technique. 

Our philosophy is simple:
If the manufacturer provides a specific cleaning method, we build our system around that method — not around finding the strongest chemical combination possible.

That's why our COLOURBOND® cleaning system does not rely on added sodium hydroxide.

YOUR ROOF ISN'T JUST ANOTHER ROOF!
Every property is different.
The age and condition of the roof, existing coating, colour, previous cleaning, surrounding vegetation, level of contamination, roof design and environmental exposure can all affect the appropriate cleaning approach.
That's why we don't believe in a generic chemical mix and a one-size-fits-all process.

WE ASSESS FIRST. THEN WE DESIGN THE CLEAN.
Our Property Assessment from $125 provides:
✓ Detailed property assessment
✓ Roof condition and surface assessment
✓ Property-specific cleaning strategy
✓ Written property-specific report
✓ Fixed pricing
✓ Cleaning recommendations designed specifically for your home
✓ 12 Month Warranty 
✓ 12 Month Maintenance program for warranty standards.

You know what we're recommending, why we're recommending it and what it will cost before the work begins.

PROFESSIONAL COLOURBOND® ROOF CLEANING
No high-pressure water blasting.
No added sodium hydroxide.
No High Alkaline spray and leave Biocides or Fungicides.
No one-size-fits-all chemical approach.

Instead, a purpose-built Ultrasoft system designed specifically for COLOURBOND® roofs and built around the manufacturer's recommended cleaning parameters.

Because professional roof cleaning isn't about how aggressively you can clean a roof!
Its not about quick Before and After photos for social media clicks
It's about how effectively you can clean it while protecting the roof you're there to preserve.