Roof cleaning
Moss, lichen and green growth cleared off a tiled roof so the rain can run freely into the gutter again. Round here it's usually the shady slope under the pines or birches that needs it most.
More info about roof cleaning →Exterior cleaning in the Kempen
Roof & Exterior Cleaning Meerhout
City Side
Roof cleaning and coating, plus patio, driveway and facade cleaning for homes in Meerhout, Geel, Mol and the villages around them
City Side is an exterior cleaning firm based in Meerhout. We clean roofs and can coat them afterwards, and we clean patios, driveways, house fronts and garden walls. Living in the Kempen and happier sorting this out in English? That's fine. Ring or email us, we'll come round to see the job, and you'll have a quote before any work starts.
Free quote No obligation
Get a no-obligation quote
- 1Tell us what needs cleaning
- 2We come and have a look
- 3You get a quote, no strings attached
Call 0466 18 94 95 citysidereinigsoplossingen@gmail.com
Ring or email with what needs cleaning and where you live. A photo of the surface lets us size up the job before we come out.
- Free quote
- No obligation
- We look before we price
- Roofs, patios, drives, walls
- English & Nederlands
Services
Roofs, patios, drives and walls
Most of our work falls under the five headings below. We clean other outdoor surfaces too, such as garden walls, steps and side paths, so if yours isn't listed, just ask.
Roof coating
Once a roof is clean it can be given a coating, which evens out the colour of weathered tiles. We'll tell you at the visit whether your tiles are suited to it.
More info about roof coating →
Patio cleaning
Concrete slabs, natural stone and block paving at the back of the house, cleaned of grime and green growth, including the moss that settles between the stones.
More info about patio cleaning →
Driveway cleaning
Brick, cobbles or concrete pavers where tyres, sand and moss have left their mark. We clean the whole drive, edges and kerbs included.
More info about driveway cleaning →
Wall & facade cleaning
Green streaks under the gutter, dark patches on a north-facing wall, a garden wall that never sees the sun. We match the method to the brick, render and pointing.
More info about wall & facade cleaning →Why bother
What exterior cleaning does for a Kempen home
This is a leafy corner of Flanders. Sandy soil, pine and birch woods and the wet meadows along the Grote Nete add up to plenty of shade, a steady fall of needles and leaves, and surfaces that take their time to dry. Moss and algae thrive on all three.
-
Gutters that can cope
Moss washed off the roof lands in the gutter, where it mixes with pine needles into a plug and the water spills over in heavy rain. Less moss up top means less of that.
-
A roof that dries out
A thick mat of moss soaks up rain and holds it against the tiles for days. Clear it and the roof dries off far sooner after a shower.
-
Safer underfoot
Algae on a patio gets treacherous once it's wet, and from October onwards it usually is. Cleaning it off makes the trip to the bins or the shed much less of a gamble.
-
A tidier house front
Streaks on light brick or render stand out more than people expect. Cleaning them off freshens up the whole house without replacing a thing.
-
Ready for viewings
Selling, letting, or handing back a rented house at the end of a posting? A clean roof, drive and patio make a better first impression, both in the listing photos and on the day.
-
See what's really there
Under a layer of moss it's hard to judge the state of the tiles or stones. Once they're clean you can see for yourself whether anything else needs attention.
The way we do it
What to expect from City Side
A few things that hold for every job, large or small.
A look before a price
We don't quote from a phone call alone. We come out, look at the surface and the state it's in, and only then send you a price.
No asbestos-cement roofs
Plenty of Belgian homes built before 2001 still have fibre-cement slates or corrugated sheets that may contain asbestos. We don't clean those. Flemish rules forbid any cleaning or moss removal on asbestos cement, because it damages the surface and releases fibres around the house.
The right method for the surface
Concrete tiles, clay tiles, soft facing brick and concrete pavers don't all take the same treatment. We work that out for each job and explain beforehand what we plan to do.
English spoken
The Kempen has an international community that has grown up around the European School and SCK CEN in Mol and the EU's Joint Research Centre in Geel. If you'd rather talk a job through in English, you can, start to finish.
Small jobs welcome
One garden wall or a short path to the front door isn't too small for us. Got several surfaces? We'll look at them all on the same visit.
From call to clean
How a cleaning job runs
A coated roof takes longer than a patio, but the steps don't change.
- 01
Call or email
Ring the number at the top of the page or drop us an email. Tell us what needs cleaning and which town you're in. A photo is always welcome.
- 02
We visit
We come to see the surface: what kind of tile or stone it is, how dirty it's got and how we'll reach it. On a roof we also check for fibre cement.
- 03
Your quote
Our quote lists the work and the price. Nothing is booked until you say yes, so take whatever time you need.
- 04
Cleaning day
On the agreed day we set up, cover anything that needs to stay dry and get going. If the roof is being coated, that happens once it has dried out properly after cleaning.
- 05
Checking it together
When we're done we go over the work with you. If something catches your eye, point it out and we'll look at it before we pack up.
- →
Over to you
Ring or email us with a couple of photos of what needs cleaning. Quotes are free and there's no obligation.
Get a quote →
FAQ
Roof and exterior cleaning in Meerhout: your questions
My roof has fibre-cement slates. Can you clean it?
Not if there's a chance they contain asbestos, which is common on roofs laid before 2001, the year Belgium banned it. OVAM, the Flemish public waste agency, says cleaning or de-mossing asbestos cement damages the surface and spreads fibres around the building, so it isn't allowed. An asbestos certificate (asbestattest) will tell you what's on your roof, and since November 2022 you need one to sell a home built before 2001.
Why is the moss mostly on one side of my roof?
The north-facing slope, and any part shaded by trees, gets little sun and stays damp longest. Lots of Kempen houses sit close to pines or birches that drop needles and leaves on top as well. That side fills up first, and it's also where the green tends to come back first after cleaning.
Do I need to be in while you work?
Not necessarily. For a roof or a wall we don't need to come inside. We'll agree beforehand how we get onto the property and whether we can use an outside tap. It does help if you're there at the end so we can look over the work together.
Which areas do you cover?
From our base in Meerhout we cover Geel, Mol, Balen, Laakdal, Westerlo, Herentals and Kasterlee in Antwerp province, plus Tessenderlo in Limburg and Diest in Flemish Brabant. Just outside those? Ask anyway.
Do you clean anything besides roofs, patios, drives and walls?
Yes, other outdoor surfaces as well: garden walls, a side path, outside steps, a concrete yard by the garage. Put them in your message and we'll look at them on the same visit.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the area, how dirty it is, the material and how easy it is to reach. A steep roof, or a patio you can only get to through the living room, takes longer than an open drive by the road. That's why we price after a visit. The quote itself is free and you're under no obligation.
Service area
Roof and exterior cleaning around Meerhout
City Side is based in Meerhout, in the middle of the Kempen, and works across Geel, Mol, Balen, Laakdal, Westerlo, Herentals and Kasterlee, as well as Meerhout's own villages such as Gestel and Zittaart. Most homes here are detached: villas and fermettes (farmhouse-style homes) with tiled roofs, a drive at the front and a patio at the back, often with trees close by.
Over the provincial border we also cover Tessenderlo in Limburg and Diest in Flemish Brabant. The ground in this part of Flanders is mostly sand, with pine and birch woods, heathland and wet meadows along the Grote Nete as it winds between Balen, Meerhout, Geel and Mol. Lovely to live in, though roofs and patios go green a good deal quicker here than on an open city street.
The Kempen (Antwerp province)
- Meerhout
- Geel
- Mol
- Balen
- Laakdal
- Westerlo
- Herentals
- Kasterlee
Over the provincial border
- Tessenderlo (Limburg)
- Diest (Vlaams-Brabant)
Roof, patio or walls looking green?
Send City Side a short description, and a photo if you can. We'll pick a day to see it in person and price it up from there.