Why clean with a drone
A drone sprays and brushes from the air. No scaffolding to erect, no cherry picker to hire, nobody walking on the roof. A job that used to start with a day of setup takes a few hours, and the risk of a fall disappears because nobody climbs.
What a drone cleans
- Roofs: moss removal, then a water-repellent treatment that delays regrowth
- Gutters: vacuumed up to about twelve metres, without dismantling anything
- Façades and windows: pure water under pressure, often with no detergent
- Solar panels: soiling costs yield, and it shows in the output figures
How a job runs
- Survey: condition of the surface, access, the day's wind, fragile spots
- Protecting the surroundings: planting, terrace, vehicles
- Treatment: spraying or brushing, in steady passes
- Check: before and after photographs, and the state of the awkward areas
What drives the price
Surface area, height and access, how heavily soiled it is, the product applied, and travel distance. There is no national rate: two roofs of the same size are not quoted alike once pitch and condition differ. Ask for several quotes and compare what they include — the water-repellent treatment, protecting the surroundings and clearing the gutters are not always in the number.
What a drone does not replace
It cleans, it does not repair. A broken tile, a loose gutter or a roof frame needing work still calls for a conventional job. Sustained wind postpones the visit. And very old soiling may need a manual pass as well. An operator promising otherwise is promising too much.
Rules and certifications
Flying over a property and near people follows the European drone rules. Applying biocidal products — an anti-moss treatment is one — falls under a dedicated certification, Certibiocide in France. On Waypoint360, an operator's listing shows the certifications they declare: that is the first thing to check before handing over a roof.