How to Clean a Copper Roof

Copper roofs have a beautiful nostalgic look to them and are useful in many different applications. They can be difficult to clean, however. There are several different methods available for copper roofing cleaning, so keep trying them until you find one that works for you.

Items you’ll need:

• Stiff plastic bristled brush


• Paintbrush


• Salt


• Lemon juice


• Water


• White vinegar


• Copper cleaning chemicals

Start your cleaning process in degrees. If the first step does not work, then go to the next.

• Mix a solution of lemon juice and salt together. For ever three cups of lemon juice you use, use a cup of salt. Mix this thoroughly so that the salt dissolves inside of the lemon juice. Then apply the solution to the roof by using a one inch paintbrush or larger. Once the solution has been applied, use your stiff bristled brush to work the solution into the copper. You should begin to see the original copper color return to the roof.


• Use white vinegar in your lemon-salt solution if you are not finding the original mixture to be effective. Add a cup of vinegar for every three cups of lemon juice. The extra acidity should be enough to help clean the roof properly.


• Buy a copper cleaning chemical such as Copper Brite if you find that the homemade solution does not work. This should be your last option because, although it should be quite effective, it can also become extremely expensive when you are cleaning an entire roof.