If you have decided to replace your old shingled roof yourself, you may wonder what you can do to keep your yard as clean as possible during the tear-down phase. Along with ordering a dumpster designed for roofing refuse, use the following tips to minimize the amount of debris in your yard while you are tearing off your old roof.

Put a Tarp on the Ground under the Section of Roof You Are Working

One way you can keep the debris out of your yard is to place a tarp on the ground to collect it. Whenever you move to a new section of the roof, move the tarp so that it is positioned directly under you.

Since you will be working high off the ground, you may still miss the tarp, making some piece fall into your grass or bushes. Periodically, come down off of the roof, and pick up the debris that missed the cover. Keeping up with the mess as you go along will minimize the cleanup at the end of each day when you empty the tarp into your dumpster.

Place Nails in a Hard Plastic or Metal Container

Another way you can minimize the amount of mess in your yard is to pull out and place all of the roofing nails in a hard plastic or metal container. Although it may take a little more effort while you are ripping off the shingles, it will help you save time in the long run by not having to go searching for lost nails in your yard.

Not only does storing and keeping track of the nails help cut down on the mess, but it also serves as a safety precaution. You do not want to have missed nails buried in your yard where you or a family member may step on one or have one shoot out of your mower the next time to cut the lawn.

Saving your nails may also help save you some money as well. Depending on the age of the roof and the metal from which the nails were constructed, some of them may still be in decent condition. You may be able to reuse them when it comes time to install the new roof.

Using the above tips can help make cleaning up the old roofing materials easier while tearing off your old shingles. Once the job is finished, contact a sanitation company that offers roof debris removal services to have them pack up and haul off your mess to ensure complete, safe removal.