Every season is a good season for a gutter cleaning!

We typically get asked “so when is the best time to clean my gutters?” and the answer is, well, it’s really up to you and what’s best for your home based on your location, but here’s the facts we want to share!

Neglecting to clean your gutters can be a costly mistake for your home investment if rainwater seeps inside your home or damages your property. Water damage can affect your roofline and rot out wood, can seep behind your siding, the doors and window moldings, and let’s not forget about how pooled water around your home can crack your foundation causing leaks and shifts. Standing water in your gutters can also offer a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies if those gutters have any clogs or obstructions, or even if they aren’t properly pitched. From the rooftop to the basement, and everything in between, we’ve put together some facts you need to know about gutter cleaning and why it’s so important to maintain them. You wouldn’t expect your car to run properly without ever getting an oil change, would you? The same goes for a gutter system.

Summer months offer days filled with sunshine and breeze. With excruciating heat also comes dead falling leaves. Those sunshowers create falling leaves and twigs alike. And don’t forget all of those summer gatherings and barbecues that you’d want your house to look pristine for. A good cleaning does the trick for properly functioning and crisp looking gutters.

Autumn offers such beautiful colors which fill America with vivid landscapes. With those changing leaves comes falling leaves at high volumes and quickly clogged gutters with a need for a good cleaning to continue doing their job. If you don’t get all the debris cleaned out, water becomes trapped within and come days of frost there will be more weight for longer periods of time than your gutters were ever meant to hold, risking them from being pulled out and damaging your roofline. Let’s not forget about hurricane season as well with those high winds – get a tune-up with your cleaning to make sure your gutters are fully secure.

Speaking of frost, Winter months are cold and filled with snow and ice. When piled up over your gutters you risk long term water exposure to your roofline, causing wood rot and a way for animals to get in and hide from that cold air. Keeping your gutters free from all leaves and debris before the winter months is your best bet, but installing a gutter snow de-icing cable is another way to give you peace of mind that your roofline will be okay when it snows. With clean gutters, the line will melt the snow and the water will easily flow through your gutters as it’s intended to.

Spring months bring about spring cleaning. A great time for a new refreshed look after the gloomy winter, as well as a good time to keep up with all the falling pollen and seeds that you surely don’t want sprouting and rooting in your gutter system! Spring showers also tend to wash away roof debris into your gutters, which can tend to build up.

Making sure your gutters are clean all year round for every season is essential to protect the investment you’ve put into your home and prolong roof, siding, window and door replacement for much longer periods of time. If you’re in a highly wooded area, we recommend 2 to 3 gutter cleanings a year. With less foliage, typically 1 cleaning a year does the job. Don’t forget, gutter guards don’t mean you’ll never need a cleaning again, it means you’ve decided to protect your gutter investment and give yourself more time in between cleanings – we recommend 1 cleaning a year in highly wooded areas and 1 cleaning every 2 years for areas with less foliage. This is because fine debris can still build up and cause obstructions within the gutters and larger debris can build up on top of gutter guard, making it almost like you don’t have gutters at all, so you want to make sure to keep up on maintenance.

Gutter cleaning is the process of removing any debris, dirt, leaves, twigs, pollen, toys, etc. from your gutters and downspouts that clog your gutter system and stop rainwater from flowing freely from the roof to the ground and away from your foundation.

We typically scoop up the debris by hand or by machine. Upon request we can flush the gutters out with your hose and water for an extra charge if you want pristine squeaky clean gutters. We do not clean and polish the outside of your gutters, but with proper maintenance you wont get those dark marks from dirt and debris dripping over.

Gutters guide rainwater off your roof through downspouts and away from your home. A gutter system includes the following components:

• Gutter: Attaches to the edge of the eaves on your roof
• End cap: Closes gutters at the end
• Fascia bracket: Connects to the eaves and provides structural support
• Downspout: Allows rainwater to travel from the roof to the ground
• Elbow: Snaps onto the downspout and redirects the water away from your home
• Miters: Allows gutters to turn 90 degrees around the eaves of the roof

Protect your investment into your home. When leaves, debris, dirt, twigs, and miscellaneous objects get trapped inside gutter systems, it prevents them from working efficiently. And with any system that doesn’t work efficiently, other systems become affected and start to compromise.

Rain gutters have an extremely important job to do and should realistically be on every single home. Let’s dig in deeper to how gutters and routine gutter cleanings preserve your home.

By leading the water off your roof, gutters prolong the life of your home’s roof structure. Clogged gutters prevent the water from moving off the roof. When rainwater sits at the roofline it begins to penetrate through the surface of your roof, causing the following issues:

• Wood rot to your roof, rafters and fascia board
• Your roof’s construction weakens
• Water seeps from the roof into your home causing further structural damage
• Holes may form where pests can find an entry into your home

Rainwater stuck in gutters can destroy your home’s exterior, making the interior of your home vulnerable for damage. When the weight of debris creates a gap in your gutter system, the following areas of your home are also affected:

• Shingles covering your house can deteriorate
• Soffit protecting your roof and prohibiting moisture in the attic can grow mold
• Fascia ventilating the roof can rot
• Siding, depending on the style, can rot, compromise, and chip
• Window trim can rot, causing leaks behind siding and inside your walls, windows and home

When these areas get waterlogged, not only do they stop working, but mold, mildew, and algae can begin to grow. Paint begins to peel and chip too. Not only is this unhealthy for your home and family, but say goodbye to curb appeal.

When gutters are filled with gunk, the water overflows and heads straight for your foundation causing a slew of problems. With excessive amounts of water saturating the ground, the soil expands, pushing your foundation. After the soil dries up, the foundation contracts. This continuous process of expanding and contracting puts strain on your foundation causing cracks and leaks, compromising your home’s structural support. It can also erode your landscaping and rot out your deck. Keeping gutters free and clear of dirt and debris will deter water from destroying your basement, foundation, and property.

When water gets into your basement, it can cause the following issues:

• Windows and doors that don’t shut
• Black mold
• Structural wood rot
• Uneven flooring
• Cracks in drywall

Insects and small animals like rodents are attracted to stationary water. Leaves inside gutters provide a haven for insects, birds, bats, and squirrels to hide and nest. These critters then have easy access to the roof and into your attic to infest, nest, and breed inside your home. Not to mention if clogged gutters have allowed pooling water to cause wood rot, these critters have even easier access into your home.

The simple answer is yes, cleaning your gutters can be a good DIY project, but only if you’re comfortable and have steady footing on a high ladder carrying equipment. Do you really want to take the risk for the price? If you don’t like heights, getting dirty, and possibly coming face to face with pests including wasps, birds, and squirrels, you should have your gutters cleaned professionally.

If you’re experienced working on ladders and don’t mind the mess, gutter cleaning could be a cost-effective weekend project, but always practice ladder safety, like keeping your

body between side rails, working on level ground, and maintaining awareness of your surroundings.

The cost of gutter cleaning ranges from $125 to $375, depending on several factors including but not limited to your home’s square footage, roof pitch, and the amount of debris.

Outsourcing the job to a professional can prevent injuries from falls, properly remove pests, and allow the gutter cleaning specialist to check for any drainage and gutter wear issues including any damage to your gutter system, needed updates, caulk life, missing pieces, etc. Did you know “According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, every year 500,000 people are treated for ladder-related injuries and approximately 300 of these incidents prove to be fatal. In 2007 alone, more than 400 people died as a result of falls on or from ladders or scaffolding.” -Liberty Mutual – Research Institute for Safety. Without the proper tools, protection and experience you could be putting yourself at risk! Our trained gutter specialists are experienced professionals who take pride and care with every job we do.

A professional might recommend installing gutter guards depending on your surrounding foliage to protect your gutters and home. Yes, you can buy a roll of plastic mesh or aluminum pop in guards and have another DIY project, but they typically cave as soon as there is weight on them, debris gets stuck underneath, and you’ve got a big mess that you spent alot of time trying to get precise. Let us do the job for you the first time to save you the hassle and headache.

We have 3 styles of gutter guards – white vinyl slotted guards, aluminum wired mesh, and extreme gutter guards with aluminum screen that lays over top the aluminum mesh to catch finer debris. Our professionals make sure your gutter guards are durable and secure. Another type of gutter guard is a gutter helmet that clips onto gutters and rolls the debris (and water) off your roof. We don’t install or recommend these because with high volumes of water, the water ends up flowing right past your gutters directly onto the ground below.

Whatever you choose, know that gutter guards and filters aren’t magic and still need routine cleaning. We recommend 1 cleaning a year in highly wooded areas and 1 cleaning every 2 years for areas with less foliage. This is because fine debris can still build up and cause obstructions within the gutters and larger debris can build up on top of gutter guard, making it almost like you don’t have gutters at all, so you want to make sure to keep up on maintenance.

The cost of gutter guards ranges between $8 to $20 per linear foot installed. An average cost for gutter guard installation is about $15.00 a linear foot, but this also depends on the size and structure of your home.

“To prevent constant gutter clean up, gutter guards are highly recommended as they help extend the life of not only your gutters and overall structure but also helps property owners save money and maintenance time in the long term,” says Eric Gonzalez, Angi Expert Review Board Member and President of Regions Commercial Building.