Gutter cleaning is often overlooked when other home improvement projects on underway. Yet, that doesn’t mean that you can just ignore gutter cleaning and keeping your gutters in top shape. There is a reason why you have them on your home, so let’s learn their importance and how to keep them in proper condition.

How Important is Cleaning Your Gutters?

Cleaning your gutters is super important. Your gutters are meant to be taking the rainwater that falls on your roof and moves it to the ground, so the moisture doesn’t sit on your roof for long periods of time and cause water damage.

However, other things fall from the roof and into the gutters. Leaves, twigs, dirt, and other debris fall from trees or get blown onto the roof by the wind. Then, when it rains, the debris gets washed into the gutter. Yet, the water doesn’t always bring the debris back down to the ground.

This means that the debris gets stuck in the gutters. As the gutters fill with water, dry, and fill again, the debris turns into a sludge that clogs up the gutters.

At this point, several outcomes are possible. First, the gutters get so full of debris sludge that they can’t hold that much water. Instead of draining the water off of your roof, that water gets stuck in the gutters and on the roof. Your roof will end up getting water damage from water getting stuck on it.

Then, the debris can get stuck in the seams on your gutter pieces (assuming that you don’t have seamless gutters) and that will put pressure on the seams of the gutter. Over time, the debris can break down the gutters and cause cracks. Broken gutters are expensive to repair.

One final outcome that can happen is mold, bacteria, and other gross materials will build in the gutters. This will attract bugs, small rodents, and can leach these harmful things into your home. Too much mold around your home can get into the air circulation of your home and make you sick.

With regular gutter cleaning, all of these consequences can be avoided. Gutter cleaning will remove the debris from your gutter and make sure that nothing gets broken or grows in its place.

How Often Should Gutters Be Cleaned?

Try to schedule a professional gutter cleaning or head up to the roof to clean the gutters yourself twice a year.

Twice a year is the proper number of times to have your gutters cleaned to make sure that they don’t get too much debris built up in them. Of course, if you notice that your gutters are looking dirty and covered in debris more often than that, feel free to schedule more cleanings.

A professional gutter cleaning costs about $100 for a single-story home or about $225 for a two-story home. The higher number of floors that you have, the more expensive the cleaning will be.

Are There Tools That Will Keep My Gutters Clean for Longer?

If you feel that your gutters are constantly getting dirty, there are some gutter accessories that you can purchase to keep them clean.

A well-known tool for protecting your gutters is gutter guards. However, gutter guards are a slightly controversial tool for keeping your gutters clean. Some people believe that gutter guards don’t work as well as they say that they do and are too expensive for the little results.

Gutter guards do work for some people though. They are typically made out of a mesh-like material depending on the kind that you get and will sit on top of your gutters. Gutter guards will still allow water to flow into the gutters to get drained from the roof, but they will block leaves and other debris from getting into the gutter.

This tool isn’t foolproof as you still need to get your gutters cleaned occasionally, but it can be helpful for those who get a lot of leaves and debris in their gutters.

Keeping your gutters cleaner for longer can call for occasionally flushing them with water. This is when you take a tool that shoots a bunch of water, like a pressure washer, into the gutters to push the debris out. Flushing out your gutters is great to do in between gutter cleanings to reduce the amount of debris that builds up over time.

What Are Some Gutter Protectors to Use?

Keeping up with gutter maintenance also means protecting your gutters. Not only do you need to keep them clean, but you should keep in mind ways to prevent them from cracking or coming apart.

Again, gutter guards also make great gutter protectors. They prevent debris and other materials from getting into your gutters and causing damage. Yet, there is more that you can do to keep your gutters lasting longer.

First, you should make sure that nearby branches and trees are trimmed away from your gutters. Make sure that there aren’t branches hanging right above or next to any of your gutters. Not only will this prevent more leaves from getting inside, but it will keep the branches from hitting the gutters because of wind which could cause scratching and cracking.

You should also regularly inspect your gutters for signs of creatures living in them. As debris gets into the gutters, small rodents think that your gutters are a great space to keep their family. However, this can cause your gutters to break from their weight or movement. Watch out for small creatures living in your gutters and put repellent in them if you find any small families in there.

Keeping Your Gutters Clean Keeps Your Home Clean

Keeping your gutters clean and maintained helps the health and look of your house. It also saves you money because you won’t have to replace your gutters because of damage or repair your roof because water sat on it for too long. With clean gutters, they will do their job in keeping your roof clean.