Cleaning gutters might seem like a mundane chore, something that’s optional or “nice to have.”
But, did you know that clean gutters are actually extremely important for you and your home’s safety?
Here’s how and why cleaning your gutters is important and should be top of your list, according to the professionals!
The Essentials of Cleaning Gutters: What You Need to Know
When you’re doing your spring cleaning, you might not think to add “cleaning gutters” to your cleaning checklist.
But, it’s honestly so much more important than it seems!
More than just a series of boring pipes on your roof and home exterior, your gutters play a crucial role in maintaining the structural integrity of a building.
They work to channel rainwater away from your roof and the foundations of your home – which would otherwise erode and damage important construction.
If you want to keep your gutters clean (which you absolutely should!) here’s what you need to know.
Understanding the Importance of Regular Gutter Cleaning
Because your gutters run along the perimeter of your roof, it’s common for leaves or bits of debris to get blown onto your roof and swept into the gutters when it rains. However, this can stop the flow of water and clog up pipes.
This can cause leaks, mould, roof damage, pests or insects, and lead to health risks for you and the property. And those aren’t exactly cheap issues to fix…
If you neglect to clean your gutter, you could wind up needing expensive and time-consuming repairs to walls, pipes, the roof of your house, or flooding around your garden.
But investing a little time in regular gutter cleaning helps prevent any of those issues in the first place – that’s why it’s so important!
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Clean Gutters Safely and Effectively
So now that you know why gutter cleaning is so important, it’s on to the next step!
Here’s exactly how to clean gutters, so you can keep your home safe and solid.
Start by gathering all the necessary tools, which include:
- A ladder (unless you’re miraculously tall enough to reach your roof!)
- Rubber gloves and safety glasses – there’s some seriously icky stuff up there
- A small scooper or trowel for removing clogs
- A bucket to dispose put all that dirt, leaves, and debris into
- And a garden hose to flush out the gutter
Once you’re all equipped, suit up with gloves and goggles and climb up the ladder to your gutter with a bucket and scooper or trowel in hand.
You can manually remove branches, twigs, leaves, and debris with your hands and dispose of it into the bucket, or scoop along with a small tool then discard the mess.
Work in small sections, moving along the length of the gutter and make sure you get all around the house – or wherever the gutter is laid.
Once you’ve gotten rid of any visible mess in the gutters, you’ll want to check the downspouts as well. These are the vertical pipes on the side of the building that water travels into from the gutter. Simply flush them out with a hose and make sure water is coming out the other side uninterrupted.
If your gutters are clear of visible mess, then you’re all good to hose them out and rinse any remaining mud or dirt away.
While you’re up there, it’s also a good idea to check for any loose screws, make sure the fittings are secured, and take note of any leaks you see.
And voila! You’ve just DIY-cleaned your gutters.
Preventative Measures: How Regular Cleaning Protects Your Gutters
It’s a good idea to clean your gutters at least twice a year, to make sure they don’t become dirty or blocked. If you leave it too long in between gutter cleaning, you might find it becomes damaged or needs replacing altogether…
If your gutter becomes clogged with leaves, twigs, and dirt, it can become quite heavy and strain the metal. You might find your gutter sags, cracks, or even breaks under the weight!
Another issue for colder climates is that blocked gutters create what’s known as “ice dams”. Water can’t flow freely, it freezes in place, and then your gutters and pipes become completely frozen solid – which is a pain to get fixed!
Or if you live in a warmer temperature, you might have a different problem entirely where all this stagnant water in clogged gutters attracts mosquitoes! And we all know how unpleasant those are to have around.
Regardless of ice or pests, letting water build up in your gutters is likely to cause rust and erosion. When this happens, your gutters succumb to the elements and will need to be completely ripped out and replaced.
Looking at all the issues blocked and dirty gutters can cause, it’s far quicker and cheaper to simply keep them clean.
So, now is the perfect time to grab your ladder and head up to check your gutters!
They’re much quicker and easier than you’d think to clean, and you’ll be grateful you did. Or, if you’re not much of a home handyman, you can always enlist the help of a Wecasa professional!
Wecasa can connect you with local home cleaners and experts who can help clean the rest of your house while you tackle the ‘operation: guttering’. Have your home clean and tidy in no time with Wecasa!
