Trees offer shade on your property and add beauty to your yard. But with trees and leaves come clogged gutters that leave you needing gutter cleaning.
While gutters are easily overlooked, neglecting them can be a costly mistake. Not only can water seep inside your home or foundation and cause damage, but clogged gutters also make the ideal breeding ground for gnats, flies, and mosquitoes.
Hence, gutter cleaning is vital for the longevity and well-being of your property. The following information will discuss everything you need to know about gutter cleaning services and your home.
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Why Gutter Cleaning Services are Completely Necessary
When sticks, leaves, dirt, and other debris become trapped in your home’s gutters, they cannot function correctly.
However, after gutter cleaning services have removed the waste, rain gutters can adequately do their job, which includes:
- Minimizing condensation and moisture from your windows and sills.
- Keeping water away from your foundation and out of your basement.
- Redirecting water from your roof away from your home.
- Protecting the interior and exterior walls from heavy rains.
Let’s look at the top reasons gutter cleaning services are necessary:
Helps Prevent Roof Damage
In general, gutters are meant to channel rainwater away from your home, the foundation, and the soil around it. However, when they are clogged with debris, water is unable to flow off the roof.
If water penetrates the surface of your roof, it can lead to issues such as weakening the roof’s structure, seepage into your home, and roof rot.
Protects Exterior Walls
Rainwater that gets stuck in your gutters can damage your home’s exterior, especially when the debris is so heavy that it causes gaps in your gutters.
However, the exterior walls aren’t the only areas affected by this, as your fascia, shingles, and soffits will also suffer. Allowing these areas to become waterlogged means they may stop working, thus inhibiting mildew, mold, and algae to grow on your exterior walls. Once this happens, your paint will begin to chip and peel, taking your curb appeal with it.
Prevents Foundation Damage
When your home’s gutters are not cleaned, the water from your roof flows straight toward your foundation, landscaping, and basement.
And when too much water saturates the ground, your soil will begin to expand, thus applying force to your home’s foundation. Once the soil dries, your foundation will contract. This process of contracting and expanding places your foundation under tremendous pressure.
Furthermore, when water seeps into your basement, it causes many problems. Such issues include:
- Drywall cracks
- Doors and windows that don’t close properly
- Uneven flooring
Ultimately, regularly scheduling gutter cleaning services will keep your gutters free of debris and dirt, thus preventing damage to your foundation, basement, and soil.
Prevents Insect and Animal Infestations
Another serious problem is that small animals and insects love stagnant water. In fact, it’s one of the favorite spots to be near.
Your home’s gutters are a paradise for birds, squirrels, and insects to build nests when debris is present. And from the roof, they will slowly move toward your attic, causing even more issues.
How Often Should My Gutters be Cleaned?
Now that you understand why gutter cleaning is so necessary, how do you ensure that they stay clean and are always able to channel water the right way?
Though it may not be practical to climb the ladder to check your gutters every day, you should devise a schedule for gutter cleaning. Most professionals recommend that you clean your gutters about six times per year. However, this depends on where you live and how many trees are present on your property, as you may have to clean them more often.
This is especially true in regions that have freezing winters. If your gutters cannot drain, the water buildup and ice accumulation may reach your roof, which will damage your shingles if the temperature gets below the freezing point.
It’s also important to note that you may benefit from checking your gutters after severe storms. Branches, leaves, and other debris may become dislodged and end up in your gutters.
While this sounds like a lot of work, it’s much easier if you get yourself on a gutter cleaning schedule that works for your needs.
Typically, it’s recommended that you clean your gutters around six times yearly. This is a great schedule to follow for those who live in colder climates:
- March: Clear dirt, branches, leaves, and other waste remaining from the winter to prepare for “April Showers”
- June: Clear out all seed pods, ragweed, oak tassels, helicopters, and other debris created by spring
- August: Remove all wind-blown debris produced by summertime storms
- Fall: Clean all waste once per month during October, November, and December
Hire a Professional
Remember, gutter cleaning is vital to protect your home from rainwater, but it’s best to hire professionals if you don’t feel safe and secure using a ladder.
Since these experts do this service for a living, they are quick, efficient, and have the proper know-how to clean your gutters without damaging them.
In the end, it doesn’t matter if you clean the gutters personally or hire a company; the important thing is that it’s done at least six times per year to prevent any clogs or other issues.
