While your gutters may not get the kind of attention that your lawn does, don’t forget to include them in your annual, seasonal maintenance. Gutter maintenance may not seem as pressing as cutting the lawn, patching the drywall, or caulking your windows, but it is an important component of keeping your home in good condition.

What Is Gutter Maintenance?

Like most areas of your home maintenance, part of your gutter maintenance is merely inspecting and paying attention to your gutters. This includes looking for things like cracks and clogs that could indicate that it’s time to get them repaired or replaced.

The other major component of the maintenance is gutter cleaning. Leaves, pine needles, debris from your roof, and other materials can all build up inside your gutters, blocking the flow of water down the spouts. When this happens, your gutters may overflow, which can leave water on your soffits and fascia where it could begin to rot them and cause other damage.

Steps to Gutter Cleaning

Many homeowners choose to take on their gutter cleaning themselves, although you can also hire professionals to take care of it for you as well. It’s a fairly straightforward job, provided that you have the right equipment, such as a ladder that can get you safely to the height of the gutters.

When you’re cleaning your gutters, pay attention to the areas that seem to have the most build-up. Often, gutters have their own personal trouble spots, such as a section that is located right in the path of a tree that sheds leaves when the wind blows. As you perform your yearly maintenance, you’ll begin to notice a pattern. Take note; you can prevent problems with your gutters before they occur by cleaning out the trouble spots on a more regular basis.

As you clean the gutters, be sure not to lean on them or use them for balance, as this could cause them to become loose, and could potentially cause you to fall.

Start at the end of your gutters that is closest to the drain spout, and move along their lengths to clean them, removing debris as you go. Many people choose to do this by hand, but if you have a wet/dry vac with the reach, you can also use this to suction out your gutters.

As you clean the gutters, make sure you take note of any areas where there has been standing water for any length of time. These areas could be prone to additional damage that the water may have caused. Look over these areas carefully for signs of rust, or for small cracks or holes that could indicate that this section may need to be replaced. Call a professional for an estimate as soon as you notice these signs to ensure that the problem doesn’t worsen.

Take Care of Your Gutters

Performing proper gutter maintenance and gutter cleaning on a regular basis can help keep your home safe from water damage. Be sure to tackle your gutter cleaning on a set schedule to avoid clogs, and keep your gutters flowing freely.