How Often Should Gutters Be Cleaned?

Homeowners often wonder how often gutter cleaning should be scheduled to prevent blockages and expensive water damage. Cleaning out gutters is an important part of your routine home maintenance, but it’s a task many people overlook or don’t know how to tackle on their own. Fortunately, you can hire professional gutter cleaning services to do the work for you. Homeowners needing gutter cleaning in Houston can count on Geek Window Cleaning to get the job done right. There’s no need for you to climb a ladder and risk a serious injury, buy any special equipment, or get wet and muddy — Geek Window Cleaning has you covered.

Why Should I Be Cleaning out My Gutters?

When it comes to maintaining your home, gutter cleaning may not top your list, but it should. Gutters play a key role in protecting your house from damage caused by precipitation. Without gutters, water runoff can build up around your home. It can damage exterior finishes, create mold and mildew, weaken your roof, and ruin your landscaping. By catching and carrying rainwater away from your home, gutters help protect your foundation, prevent soil erosion, and keep your basement from flooding.

While it might seem like clogged gutters are just a cosmetic issue, they’re so much more than that. They are indeed unsightly, but they can also lead to thousands of dollars in damage. The next time you think about putting off your gutter cleaning in Houston, consider the price tag behind these potential consequences.

• Foundation repairs: Pooling water can seep into your basement or crawl space, and repairs can cost thousands of dollars.
• Mold issues: Leaves decompose and rot when left inside your gutter. Black mold not only looks bad, but it can also cause a variety of health problems. Removing the mold can be an expensive process.
• Roofing replacement: When gutters get clogged, water has nowhere to go. It can soak into your shingles and leak inside your home. Over time, your shingles become soft, creating more damage inside and outside your home. You might need to replace your entire roof.
• Driveway damage: If excess water overflows from your gutters, it can pool on your driveway. In warmer weather, it can lead to mold growth. In cooler temperatures, ice can build up, causing slips and falls.
• Pest infestations: All kinds of critters love to feed on rotting leaves. Clogged gutters are a haven for pests, which might find their way inside your home.

Determining how often gutter cleaning is necessary can prevent unexpected repairs. While it might seem harmless to overlook your gutters, cleaning them is a necessity if you want to avoid costly repairs and damages.

How Often Should You Clean Your Gutters?

As a general rule, you should be cleaning out gutters at least twice a year — once in the spring and again in the fall. In spring, a good gutter cleaning gets rid of any debris that builds up over the winter, so your house is ready for spring rains and summer storms. Cleaning out gutters in autumn when the trees shed their leaves prepares your home for any winter snow and ice that might come your way.

Keep in mind that every house is different, so it’s important to consider any factors that make your home unique. How often gutter cleaning needs to be done depends on factors like nearby trees and recent weather conditions. For instance, if trees surround your home, you might need to clean your gutters more often. This is especially true if there are many pine trees in the area because they drop a lot of needles. You might need to hire gutter cleaning services quarterly if that’s the case.

Another factor that impacts how often you need gutter cleaning is the number of storms that pass through your area. Poor weather is quite common in Houston, especially during hurricane season, so you need to ensure your gutters remain free of the clutter that can prevent them from diverting runoff away from your home. While the temperature doesn’t usually dip below freezing, it’s still a good idea to give your gutters a thorough inspection of any cold weather on the horizon because freezing and thawing ice can result in water blockages.

On top of that, pests, such as carpenter ants and mosquitoes, love overflowing gutters. Keeping track of how often gutter cleaning is necessary can help maintain your home’s exterior appearance. Get in the habit of checking your gutters each month to see what’s inside. You never want to be caught off guard with an unfortunate situation on your hands.

If you’re unsure about how often gutter cleaning is required, consulting a professional service like Geek Window Cleaning can be helpful.

How Long Does It Take to Clean Gutters?

The time it takes to clean gutters can vary depending on several factors, such as the size of your home, the condition of the gutters, and the amount of debris present. On average, a standard gutter cleaning for a single-story home may take about 1 to 2 hours to clean, while a two-story home or a property with extensive gutter systems may require 3 to 4 hours or more.

 

However, tackling this task on your own can be time-consuming and physically demanding, especially if you need to become more familiar with the process or need the proper equipment. Climbing ladders, removing debris, and ensuring the gutters are thoroughly cleaned and unclogged can take up a significant portion of your day.

 

Hiring Geek Window Cleaning professionals will save you lots of time and effort. Our experienced technicians use the latest tools and techniques to clean your gutters efficiently and effectively. With our professional gutter cleaning services, you can rest assured that your gutters will be in top condition without you having to spend hours doing the work yourself. Contact Geek Window Cleaning today to schedule your gutter cleaning and enjoy more free time for the things you love.

How Often Should You Clean Gutters? How to Tell It’s Time to Clean Gutters

Aside from climbing up a ladder and doing a visual inspection, there are some signs you can watch for to tell if your gutters might be clogged. Watch for these key elements:

• Are your gutters sagging? If so, it likely means leaves, shingle grit, and other debris are creating excess weight and causing your gutters to bend and fail. If the weight isn’t removed quickly, they might even start to pull away from the house.
• Is there a garden growing in your gutter? If you look up and see plants sprouting from your gutters, there’s a good chance you need gutter cleaning services to remove any seeds and dirt that accumulated over time.
• Have you seen pests spending time around your gutters? Birds, mice, snakes, and squirrels are just a few of the pesky creatures that enjoy nesting and burrowing in clogged gutters.
• Do you have a waterfall down the side of your house? If there’s water overflowing from the top and sides of your gutters during a rainstorm, it’s time to clean your gutters before any major damage is done.
• Is there water inside your home? Clogged gutters can lead to leaks inside your house. If you see water pooling in unexpected places, cleaning your gutters is a good place to start.
• How old are your gutters? Many people don’t realize that gutters won’t last forever. Typically, they need replacement every 15 to 20 years. Proper gutter cleaning and maintenance help ensure you get the most value for your money.
• Does water drip from your gutter? If water doesn’t free flow from the downspout during heavy rainfall, it most likely means something is plugging your gutter and cleaning is in order.

How Do I Clean My Gutters?

Cleaning out gutters is no easy task. It’s a long and dirty process, and you need to make sure you’re properly prepared before you get started. 

1. First, you need a ladder that reaches the required height safely without standing on the top rung. Never attempt to clean your gutters from the rooftop. It’s easy to lose your balance or slip, which can lead to an injury or damage to your roof.
2. Put on personal protective equipment, including gloves, a dust mask, and goggles, so you don’t get any cuts and scrapes, inhale small particles, or get debris in your eyes. 
3. Grab a garbage bag and climb up the ladder to start removing any large debris, such as twigs and leaves. You can use a hose to spray water and gently push any smaller bits toward the downspout of your gutter. Keep a watchful eye to ensure the downspout doesn’t get clogged and ruptured.

While you’re at it, check the gutter to make sure it’s properly attached to the fascia of your house. If not, it might be time to replace the gutter altogether. If there are any leaks in the gutter, you can use a high-quality sealant to repair them.

Remember, cleaning out gutters isn’t complicated, but it can be unsafe if you don’t take the proper precautions. It’s always a good idea to ask a friend to hold the ladder and spot you in case of a fall. If it turns out you’re not comfortable doing the task yourself, call a professional gutter cleaning service, such as Geek Window Cleaning, to take care of the job for you.

If your gutters are easily accessible from the ground, you can check out our blog post on how to clean gutters without a ladder.

 

Why Should I Hire Professional Gutter Cleaning Services?

For many people, safety is a top risk factor when cleaning their gutters. They prefer to hire gutter cleaning services instead. If you don’t feel comfortable doing your gutter cleaning in Houston, Geek Window Cleaning has the tools and training to do the work safely for you. What’s more, Geek Window Cleaning technicians bring the latest technologies and techniques to their gutter cleaning services, which is another great reason to hire a professional gutter cleaner instead of doing the work yourself.

Professionals can advise you on how often gutter cleaning should be scheduled based on your local climate. Geek Window Cleaning technicians begin by thoroughly inspecting your gutters to make sure they’re in good condition. Then, they use a high-pressure system and environmentally friendly cleaning agents to scrub away any mold, mildew, and moss. Finally, they remove any large debris and leaves that build up inside the gutters. They take care of everything, so you don’t have to worry.

If you can’t remember the last time you did a gutter cleaning, it’s probably long overdue. When your gutters overflow, bad things can happen. From rotting wood to nasty leaks, clogged gutters can cause extensive and expensive damage to both the interior and exterior of your home. Assessing how often gutter cleaning is needed can help you avoid issues like roof leaks and foundation damage. Clean gutters redirect water from your home and prevent potential damage. Contact Geek Window Cleaning to learn more about gutter cleaning in Houston and what you can do to make sure your gutters are in top form all year long.

How Often Should I Be Cleaning Out Gutters? | Geek Window Cleaning