How Professional Gutter Cleaning Saves You Thousands in Home Repair Bills!

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If you’re like most homeowners, gutter cleaning is one of your least favorite home maintenance chores! However, gutters are probably far more important to a home’s overall condition than many people realize and clogged gutters can result in thousands of dollars of home repair bills.

Professional gutter cleaning removes thick, caked-on layers of dirt and grime, helping to prevent clogs that lead to standing rainwater or water washing over gutter sides. Roofing shingles and other materials absorb standing water, leading to damage, while water washing over the sides of clogged gutters can lead to exterior wall and foundation damage.

If you’ve never thought of dirt, clogged gutters as posing such serious risks to your home, you might consider some vital details about gutter and downspout function and how they protect your home from damage. You might also consider some added reasons to invest in professional gutter cleaning as well as other residential power washing services.

Remember to discuss your home’s condition and any concerns you have with a pressure washing contractor near you, as he or she can also offer some personalized advice on how to maintain your home in particular. He or she can also explain added benefits of gutters cleaning as well as exterior house washing, roof cleaning, and other such power washing services!

How Professional Gutter Cleaning Protects Your Home

Before you go another month or year without professional gutter cleaning, you might note why these features are so vital and how they protect your home, and why they need regular, professional power washing!

• Gutters capture rainwater washing off a home’s roof, directing it to nearby downspouts.
• Downspouts then direct that rainwater away from the home so that it runs into the street or even to a nearby landscaping feature, French drain, or underground sprinkler system.
• Because gutters and downspouts also captures leaves, twigs, seeds, acorns, moss, sap, soot, dust, and other debris, they often get caked with dirt and mud.
• As gutters become dirty and filled with storm debris and other residues, they tend to clog rather than directing rainwater to nearby downspouts. Downspouts might also allow water to back up into those gutters.
• Clogged gutters and those filled with thick residues encourage standing water, rather than allowing water to run into nearby downspouts.
• Roof eaves, shingles, and other features absorb that standing water; shingles and wood framing then become soft and crumbly, potentially even falling away from the home.
• Standing water also attracts bothersome insects and encourages damaging algae growth. This algae, as well as mold, mildew, and moss, can grow between roof shingles, tiles, and flashing, loosening those parts and allowing them to fall away or get blown away in a storm!
• Mold caused by standing water is also unhealthy and bothersome to anyone sitting under those clogged gutters and that unsightly debris.
• Dirty gutters also allow rainwater to splash over their sides, running down a home’s exterior walls and windows, leaving behind unsightly streaks and stains.
• Rainwater running down exterior brick also softens that material, leading to cracks, chips, holes, and other damage.
• Rainwater can also make its way through holes and other openings in siding, increasing the risk of interior water damage and resultant mold growth.
• When rainwater washes over gutters rather than to downspouts, it tends to collect around a home’s foundation. This increases the risk of water damage including chips, cracks, and holes.
• A damaged foundation allows water into the home, risking structural damage and resultant mold growth.
• A damaged foundation is also likely to settle and shift under the home’s weight so that cracks and chips get larger over time, risking costly foundation repairs.

If you’ve never thought about the importance of a home’s gutters, now you know why professional gutter cleaning is so vital! A standard garden hose is insufficient for removing thick, caked-on dirt, and even a small amount of storm debris can result in standing or spilling water.

Why Avoid DIY Gutter Cleaning

While gutter cleaning is vital for every home, it’s also important for homeowners to leave this work to the pros! One consideration is that a garden hose is typically ineffective at removing layers of dirt and grime, and cause far too much messy splatter. Once you’ve cleaned the gutters with a hose, you might then need to clean the rest of your home’s exterior.

Using rented power washing equipment can also be a mistake, if you’re not familiar with its use. Pressure washing hoses are often more powerful than homeowners realize, creating a dangerous kickback that can literally knock you off your feet! Too much pressure can also loosen gutters from their connectors and damage exterior walls and windows.

A power washing company might also offer soft wash systems that make quick work of cleaning gutters and other areas of the home. Soft wash systems start with specialty detergents designed to dissolve thick dirt and mud, so only a low pressure rinse is needed to clean it all away. Soft wash pressure washing protects a home from messy splatter and ensures little to no risk of gutter damage.

One last reason to leave this work to the pros; you have better things to do with your time than clean a home’s gutters! Being able to relax on the weekends while also knowing that your home’s gutters are getting a thorough clean is worth your professional gutter cleaning costs.

How Often Does a Home Need Gutter Cleaning?

Despite the costs, it’s vital that you invest in gutter cleaning as often as needed. For most homes, this might be every other year or every three years at most. However, some homes might need annual gutter cleaning instead; consider some factors that might indicate your home could benefit from gutter cleaning more often than average.

• Airborne sand, silt, and other debris is common in tropical areas or those close to beaches and waterways. These airborne residues wind up in gutters, causing clogs.
• Homes in the tropics or very humid areas might be prone to mold, moss, and algae growing along roof eaves and gutters, increasing the risk of clogged gutters.
• Mature trees hanging over a  home might drop lots of leaves, twigs, sap, moss, acorns, seeds, needles, and other such debris that ends up in gutters, leading to clogs.
• Overhanging branches also provide a roosting place for birds, and their droppings and nest materials then wash into gutters.

A homeowner might also inspect their gutters two or three times throughout the year, noting if they seem dirty or full of debris. If so, schedule professional gutter cleaning to avoid resultant clogs and potential damage to your home.

Quick Tips for Keeping Gutters Clean and  Free of Debris

While professional gutter cleaning is the best choice for keep them free of debris and resultant clogs, there are steps a homeowner might take to reduce the dirt, grime, and other residues that end up in their home’s gutters. A leaf guard is an excellent choice for any home; these are screens placed over the tops of gutters, to allow rainwater through while catching solid debris. These guards will need regular wiping down and they don’t keep out all dirt and grime, so you’ll still need to invest in gutter cleaning on occasion.

It’s also helpful to trim back tree branches that hang over the home’s roof. Removing overhanging branches reduces the amount of leaves and twigs, as well as bird droppings and other debris, that wind up in the home’s gutters. Pruning back branches can also reduce the risk of having them scrape against shingles so that their granules don’t end up in the gutters and lead to clogs.

Regular roof washing by a power washing contractor is also an excellent choice for reducing the amount of debris that ends up in a home’s gutters. A pressure washing contractor can remove layers of dirt, mud, air pollution residues, storm debris, as well as twigs and leaves stuck between shingles and along flashing, keeping those materials out of the home’s gutters.

Other Residential Power Washing Services to Consider

When your home needs gutter cleaning, it’s probably time for other exterior power washing services as well! Roof washing keeps a home’s roof in good condition while protecting its gutters, as said. Professional roof cleaning also removes unpleasant and harmful mold and mildew as well as moss and algae, improving outdoor air quality for you and your guests.

Exterior wall washing also removes gritty and abrasive materials as well as damaging dirt and mud from a home’s outside walls. This power washing service protects homes while also ensuring they look their best. Professional window washing also means an improved view from both inside and outside the home as well as less abrasive, damaging debris covering the glass.

Your home also benefits from professional wood deck and fence cleaning as well as sidewalk and driveway cleaning. Removing dirt and grime as well as mold and mildew from these surfaces protects the materials and ensures a safe, clean environment. Consider scheduling all these services along with professional gutter cleaning, for a beautiful property that’s always in good condition.