In a downpour, a clogged gutter sends a wall of water down the side of your house, making canyons in your flowerbeds and saturating your foundation.
Cleaning gutters of leaves and debris will help prevent damage to your landscaping and siding, and head off expensive water damage repairs to your foundation that may cost $10,000 or more.
Here are some tips on cleaning your roof gutters:
- How often? It is a good practice to clean the gutters once per year, and twice if you have trees close to your home.
- Get yourself a good pair of waterproof and puncture proof gloves to wear.
- Make sure your ladder is in good shape.
- Never do the job alone, have another person help hold the ladder and look out for problems with stability.
- Climb a ladder and clean the goop out of the gutters – decomposed leaves make great mulch or compost.
- Pay particular attention to the downspouts. If leaves and debris are clogging it, water won’t drain properly, and along with mildew and mud you’ll end up with sagging gutters.
- Look for the sources of any leaks, including holes in the gutters and cracked caulking in the seams.
- If the gutters are rusting, they are very old. They’ve moved to aluminum and vinyl gutters now, and they don’t rust. You might want to consider new gutters.