Why You Should Pay Attention to Your Home's Gutters

Are you familiar with the expression “not all heroes wear capes”? When it comes to protecting your home, gutters are the true heroes. For something so seemingly small, they can truly protect your home and foundation from a LOT of nasty and expensive problems — mostly associated with water damage.

Why are they so important?

Most homeowners don’t pay much attention to their gutters, but they’re doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to staving off damage. Understanding why gutters are so important will help you keep a better eye on them and get into a regular maintenance routine.

How Gutters Protect Your Home

• From basement and home flooding
• Cracked or damaged foundation
• Presence of mold
• Paint damage
• Landscape damage

There are many other things your gutters can keep your home safe from, but we think you get the point. Now that we have your attention we want to focus on some steps you can take to keep your gutters in good working order.

How You Can Protect Your Gutters

The golden rule of gutter care goes like this: Clean your gutters AT LEAST twice a year; in early spring and late fall.

If you live in an area with extreme weather or your home is close to trees you should consider more frequent cleanings. Just keep an eye on your gutters and establish a stable routine that makes sense for you and your home.

Here are some actionable steps you can take to keep your gutters in good working order.

1. Proper Cleaning

Using protective gloves (like those used for gardening), protective eyewear (you never know if insects or other critters will jump out) and a trowel or similar tool, remove leaves, sticks, and other debris that may have gotten caught in there.

Your goal is to do it often enough to prevent blockages.

2. Rinse it Out

After you’ve removed any debris, you can give your gutters a good rinse to check for leaks. Use a garden hose and spray water so that it moves in the direction of the downspout to keep it away from your home.

3. Take a Bucket

Place a bucket, securely, to the shelf of your ladder to collect debris and free up both hands to clean safely.

4. Proper Ladder Usage

You should never attempt a cleaning solo; make sure you have a spotter to accompany you during the cleaning while you’re at the top of the ladder.

Additionally, avoid leaning the ladder directly on the gutter as this extra weight could cause damage.

5. Extra Protection

After cleaning there are some products you can install to make the job easier and keep your gutters cleaner.

Gutter guards come in three categories: screens, inserts and reverse curves, which can all prevent clogs and keep the water flowing.

If you want to avoid major problems in the future, keeping an eye on your gutters and following a regular maintenance routine will be essential.

Want to learn more about how to keep your home in the best shape possible? Check out some of our other blog posts!

Haven’t had your annual inspection yet? We can help with that. Use our easy online scheduling tool to book your inspection and we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of your home to make sure you and your family are safe.