Spring is officially here, which means spring cleaning is around the corner. Unfortunately, many homeowners often overlook one crucial Spring cleaning task: spring gutter cleaning.
Gutters play an essential role in protecting your home. If you practice good gutter maintenance, you’ll avoid various risks, like falling gutters or damage to wooden areas of your home. In contrast, neglecting your gutters can lead to significant damage and costly repairs.
If you’re still deciding whether or not to spend time or money on this tedious home task, we’re here to convince you it’s essential! In this blog, we’ll explore the benefits of spring gutter cleaning and share details about how to actually perform the cleaning.
After a wet Vancouver winter, here’s why you should add gutter cleaning to your spring cleaning checklist.
5 Reasons to Clean Your Home’s Gutters in the Spring
1. Protect Your Home’s Exterior
Spring may bring better temperatures, but it often also brings more rainfall. Increased rainwater can put your home at risk, specifically if your gutters are clogged.
Water overflow from heavy spring rainfall can damage roofing, siding, and even the structure of your home. However, by taking gutter cleaning seriously, you can avoid all of these problems.
By cleaning your gutters, you’ll be able to ensure that water is directed away from your home, protecting the exterior and preserving the integrity of your roof!
2. Avoid Basement Floods
This may not be an obvious risk of leaving your gutters unattended. However, did you know clogged gutters can cause your basement to flood as well? It’s not just about the roof or exterior of your house, gutters can also protect your basement too!
If your gutters are clogged, water isn’t diverted correctly and can pool around the foundation of your home. This can potentially cause a flooded basement—any homeowner’s worst nightmare.
By regularly cleaning gutters, you’ll avoid the potential mess and foundation issues that come with flooded basements.
3. Prevent Mosquito & Critters
When gutters remain uncleared, water accumulates, resulting in stagnant pools. The still water and increasingly warm weather make these pools the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and can even attract other critters.
Other critters, such as rats, mice, and raccoons, are also attracted to sources of water, even if it’s stagnant. If your gutters are clogged, you may hear more animals scurrying across your roof.
Cleaning your gutters is the best way to keep pests and animals away. Once you eliminate standing water, you can keep your home critter-free and protect your family from bug bites and even mosquito-borne diseases.
4. Stop the Destruction of Landscaping
If your property boasts stunning landscaping, you’re well aware of the substantial investment required for its installation and maintenance. Why would you want to risk damaging this beautiful element of your home?
Overflowing gutters are a real issue for landscaping since excess water can spill, destroying plants and eroding soil. If you want to protect your investment, it’s vital to clean your gutters regularly.
5. Maintain Your Home’s Value
Properly maintained gutters are a key factor in enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal and market value of your property. By ensuring regular cleaning and maintenance, you avoid potential problems that could require expensive fixes. Ultimately, you’re safeguarding your home’s status as a valuable asset.
Whether you’re thinking about selling your home soon or you’re preparing for the future, it’s a smart move to take care of your gutters. This will reduce water damage and make your home look better overall. So, when you decide to sell, you can count on a stronger selling price.
What’s Your Gutter Cleaning Schedule?
Establishing a gutter cleaning schedule is essential to protecting your home and maintaining its value. Cleaning your gutters at least twice a year, in the spring and fall, is a good practice. This timing helps address the debris from winter storms and prepares your gutters for spring rainfall, while fall cleaning removes leaves and prepares them for snow.
How to Clean Your Gutters
Cleaning your gutters involves removing debris, flushing them with water, and checking for any signs of damage. Here’s a simplified process:
- Gather the tools you’ll need: ladder, tarp, bucket, safety glasses or sunglasses, work gloves, a trowel, garden hose with spray head, screwdriver, and plumber’s snake.
- Wearing gloves, set up your ladder, ensuring it’s sturdy.
- Remove leaves, twigs, and any blockages using a trowel or garden scoop.
- Use a hose to flush the gutters and downspouts, ensuring water flows freely.
- Inspect for any signs of wear or damage. Look out for leaks, sagging, or detached parts.
While cleaning your gutters yourself can save you money, this task can be hazardous. If you don’t feel comfortable or safe executing spring gutter cleaning, it’s important to seek professional help.
Take Care of Your Gutters, Take Care of Your Roof
Your gutters and roof work together to protect your home from water damage. Ignoring gutter maintenance can lead to severe roofing issues. That means while cleaning your gutters, it’s also an excellent time to inspect your roof or better yet, schedule a professional inspection.
A clean gutter system prevents water damage, protects roofing, and maintains your home’s structural integrity and value. If you’re unsure about your ability to clean your gutters safely or spot signs of damage, it’s wise to call in professionals.
While Army Roofing does not offer gutter cleaning, we do offer professional roof inspections along with repairs, maintenance and replacement projects throughout Delta, Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. Contact us for a thorough roof and gutter inspection to ensure your home is protected year-round, from a team with other 40 years of experience.
