Clean gutters to protect your siding and landscape plantings, and prevent thousands of dollars of damage to your foundation.
How often to clean gutters
First and foremost, it is important to know the importance of a gutter system in the house. If you do not have it installed, Lynchburg gutters specialists (or experts in your area) can be contacted. Now to our topic of concern, we should clean gutters at least once a year-twice a year if there are overhanging trees. Also, cleaning clogged gutters after big storms is important. Clogs often occur where downspouts join the gutter system-check these areas closely. Get in touch with local experts for a free gutter inspection.
How to clean gutters
Wear a shirt with long sleeves. Wear rubber gloves.
Have a good extendable ladder a vailable. Standoff stabilizers (ladder “horns”) are ideal to keep the ladder from damaging the gutter. Oh, that might not even be mandatory! You can clean gutters without a ladder too!
Use a small plastic scoop to remove gunk. Buy a gutter scoop from the hardware store ($25) or try a child’s sand shovel.
Spare your lawn by dumping the stuff onto a plastic tarp.
After you’ve cleared the muck, flush the gutters and downspouts with a garden hose-also a great way to spot any leaks.
Cost of a professional gutter cleaning
If climbing ladders is not your cup of tea, you can hire someone from the likes of Gutter Cleaning BIrmingham or similar companies in your area to do the job for you. It might cost you somewhere between $50 and $250, depending on the size and height of your house, as well as the company you choose.
Gutter covers
Interested in an ounce of prevention? You can slow clogging by installing gutter covers in the form of mesh screens, clip-on grates, or porous foam. However, the cost can be more than the gutters themselves and covers need regular maintenance to keep them clear. Expect to pay $6 to $8 per running foot for gutter covers, installed.
Serial remodeler Pat Curry is a former senior editor at BUILDER, the official magazine of the National Association of Home Builders, and a frequent contributor to real estate and home-building publications.