While spring hasn’t officially sprung, it’s close! We’re just days away from the season of renewal, saying goodbye to Old Man Winter. Even if you love winter and are sad to see it go, no one can deny the beauty of springtime: fresh blooms, wildlife venturing out with new life, more sunshine, and higher temperatures that help us shed those winter jackets. Spring is also the season where homeowners do a deep dive into cleaning the interior and exterior of their homes.
Spring cleaning is a refreshing way to get rid of winter’s grunge, like dirt on the home siding from winter storms, salt on the front porch and back patios to prep for snow or ice, and resealing wood decks and repainting shutters after winter’s moisture caused dullness. You probably take the time to pressure wash the exterior, refresh your landscaping, and finally take down the holiday lights. But do you clean your gutters? Keep reading to learn why cleaning gutters is important, some spring cleaning tips for your gutters, and how to keep water damage at bay all year.
Why Do I Need to Clean My Gutters?
You clean your home’s interior to keep it clean and cozy for your loved ones, frequently vacuuming, mopping, and disinfecting bathrooms. Other household chores like replacing air filters and getting your HVAC system inspected are excellent preventative maintenance tasks that can prolong the life of your home’s major components. Next time you make your spring cleaning checklist, be sure to add “gutter cleaning” to the list – failing to do so can result in several unpleasant consequences.
Do you know the last time you cleaned your gutters? It’s recommended to clean them at least twice a year, more often if your roofline is surrounded by trees like pines and others that shed seeds or leaves. If you haven’t cleaned your gutters in a while or ever, they can cause the following nightmarish damage:
Water Damage
Gutter systems exist to prevent drainage issues by collecting storm and meltwater from the roof, carrying it to the downspouts, and diverting it away from the foundation. Your gutter system works hard year-round, working in overdrive in the winter and spring months to keep up with the Heartland’s rainy season and frequent storms. Failure to clean your gutters can cause water damage to your home, affecting your soffit and fascia, siding, windows, and interior walls. Water damage from faulty gutters can be a nightmare to deal with. Therefore, clean them often to avoid water damage.
Roof Damage
Your home’s roof shields the inside from the elements entering your home, keeping the interior dry with help from other home components like the soffit, fascia, and gutter system. If you’ve ever replaced a roof, then you know it can cost thousands of dollars, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, depending on your square footage and existing damage. Failing to clean your gutters often can damage your roof, causing water to seep under the shingles and damage the underlayment.
Foundation Damage
Your home’s foundation keeps it standing, offering structural support from the ground up. The last thing you want is dirty gutters that force water over the sides, landing right next to the foundation. Over time, this water will form a trench, seeping into the foundation and causing basement leaks and cracks that can cause structural damage.
Guide to Gutter Cleaning
Clean gutters protect your home’s landscaping, foundation, siding, and roof, so keeping them clean is crucial. Below is a guide to gutter cleaning with some tips to ensure your gutters are kept clean year-round.
Step 1: Gather Tools
Before you clean your gutters, you’ll need the right tools for the job. You’ll need a tall, stable ladder that can reach your gutters, gloves to protect your hands, a bucket to collect debris, a garden hose, and a plumber’s snake if the downspouts are clogged.
Step 2: Safely Remove Debris
Make sure your gloves are on before you reach inside the gutters. Pests like stinging insects and even creepy crawlers like spiders and slithering snakes can invade your gutters. With your gloves on, use your scoop to remove debris, placing it inside the bucket. Empty the bucket often to avoid carrying a heavy bucket up and down a tall ladder.
Step 3: Flush the Gutters/Downspouts
Once you’ve removed the debris inside the gutters, it’s time to flush them; remove tiny debris like silt, small rocks, and seeds that are easily missed by hand. If water isn’t flowing through the downspouts, there might be a clog in the elbow of the downspout; use a plumber’s snake to dislodge leaves and other debris trapped inside.
Never Clean Gutters Again with K-Guard
Hate cleaning your gutters? We don’t blame you! If you switch to K-Guard Gutters, you’ll never need to clean gutters again. Our gutter product is a complete system with components to keep water flowing rapidly through the gutters and downspouts while keeping all debris out. The result? Gutters that will never clog or overflow. Our heavy-duty aluminum gutter guards will never sag from heavy downpours or snowfall because of how durable our gutter material is. Traditional gutters are made from 0.27 gauge aluminum, while K-Guard is made from 0.32 gauge aluminum, a thick aluminum coil.
Our gutter guards are also sleek, adding curb appeal to any home. Whether you have a multiple-story colonial, new construction, historic, or a single-story ranch, K-Guard will complement the beauty of your home and add value. Our gutters are available in many colors, from earthy neutrals to vibrant blues and greens. We have plenty of color options in stock and access to 25 extra color options, making it easy to customize your K-Guard Gutters.
From the most extreme weather, like hailstorms and severe thunderstorms, to high humidity levels, K-Guard will last for the home’s life. Our aluminum gutters are so durable that we offer three-lifetime warranties, including a lifetime no-clog warranty, a paint warranty, and a workmanship warranty. K-Guard is better than other gutter guards and gutter covers, protecting your home from water damage year-round.
We also have a convenient estimation calculator that gives you a ballpark estimate for installing K-Guard Gutters. In just minutes, you can get a free quote without having to schedule an estimate to get a feel for the installation cost. Our installation process is simple, with three easy steps to get lifetime gutters. Contact K-Guard Heartland today for a free estimate, a detailed analysis of your current gutter system, and estimated costs for installing K-Guard on your home.
