It's Time to Clean those Gutters!

Now that most of the leaves have fallen, it's time to start thinking about cleaning up all those leaf piles around your home. One place every homeowner should be paying extra attention to this time of year are the gutters. Gutter cleaning is an important but dreaded home improvement chore, but with regular and thorough cleaning, you'll keep your gutters in tip-top shape. Before you grab a ladder, let's look at the reasons why gutter cleaning is so essential, and some tips for making this task easier.


Why Clean Your Gutters? 
A home's gutter system controls the flow of rainwater from the rooflines. This protects your home’s roof, walls, foundation and landscape. If debris builds up in them, it could lead to sagging gutters, mold growth, wet basements, a leaky roof or water damage to the interior or exterior of your home. Gutters filled with debris can also make homes for rodents and other pests. Neglecting gutter maintenance can lead to costly repairs down the line.

Cleaning Out Your Gutters
This is a home maintenance task that you can choose to do yourself, if you wish. As long as you practice safe ladder use, the job's not that hard. Just dirty. To clean your gutters yourself, we recommend wearing gloves, a dust mask, and safety goggles. Here are some simple tricks for cleaning out your gutters: 
  • Make sure you have a sturdy and extendable ladder. Ensure your ladder is well-footed at all times and use a ladder stabilizer to keep from denting and damaging your gutters. Also, it’s best to have a helper in case you drop something or need a hand with the ladder.
  • Scoop the debris into a garbage bag or a bucket with a garden trowel. For safety purposes, you can tie a bucket to your ladder so you can free your hands when needed. Or simply place a tarp below on the ground and toss the debris down to the ground. It'll be a bit of a mess to clean up, but then you don't have to worry about having too much in your way on the ladder. 
  • Once you've removed all big debris, rinse toward the downspout with a high-pressure nozzle on your hose and scrub it clean. Try to avoid spattering the siding in the process. It’s also a good way to check for leaks in your gutter system.
  • Next, clear the downspouts with a hose or auger. Since downspouts generally have a bend or two, they’re prone to clogs. Flushing the gutters with a strong stream from your hose may be enough to clean out the downspouts, but if not, a plumber’s snake is useful to clear out the clogged material. Installing leaf strainers at the drain tops will cut down on the large clogs.
Maintaining your gutters is especially important in the fall and winter months. When the leaves fall, they not only become a problem for your lawn, they also clog your gutter. Clogged gutters can cause foundation, wood and landscape damage, and in the winter can cause ice dams. These problems can be a burden to deal with in the colder weather, so make sure it doesn't happen by planning routine home maintenance that includes cleaning the gutters.


Best Pest Control is more than just a professional pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks. In addition to pest control, we also offer a variety of different services at the Lake, including Lawn Treatments, Leaf Blowing & Removal, Weed Spraying, and Winter Home Checks. Visit our website at www.LakeBestPestControl.com to learn more about these services.

THE LAKE'S MOST TRUSTED PEST CONTROL COMPANY

Visit our website:
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on LinkedIn

573-348-1600 in Osage Beach
573-873-1118 in Camdenton 

Comments

  1. Sometimes, you may need to disassemble your gutters yourself to clean them. A professional will use a ladder to clean your gutters. If your home has gutter guards, the job will take longer. Get detailed info about gutter cleaning on this site.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Best Pest Control Services

Best Pest Control Can Get Rid of Rats and More

Interesting Facts About Centipedes and Millipedes