When the warm spring weather arrives, homeowners are tasked with handling a variety of outdoor cleanup and maintenance chores. While clearing off flower beds to allow blooms to flourish is important, it’s essential to add a thorough spring gutter cleaning to your checklist.
Why Spring Gutter Cleaning is Important
There are three fundamental reasons why performing spring gutter maintenance is critical. The first is that gutters can become clogged with sediment and debris during winter. If this gunk is allowed to remain through the summer, it often hardens in the gutter system, causing clogs. When an eavestrough system doesn’t function properly, water can back up into soffits and exterior walls, causing further damage to your home.
The second reason a spring gutter cleaning is necessary involves mould. When moisture pools inside your gutters, it spurs hazardous growths that can become airborne around your home. Lastly, a mucky eavestrough system becomes a veritable breeding ground for pests.
When to Clean Gutters in the Spring
It may come as a surprise, but not every tree sheds all of its leaves during the fall. Given a second bout of leaves may end up in your gutters, along with sap, pollen, and other debris, one of the best times to have your gutters cleaned is mid-June.
Unless you are experiencing issues such as sagging gutters, pooling, or downspouts not working properly, a late spring gutter cleaning typically delivers the best bang for your buck.
How to Maintain Gutters in the Springtime
Although do-it-yourselfers can take a weekend for a spring gutter cleaning, often, the job is done most effectively with pro-level tools and equipment. These include a sturdy stepladder for one-story homes and an extension ladder if there are eavestroughs on two or more levels. You’ll also need commercial-grade work gloves, cloths, gutter scoops, rags, scrub brushes, buckets, trash bags, industrial cleaning products, a leaf blower, and a reliable helper to foot the ladder.
Spring gutter maintenance is a messy business property owners often prefer to have professionals handle. That being said, these are gutter cleaning tips worth considering.
Check For Leaks
Run a hose into the eavestroughs and flush them out. As the water runs through, look for points that may have suffered cracks over the frigid winter. If you identify leaks, contact a gutter repair professional. Small leaks will only get bigger and negatively impact the fascia, soffits, and siding.
Deploy Leaf Blower
Climb up the ladder with the leaf blower while your helper holds it securely in place. Point it into the eavestrough system and push any dry leaves and light debris out. Move the ladder incrementally along the system and repeat. It’s important not to point the blower down because loose grit could land in your eyes.
Scoop Out Gunk
Remove the moist gunk and caked-on materials using work gloves and a commercial-grade gutter tool. Place them in your bucket and hand them down to the helper when full. Like the leaf blower process, you will need to reposition the ladder after everything is arm’s length is cleared.
Clean the Gutters
Once all the leaves and sticky materials have been removed, circle back with a bucket filled with water and a cleansing agent. Next, use the scrub brushes and rags to thoroughly clean the inside and outside the eavestroughs. This is essential to prevent the next batch of leaves, tree sap, pollen, and other debris from sticking to your gutters. Once you’ve accomplished this task, take the garden hose and flush the entire system.
Contact A Trusted Gutter Cleaning Service in Southwestern Ontario
A spring gutter cleaning typically takes homeowners an entire weekend of otherwise leisure time. And without the commercial tools used by professionals, it’s difficult to perform effective spring gutter maintenance. At Home Service Solutions, we provide reliable gutter cleaning services in Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding areas. Contact us today for a free quote for gutter cleaning, or ask us about our Alu-Rex gutter guards that can provide you with nearly maintenance-free eavestroughs.