If you are a homeowner, then protecting your house should always be a top priority. Part of protecting your house includes installing gutters to cease foundation damage, mold, and other potential problems. Once you have your gutters installed, you might be wondering how often you should clean them to preserve their lifespan.
It is a good idea to clean your gutters six times throughout the year, with at least three of those times during the fall season. Both location and weather influence the perfect number of cleanings, as well as your method to gutter protection services.
Location
Gutters are made to direct debris and other dangerous elements away from your house. Houses that are located in places more prone to natural events are more likely to have gutter cleaning as a top priority. However, each location can provide different challenges.
For instance, different parts of the country experience different types of weather. If you live in Connecticut then you would experience the onset of fall, which causes trees to drop leaves very quickly. In Missouri, Mother Nature provides us with all kinds of weather, including rain, snow, and wind.
Although seasonality is the main indicator for how often you need to clean your gutters, location should also be something for you to think about.
Seasonality
The following information is a good guideline to follow when thinking about cleaning your gutters.
End of Winter Gutter Cleaning (February-April)
Keep in mind that even though it has not rained or has not been windy, it does not mean you should not inspect your gutters for debris. At the end of winter, late-clinging leaves and branches are known to stay behind in your gutters. These are leftover debris from winter that stays in your gutters as the ice melts.
This is also a good time to reinforce your gutters, which includes resealing them or reinforcing them to the roof.
Spring Gutter Cleaning (May-July)
Spring is the time of year when everything is fresh, new, and ripe. It is also the time when most pollen, traveling leaves, and more might be floating in the air. These are likely to end up in your gutters, causing logjams. It is recommended that you clean your gutters once towards the end of spring.
Summer Gutter Cleaning (August-September)
Summer thunderstorms bring violent winds which can rip leaves off the trees and carry them onto your roof and into your gutters. It is suggested that you clean your gutters sometime around Labor Day.
Fall Gutter Cleaning (October-November)
Fall is a time to enjoy the beautiful color transformation of the leaves. This excitement if often short-lived because after the leaves change, they quickly fall from the trees and blow in the wind. Fall is probably the most important time to clean your gutters. Even though it may seem like a lot, the rate at which trees lose their leaves can fool you, until you are in the gutters cleaning out packed leaves. It is recommended that you clean your gutters at least three time during fall: early fall, middle fall, and late fall. Your late fall cleaning will help clean out your gutters prior to winter and the first snow.
Gutter Season to Avoid: Middle of Winter (December-January)
Although your gutters may be filled with snow and ice, it is best that you avoid cleaning your gutters in the middle of winter. This can cause a very precarious situation that could end up with an injury or something more severe.
Cleaning your gutters yourself can be time consuming and dangerous if you are not cautious and take the right steps. The professionals at GutterPros have been in business for many years and have the expertise and know-how to assist in cleaning your gutters for any season. Contact us today at (314) 656-7195 to set up an appointment so we can get your gutters ready for whatever weather is coming your way.