Gutter Cleaning is the process of eliminating debris like leaves and twigs from your gutter system to ensure an unobstructed flow of water into downpipes and facilitate wastewater management. Clogged gutters can stain your home’s siding and deteriorate roof shingles.

A thorough gutter cleaning should be performed on a regular basis to prevent damage and maintain the structural integrity of your home. This includes directing water away from your foundation, which can otherwise cause damage to the walls and siding of your home. Contact St. Louis Gutter Cleaning for professional help.

Keeping your gutters clear is essential to protecting your home’s foundation. Clogged gutters can cause water to build up around your home’s foundation, resulting in damage over time. This may show up as damp wall studs, basement flooding and cracks in your foundation walls. It can also lead to sagging, which can affect the structural integrity of your home.

The most common cause of clogged gutters is fallen debris from trees. Both summer storms and winter winds can deposit branches, leaves and other debris in your gutter system. This “storm shrapnel” can clog your gutters, preventing them from directing rainwater away from your house. If the water can’t be directed away from your home, it will flow over the sides of the gutters and down your walls. This erodes the soil, which can weaken your foundation walls and cause them to shift over time.

Water leaking into your home from clogged gutters can result in damage to the interior and exterior of your house, as well as mold growth and other problems. It can rot siding, drywall and carpeting, and create damp and musty areas inside the house. It can also encourage the growth of harmful mosquitoes and other pests. In the worst case, it can even rot and corrode the wood supports of your foundation.

If the water is allowed to remain near your foundation for a long period of time, it can eat away at the surrounding soil, which can cause the basement walls to crack or shift. It can also weaken the concrete that makes up your foundation, leading to a crumbling and unsteady structure.

Regular gutter cleaning helps prevent all of these problems. If you’re concerned about clogged gutters damaging your foundation, contact a professional to help with the cleanup and repair process. The first step in this process is to access your gutters and downspouts, and remove all visible debris from the gutters and downspouts. This can be done with hand rakes or power brooms, or with a ladder that’s properly positioned and secured. After you’ve removed the obvious debris, it’s time to start on the harder tasks. Start by removing the downspout cage and removing any loose spikes or hangers that are causing problems. Next, use a garden hose to wash down any remaining debris and dislodge any clogs.

Clogged Gutters Can Damage Your Roof

Clogged gutters will not only prevent rainwater from flowing away from the roof, but can also damage the fascia boards and the shingle material. Water that seeps under the shingles can cause wood rot and leaks in the attic, as well as mold and mildew inside the home.

Clogged Gutters Promote Insect Infestation

The stagnant water and organic debris in clogged gutters make them the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, flies, wasps, ants, mice, rats and other pests. These pests will eat the rotting wood around your house and may even enter through open windows. If left unattended, a mosquito infestation can lead to health problems for everyone in the home.

Standing water also encourages the growth of moss and other greenery. This can damage the surface of the roof and leave stains on the siding and window frames. In addition, moss can trap moisture under the shingles, leading to roof leaking and eventual structural damage.

Gutters should slope downhill to direct the flow of rainwater away from your house and toward the downspout. When this doesn’t happen, the gutters can become clogged with leaves, twigs and other debris, as well as corrode from the elements and poor installation.

Over time, the accumulated debris will weigh down your gutters and cause them to sag or pull away from the fascia boards. If this isn’t remedied in a timely manner, it could result in the gutters pulling away from the roof and falling off the house.

If you’re considering cleaning your own gutters, be sure to use proper safety equipment before climbing a ladder. Using an extension ladder or power washer without the proper safety precautions can lead to injury. It’s also important to have someone watch you from the ground, ideally from a window or patio door that can be opened quickly. You’ll need to wear eye protection while cleaning your gutters, too, as you’ll likely have to reach up high or down low to remove the debris. The best way to avoid these hazards is to hire a professional gutter cleaning service.

Clogged Gutters Can Damage Your Siding

The same debris that clogs your gutters can also damage your home’s exterior and siding. When water overflows from your gutters, it can splash down or seep into your home’s windows and frames, the siding itself, and even the wood support structure beneath your house, causing rot or mold problems. Over time, this can lead to expensive repairs or replacements.

Moreover, overflowing water can wash away mulch and other materials that protect the roots of your plants and garden. It can also wash away and destroy soil that helps stabilize your foundation, leading to cracks or shifting over time.

Clogged gutters also cause rainwater to pool around the foundation of your house, which can eventually seep into your basement or crawlspace, causing structural damage and ruining stored items. It can also damage the wood joists and columns supporting your foundation, causing them to soften or rot and resulting in costly repairs.

Dirty, wet conditions created by clogged gutters provide perfect breeding grounds for insects and pests. These include mosquitoes, rats, lizards, and spiders. The resulting mildew and mold can also trigger asthma attacks and other allergies, especially in children and the elderly.

Lastly, constant overflowing water can cause stains and streaks on your home’s exterior walls. This can be very unsightly and can affect your curb appeal.

Gutter cleaning is not a fun job to do, but it’s an important one to keep on top of. A professional can help you with the heavy-lifting, but you can also clean your own gutters if they’re not too badly clogged. Start by removing visible debris and putting it in a bucket for disposal. Then, use a gutter wand (a long attachment for your hose) or high-pressure nozzle to rinse out the remaining smaller particles.

Always wear eye protection when attempting to clean your own gutters, as there may be hidden debris lurking in places like valleys, near the chimney, and around heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. If you don’t clean your gutters, they can become clogged again the next time it rains, and you’ll end up with an even bigger mess to deal with.

Clogged Gutters Can Damage Your Landscape

Regular gutter cleaning can prevent overflowing water from damaging your landscaping. It can also prevent soil erosion and protect plantings and vegetable gardens from washing away.

Standing water from clogged gutters can rot or erode wood and deteriorate the appearance of shingles and walls. This isn’t just a cosmetic problem, though; it can also lead to mold and mildew growth inside your home and in the surrounding shrubs and plants.

Gutters are designed to channel rainwater and snow away from your house, but if they’re clogged, this won’t happen. The water will spill over the sides of the gutters and seep into the foundation of your house, causing it to rot and weaken over time.

Rainwater can also erode the siding of your house and cause water damage to the soffits and fascia. If this continues for too long, it can cause rotting and other issues that require costly repairs.

If you have a lot of trees near your house, storms can deposit lots of debris in your gutters, including small branches and leaves. This “storm shrapnel” can clog your gutters and downspouts.

Clogged gutters can damage the walls of your house and even erode the foundation, leading to expensive repair and replacement costs. The resulting damage can also ruin the look of your home’s exterior, which can affect its value and appeal to potential buyers.

To clean your gutters, set a ladder on level ground and lean it against the wall of the house near the clogged gutter. Put on work gloves and a face mask to protect yourself from falling debris. Use a gutter scoop or trowel to scoop out leaves, twigs, dirt, and other debris from the gutter. Place this in a bucket or garbage bag as you go. When you’re done, flush out the gutters with a garden hose to remove any remaining fine particles. If you’ve successfully removed all the visible debris, check the downspout to make sure water is flowing freely. If it’s not, try using a plumbing snake to dislodge the clog. If you’re still having trouble, consider putting a nozzle on your hose and spraying it directly into the downspout to clear out the clog.