Category: Gutter Cleaning

Gutter cleaning is an unsung hero that’s crucial to keeping your property in good condition all year long. Rain gutters help protect your house from serious water damage, but if they’re not cleared out and leaves build up in the fall, they’re more likely to damage your home than preserve it. You may even have to deal with serious maintenance issues come spring if you don’t perform an autumn gutter cleaning.

Still not convinced you to need fall gutter cleaning services this year? Here’s everything you should know about gutter cleaning, including more on why it’s so important and how to get the job done. 

How Your Gutters Work and Why They Matter

Gutters are the guards that keep your home from rain and water damage. They’re designed to transport rainwater from your roof and drain the water to the ground through a spout. Then, the water is directed away from the property, and onto the lawn, so it doesn’t pool near the basement and foundation. Without gutters, water would pool on your roof and lead to mold, rot, and deterioration of your roof shingles, fascia, walls, etc.

When you choose to bring in a gutter cleaner for annual fall cleanup, you’re investing in the longevity of your property and minimizing the risk of extensive damage in a few years.

How To Tell If Your Gutters Are In Shape

If your gutters are clogged with debris, you may notice leaves and sticks poking out of them. You also can check to see if there is a lack of water drainage from the downspout. 

However, the fastest and most efficient way to tell if your gutters are in good shape is by calling in the pros. Gutter cleaning companies will assess whether there has been damaged due to clogging and inform you if you need gutter cleaning services right away.

How To Keep Your Gutters Well Maintained

Want to prevent leaks in your home is to keep your gutters well maintained? You can hop on a ladder and clean out any debris that has built up over time. Ideally, it would be best if you cleaned your gutters twice a year in early fall and early spring to prepare for the seasons to come. However, the autumn clean is the most important. Autumn gutter cleaning clears out the pipes right in time for winter and prevents water from freezing inside. 

If you have trees around, it is good to keep them trimmed to prevent excess droppings of leaves, sticks, etc. Keep in mind that even if your trees are trim, wind can still carry unwanted gunk into your drains.

Another step you can take towards having your gutter cleaner than last year is regular roof repairs. If you have a loose shingle, it can end up right in your gutter and block the pathway for water to travel downward. Inspect your roof to see if your shingles are cracking or curling.

How Much Does Gutter Cleaning Cost?

If climbing up onto your roof to remove a bunch of debris, leaves, and sticks isn’t your thing, or if it has been a while since your drains have been cleaned, you can always call for professional gutter cleaning services to get the job done right. 

Professional gutter cleaning costs between $80-$150 for a single-story 1,500 square-foot house. However, if you regularly use a gutter cleaner, it can save you thousands in damage repairs. According to Home Advisor, the average homeowner can spend up to $5,121 to restore or repair water damage. An autumn cleaning service isn’t even a fraction of the cost to repair extensive damage down the road. 

Conclusion

Disregarding gutter maintenance can lead to more bills to repair your homes’ water damage and even long-lasting health problems from mold and mildew. If you are confident in your ability to clean the gutters yourself, you can always climb up onto a ladder before the first snowfall. However, we think reaching out to professional gutter cleaning companies is the way to go. You’ll save time spent clearing out these spaces on a fall day when you could be relaxing, and you’ll guarantee a job well done.

When water pools over your gutters, it can gather around the foundation of your home. As the water sits there, it begins to eat away at the material and makes the walls weaker.

Clogs can also cause broken gutters and damage your ceiling. As you can imagine, this can lead to expensive home repairs. All it takes to avoid these repairs is by preventing clogged gutters.

You’ve got to keep them clean or at least install guards that can keep unwanted debris out. Of course, these aren’t the only ways to prevent clogs. Keep reading for a list of methods that you should try.

Continue reading “This Is How to Prevent Clogged Gutters”

The Chicago area receives 35.82 inches of rainfall a year. That’s less than Seattle at 37.19 but Seattle’s rain is mostly gentle and over a long period. According to the Chicago Tribune, Chicago’s rain is so intense that it is more likely to cause floods.

When the rain falls, do you have blockages in your rain gutter? They may need cleaning? Read on for spring cleaning tips for getting your gutters clean.

Continue reading “Fall Cleaning Tips: How to Clean Your Gutter Right”

Are you wondering how often should you clean your gutters? Well, you’re in the right place, so wonder no longer. 

In premise, the answer to that question is highly variable, and the most obvious approach to cleaning gutters is when they are dirty. However, what constitutes dirty gutters, and what other elements can damage their integrity?

In this article, we will cover all of that and much more.

So get your gear ready and keep reading to learn more.

Continue reading “How Often Should You Clean Your Gutters?”

As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers. In Chicago, we should be thinking more about August showers, since August gets the most rain per year on average!

If you don’t prepare your gutters for the Chicago summer storms, you may face a few problems that are much harder to tackle.

Fortunately, gutter cleaning is both cost-effective and easy with the help of professional gutter cleaning services!

Read on for the top 5 benefits of gutter cleaning and spare yourself some expensive issues down the line.

Continue reading “5 Big Benefits of Gutter Cleaning This Summer”

At My Window Washing, we do windows – and we do a number of other things for customers. But our gutter cleaning services are a vital part of what we offer, partly because this much-needed maintenance may be difficult for property owners to perform themselves, and partly because avoiding it can be expensive. 

Continue reading “More About Our Gutter Cleaning Services”

As the premier gutter cleaning company in Chicago, IL, My Window Washing understands that gutters are an integral system of your home. They need to function correctly in the face of harsh weather and various outdoor conditions. While you may realize that our gutter professionals will get the job done correctly, you may be unsure of the right time of year to give us a call. We’re here to help shed some light! 

Continue reading “Should I Clean My Gutters Before Winter Hits?”

Cleaning gutters is a chore that might not be high on the list of pleasant things to do, but foregoing it can cause a lot of problems. Not only does neglect to clean your gutters cost you big money in the long run, but it can also affect almost every part of your home. Continue reading “5 Problems That Clogged Gutters Can Cause”

Homeownership requires that we maintain the exterior of our houses in order to ensure their longevity.  People tend to think about performing these chores, such as cleaning gutters, in the spring and fall of the year, times of renewal and preparation for the seasons to come.

Gutters are important parts of our home’s defense system, providing channels that direct water flow off and away from our home.  Unfortunately, these systems can only work well if they are free from debris and damage, making adding gutter cleaning and repair an important task to your seasonal home chores.

Keeping gutters in working condition has benefits that many do not realize. Of course, it decreases the chance of water damage to your roof and home, especially after heavy rains, but it can be more complicated than that.  There are some other little-known consequences of not keeping gutters in good working order that can have big effects on your home.

Gutters that are filled with leaves and debris create a tempting habitat for a variety of pests such as mice, mosquitos, squirrels, roaches, and other bugs.  Once these pests begin making homes in gutters, they can begin to infest the roof eaves, and other parts of our home, creating damage along their way.

Damaged and clogged gutters can also cause cracks and holes to develop in the home’s foundation and walls, making perfect entrances for pests and mold. These problems can persist to entail damage to the very foundation of the home, causing costly repairs and threatening the safety of the structure.

If clogged gutters begin to erode the soil around and away from the home, foundation shifting is possible, as well as drowned landscaping and grass lawns.  This flooding can proceed to basements and lead to cracks in walls and chimneys that can be expensive to correct.

Also expensive to repair or replace a damaged roof.  Water damage can quickly compromise the roof, leading to leaks and structural disrepair that can mean major reconstruction. This can be especially significant in climates where snow and ice can build up in gutters, melting slowly and creating breakage that can lead to water-soaked joints and overhangs.  

There are many reasons to keep your home’s gutter system clean, and several ways to do so. Leaf blowers can be used, although this can be cumbersome and difficult to maneuver in high places.  You can also grab the ladder and hand clean along the gutters to remove debris, mildew, and mold, however, this can be a tedious and time-consuming job.

Hiring a professional gutter cleaning professional to come two or three times a year, or on an as-needed basis, can free your mind of worry and leave you with time for other chores.  My Window Washing provides experienced and professional technicians to clean your property’s gutters, as well as wash windows and siding and other needs you may have.  Making your gutters a priority when it comes to maintenance and cleaning will keep your home in shape for years to come.