One of the best tips for effective gutter maintenance is to use a cleaning method that doesn't cause dirty water to run down the side of your house. Keeping gutters clog- and leak-free by cleaning them twice a year, as well as doing any repairs during these times, is another way to prevent having to wash gutter spill-overs from your siding. Storing your gutter maintenance supplies together and ready can save you time.
Keep a basement or garage shelf handy for your gutter cleaning items so you'll never have to waste time looking for them. Whether you use a bucket and gutter scoop or an attachment for your pressure washer or hose, keeping these with the other items you'll need, such as rubber gloves and a face mask, means being able to grab everything conveniently. Wearing a mask and gloves helps protect you from breathing in or touching mold or mildew that may grow in damp gutters.
If you clean your gutters in late autumn, or when the leaves have all fallen off the trees, this will eliminate having to do the job twice in the same season. Repeating the cleaning in the early spring is a good idea; this gutter maintenance should include looking for and removing any clogs of built-up leaves, pine cones and the like. Also, repair even the smallest leaks at this time before they can turn into bigger ones. This can prevent serious damage to your home's exterior, or even the interior basement, that can be caused by big rain gutter leaks.
Gutter repair checks can usually be done during your twice-a-year cleaning. This not only saves you from having to reserve another time each year to do the extra gutter maintenance task, but it can save you money too. If the cracks, rusting or other damage you find require you to call in a service company rather than repair it yourself, you'll likely pay less during the peak gutter cleaning seasons than during other times of the year.
One of the most important tips for effective gutter maintenance is to check for alignment. If your gutter and downspout aren't properly aligned, water could pour in toward your home rather than away from it. Take care when pressing cleaning scoops or washing tools on gutters or you may accidentally damage them. Realign any damaged gutter sections as soon as possible.
