Did you clean your gutters recently? If you’re new to homeownership or you simply have a lot on your plate, perhaps you can’t recall – or maybe you didn’t even know that this is a home maintenance chore you should be taking care of!
But unless you want creepy crawlies conducting a home invasion; water deciding that since it can’t get out of your gutters, it’s going to start damaging your home; ice dams determined to rip your gutters off of your roof; and more… well. You’re going to want to clean your gutters.
Here’s what you need to know about the mild annoyances to drastic consequences that you could suffer if you don’t clean your gutters. Let’s get into it.
Do You Really Need To Clean Your Gutters?
New to the responsibilities of homeownership and/or feeling overwhelmed by all that needs to be done? We hear you. While some home maintenance tasks are easy to stay on top of because the consequences of ignoring them are obvious, such as mowing the lawn, others are easy to forget about. This is especially true for something like your gutters.
When your gutters are clean and doing their job properly, they’re very out-of-sight and out-of-mind. They’re just there, on the edges of your roof, funneling water away and quietly protecting your home from water damage. That’s how things should be, and that’s how they should stay. However, in order for your gutters to do this for you, they need regular cleaning.
This is because over time, debris builds up in your gutters. Leaves, twigs, and more can create blockages, which means that instead of the water flowing smoothly through your home’s drainage system, it’s stopped, forced to overflow, and this is bad news.
What Happens If You Don’t Clean Your Gutters?
Nothing good, that’s for sure. Some of the problems that can occur if you don’t clean your gutters are as follows.
Water Damage
Does dampness and mold growth in your walls sound appealing to you? Probably not, but if you don’t clean your gutters, chances are, these are problems you’ll have to deal with.
Foundation Problems
Your gutters are supposed to direct the flow of water away from your home, but if they’re clogged, that water ends up soaking into the ground by your foundation, which can lead to cracks and instability.
Broken Gutters
The weight of whatever is clogging your gutters plus the backed up water can cause your gutters to pull away from your home and break. Talk about a headache no one wants to deal with….
Ice Dams
Come winter, that melting snow needs somewhere to go, and your gutters are the traffic controllers directing it to the appropriate place. But, if they’re clogged, you can end up struggling with ice dams. While these may look magical, they’re actually a curse due to the gutter and property damage they can cause.
Pest Infestations
Pests are always looking for somewhere to call home, and that backed up pile of leaves and twigs may seem like ideal real estate, giving them food, water, and protection. Unfortunately, what’s ideal for them is a nightmare for you.
And More
These are just a few of the problems that you could run into if you don’t clean your gutters. While you may drag your feet at the idea of yet another home maintenance chore, getting your gutters cleaned regularly helps save you time and money in the long run by staving off potential issues.
How Often Should You Clean Your Gutters?
You’ll want to plan on getting your gutters cleaned at least twice a year, in the spring and in the fall, though, this can vary depending on where you live and if you have a lot of trees around your home. Pine trees especially love to stake their claim on your property by leaving pine needles everywhere, but you can keep your property yours by scheduling gutter cleaning as needed.
Professional Gutter Cleaning Services In And Around Concord, MA
At Above & Beyond Window Cleaning, we get it. You’re busy, so keep us busy too – by calling on us for gutter cleaning services you can rely on. There’s no need to risk your life trying to balance on ladders with a trash bag when you can leave it to our trained professionals. We have the experience and equipment needed to do the job safely and efficiently.
If you’d rather focus your time and energy on enjoying fall activities rather than trying to clean your gutters, don’t hesitate to contact us to schedule your gutter cleaning service today! We’re here to help.