When Is The Best Time to Have Gutters Cleaned?

Domestic gutter cleaning

Blocked gutters don’t only look unsightly, but they can also cause a lot of problems to your property too if left untreated. From leaks and overflowing gutters to water damage within the house, it is important that you clean your gutters at least once or twice a year to prevent this build up.

But when is the best time of year to get this done?

And why else is it important to ensure that you are keeping them regularly maintained?

Who can you use to help?

We are going to discuss all of this and more in this blog post, so read on to find out more.

Why is it Important to Clean Gutters on a Domestic Property Regularly?

Though it is easy to overlook your gutters and forget about them, they are a very important thing to keep regularly maintained and cleaned, not just for visual appeal but to prevent long term issues and damage to the house too.

Not only this, but there are lots of other reasons why proper gutter maintenance is important, such as:

Preventing Pest Infestations

Blocked gutters will naturally attract birds, rodents and other insects that can all get into your house. Keeping your gutters clean prevents them nesting and sitting in the gutters, and reduces the risk of your house becoming infested too.

Protect the Foundations of Your House

When your gutters are blocked, the water can’t run away from the house and can instead gather in the foundations. If the weather gets cold and this water freezes, this can cause a lot of further problems like cracks in the foundations.

Prevent Window and Other External Damage

Standing water in blocked gutters and drains can cause damage to things like fascia boards, external walls, windows and even ceilings if the water drips through. This can also happen through conservatory roofs if the gutters are too blocked.

When is the Best Time of Year for Domestic Gutter Cleaning?

This is quite a complicated question, with no exact answer because every situation will be different. Ideally, you should be looking at having your gutters cleaned out after the wet and leafy months of Autumn, and more into Spring time.

This means that they are less likely to be getting regularly clogged with damp leaves, twigs and other debris, and also means the chances of you getting a sunnier day to do it is increased!

However, this might not be possible, especially if the weather is particularly bad. You may find that during the Autumn months your gutters are overflowing and therefore need cleaning sooner, especially if you live around a lot of trees.

Each person’s home will be different, as weather and location factor massively into when/how often you should have your gutters cleaned.

With that being said, here is a breakdown of cleaning your gutters out in each season, and the benefits of doing them at each point of the year/ what you can expect to happen if you leave them full during each season.

Spring

Spring often brings showers, which can cause a build up of debris in your gutters. Seedlings are often likely to plant themselves in gutters at this time of year, so cleaning them out during this season means that you are also removing any plants that will grow from those seedlings, causing damage in the long run.

Summer

When the weather is warmer, there is more scope for plant and grass growth. These can block the water flow through the gutters and cause them to overflow, causing structural damage to them if you do not get them sorted out quickly. Therefore Summer can be a good season as any to address those gutters and get them cleared of everything.

Autumn

Gutters are almost guaranteed to be full of leaves and debris during the wet Autumn months. The leaves will become mushy and sticky when wet from the rain, blocking the gutter pipes causing problems, so relieving them during this time can be beneficial and prevent long lasting damage.

Winter

The winter months unfortunately bring the chance of freezing temperatures, so any water or dirt in your gutters will freeze over putting a lot of extra weight and strain on your gutters. Though it can be harder to find a good weather day to clean them out at this time of year, if they are particularly full and likely to freeze, now could be a good time to do it.

As you can see, there are benefits to cleaning your gutters out at all times of year, it really does depend on how full they get around your house, and how adverse the weather gets too. Using your best judgment to decide when to do it is usually the most suitable course of action, or if they do get blocked regularly, having them cleaned out twice a year in different seasons might be a good idea too.

If you think that it is time you got your gutters cleaned out- it is not a job that you have to tackle yourself by any means. Using a company like us at Star Cleaning means you will get a professional gutter clean from a team who are knowledgeable about what we do, and you can be reassured that your home is safe from any damage caused from leaving your gutters for too long. We also offer gutter cleaning on bigger properties, such as nursing homes so contact us for a quote.

Conclusion

Having your gutters cleaned out is possibly not a job that is at the forefront of your mind, but proper maintenance of them is incredibly important for both the condition of the gutters themselves, and to prevent any damage to your house too. Knowing when the best time of year is to have them cleaned is important, with each season bringing different benefits, and also issues if your gutters are too full. Gutter cleaning doesn’t have to be a job that you do by yourself, and us here at Star Cleaning would be happy to give you a quote and come out and do the job professionally for you. Contact star gutter cleaning, today www.stargutter.co.uk