Let’s face it. If you didn’t have to deal with gutter cleaning, you probably wouldn’t miss it. Unfortunately, gutter cleaning is essential if you want to protect your home and prevent painstaking repairs in the future. But you don’t have to do it yourself—all you have to do is call Southpaw Softwash and tell us exactly what you need.
So how do you know if you need gutter cleaning? And what type of cleaning do you need?
Why You Need Gutter Cleaning
Without proper gutter cleaning, your gutters will become clogged with sticks, leaves, dirt, and other natural debris on the inside and streaked with unsightly dirt and mildew on their exterior. While dirty gutters are not as immediately dangerous as trip hazards on a dirty sidewalk, natural debris in your gutters creates an attractive nesting area for birds and squirrels, creatures that may look cute but can do real damage to your roof. Clogged gutters also can’t successfully drain the water away from your roof, leaving moisture trapped against the roofing material and causing further damage.
You might think the exterior of your gutters isn’t as important as what’s inside them. And while it’s tempting to think streaks and stains on your gutters are just surface-level problems, the truth is leaving them that way doesn’t just lower your curb appeal—it also can shorten the lifespan of your gutters.
Gutter Cleaning Methods
There are actually two different ways you can have your gutters cleaned, depending on what you need.
- Gutter Clean-Out: This is the gutter cleaning you’re probably the most familiar with, when a seasoned professional will climb on a ladder and remove all the dirt, twigs, and other debris from your gutters. A gutter clean-out focuses on cleaning the interior of your gutters.
- Gutter Cleaning: Unlike a gutter clean-out, gutter cleaning focuses on the exterior of your gutters, getting rid of those streaks and stains. Exterior gutter cleaning is usually done with soft washing, while the clean-out uses even gentler methods.