Clean Gutters

Alongside cleaning windows and tidying up the garden, gutter cleaning is one of the chores that almost any homeowner has to address. However more often than not the latter sees itself being pushed back or overlooked until it is sometimes too late and expensive repairs have to be carried out.

It may not seem like much, but clean gutters are an essential part of your property weatherproofing and waterproofing layer.

By stopping water saturating the soil around the property and eventually seeping in gutters help prevent problems typically associated with excessive dampness like mold and mildew. Which besides the smell and visual discomfort, can have serious health effects like asthma, pneumonia. 

About the building itself, seeping rainwater could erode the building foundations and lead to severe structural damage like subsidence. 
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Gutter maintenance and cleaning

Gutter systems should ideally be cleaned thoroughly in spring and autumn but at the very least gutters should be checked before winter. This is to prevent trapped debris and water from freezing in the colder weather putting further strain on the system...

Obviously, should the property or building be located close to trees, more frequent cleaning might be needed as blockage could form more quickly for sure.

It is also important to remember that although a regular cleaning routine can easily prevent any problems listed above the task of cleaning gutter has to be undertaken with caution as with any work from a height and this enhances clean gutters. 

Falls are the most common cause of fatal injury so if the property is higher than a single story or roof access is difficult, it is strongly recommended to hire a fully trained and adequately equipped professional.

Should access not prove difficult, make sure that you are using a sturdy ladder and lean it up against a solid surface. Never lean the ladder against the gutter system as the latter is most likely to buckle under the weight.

Once you can reach your gutters, you will need some gutter cleaning tools to clean out the debris, the simplest and most affordable of all being a humble pair of gloves. 

For those homeowners who find themselves obligated to maintain their properties and keep them looking beautiful, make no mistake the gutters will need to be cleaned on a semi-regular basis. This article tells you four tips for cleaning and maintaining your gutters and downspouts, to keep them not only looking nice but working properly as well. 

You are going to need plastic gutters in some cases. Why? Reasons: they do not cost that much, and for another, they are sturdy when it comes to changing the weather, last a long time, and you only have to clean them three times a year. Using a hose, water down the gutters with warm water to melt any frost away or get any dirt out of them. 

Another tip is to buy a box of salt. You are going to need two boxes and sprinkle generously all over the gutters. The salt will keep away some birds, some who like to build their nests in gutters. Also, it will stop your gutters from overflowing when it rains. 

Another tip for cleaning gutters is to buy a gutter covering at your local hardware store. This will be sold in the square which you can spread on top of the gutters. Make sure it plastic covering, which is good for any weather.

The last tip for cleaning gutters is to use leaves; a handful to put on top of your gutter covering. They will mask the covering and stop birds for pecking at it. The leaves can soak up any water they may drip down upon your gutters.