When should you clean gutters, and how do you do it?
Short answer. Clean gutters when you see the signs, overflow during rain, plants sprouting, sagging runs or downspouts that only trickle, and on a seasonal schedule, which in Georgia means late fall after leaf drop and late spring after pollen and oak tassels. The job itself is simple: scoop the debris, flush every run and downspout with a hose, and check hangers and seams while you are up there.
Signs it is time
- Water spilling over the front edge during a moderate rain.
- Seedlings, moss or grass growing in the gutter.
- A downspout that dribbles when it should gush.
- Gutters pulling away from the fascia or sagging between hangers.
- Stains on siding or brick below the gutter, or washed-out beds.
- Mosquitoes hanging around the eaves.
How to clean them yourself
- Set up safely. Extension ladder on firm, level ground, with a standoff so it does not rest on the gutter. Gloves and eye protection.
- Lay a tarp under the work area.
- Start at the downspout. Clear the outlet first so water has somewhere to go.
- Scoop the trough with a gutter scoop or plastic trowel, moving the ladder rather than overreaching.
- Flush the run with a hose from the far end toward the outlet.
- Flush the downspout. If it backs up, clear the elbows.
- Look it over. Loose hangers, dripping seams, standing water and soft fascia all need attention.
What not to do
Do not walk on the roof to clean gutters, especially on hot afternoons when shingles scuff and tear, and do not pressure wash the roof to push debris into the gutters; it strips granules. Leave two-story and steep-lot gutters to a pro with proper equipment. See our Georgia roof maintenance checklist and pine needles and leaves on the roof.