Gutters aren’t something most people notice until something goes wrong. Whether you start to see leaves trapped along the edges of your roof, notice dripping water from somewhere besides the designated spouts, or a potential tenant or home-buyer is stopping by and you noticed too late that cleaning your gutters wasn’t on your to-do list, gutters are otherwise invisible. Here are a few easy maintenance tips for keeping your gutters looking clean and new without needing to keep them top-of-mind.

  • Clean the exterior of your gutters routinely. Some parts of maintaining your home are best done habitually. If you have aluminum gutters, you can scrub the outside with a paste made from cream of tartar and water, or you can make a slightly more powerful (but more dangerous for sensitive plants) solution out of TSP-PF, bleach, and water. Give them a good scrub to remove dirt and grime.
  • Regularly clean the inside of your gutters too. No matter what you do about the outside appearance of your gutters, eventually, the inside will get cluttered with leaves, debris, and filth throughout the seasons. An easy solution involves plugging your downspouts and pouring a solution of white vinegar and water down them for an hour, flushing clean and clear from the insides. This is an easy way to remove dirt and grime without adding a lot of manual work to your schedule.
  • Get darker gutters. There’s no rule that says gutters must be white or lightly colored. If you know cleaning the outside of your gutters is likely to slip your mind or you want a more convenient option, replace them with darker gutters that can hide dirt a little better. As long as the color matches your exterior paint or brick, or it works well as an accent color, no one will think twice about it.

Having well-maintained gutters is pivotal to keep dampness away from the edge of your roof to minimize mold growth throughout most seasons, especially summer, and risks of ice dams in winter. If you’ve noticed that your gutters are started to sag or rust, contact us today to learn your options of getting them replaced.