Time to clean out those gutters
Spring is in the air. The birds are tweeting and animals are asking each other out on dates.
It’s that time of year where human beings like to make everything nice, tidy, and orderly. And while you’re cleaning out the inside of your house, don’t forget to also take care of the outside, where nature has certainly delivered the worst of its messy grossness.
One of the first things I’d recommend getting under control are those hard-to-reach gutters. They serve a very important purpose, but I’ll bet it’s been years since you’ve even given them a second thought.
Well not this season. This is the year that I’m going to call on you to take this most noble of challenges:
To clean out that darn gutter once and for all.
So slap on some gloves, grab a ladder and get up there. It’s time to get dirty.
Make sure you really dig in. Get every last speck of dirt and leaves that the winter has left behind. Make sure to get all of the leftover gunk out of the spout as well. You might want to use a toilet snake to do this, although I’d recommend a high-pressure hose to blast away the debris.
Maybe you’re one of the lucky few that have a detachable spout. If that’s the case, just unhook it and shake it out. That should make for easy work.
I know it’s not that much fun, and that it’s not very easy to do. But it is important for preserving the longevity and beauty of your home. For all of you new homeowners out there, I’d recommend doing this cleaning at least once or twice per year.
If you allow excess sediment to clog the drains, they will allow less water through, and eventually it will defeat the entire purpose of having gutters as the water will simply flow over. And the added strain will also cause the gutters to become damaged more easily and require replacement before their time.
And at the very least, if you don’t want to do this yourself, hire a professional to do it for you. An gram of prevention is worth a ton of cure. Take my word on this one.