Ahhh, spring cleaning! A time to declutter, de-dust and decide to give the house a cleaning like no other. Not since this time last year has your house been cleaned to this degree. With all the things that need doing inside, it can be easy to forget about those jobs that need doing on the outside. Given the title, it’s no great surprise to realise we’re talking about your home’s guttering!
Most people won’t give the guttering a second thought, or even a first thought until there’s a problem with it. It does its job, drawing water away from our homes, but it does need to be part of your spring cleaning routine. If your home is surrounded by a lot of trees (or attracts a lot of our feathered friends), then maybe it should be included in your summer, autumn, and winter clean too.
The Importance of Cleaning Your Gutters
It’s never going to be a glamorous job, cleaning your gutters, but it does need doing. Why may you ask? Let us tell you.
Gutters are there to reroute water away from our homes. As it falls on the roof, water will trickle down and needs to be moved away from the brickwork to prevent ingress through saturation. If not, water soaking into the mortar and brick can cause structural problems later down the line. If your gutters are connected correctly and free from obstruction, then all is good.
Problem With Blocked Gutters
The problems start when the gutters get blocked. This can start with vegetation, like leaves, that collect on the roof and are pushed down with the rain. These often begin to build up in gutters and particularly around drain joints. It’s common for birds to set-up nests in gutters, which adds to the debris that is accumulating. If water can’t flow freely along the gutter and down the drainpipes, then it begins to pool. This can be the start of more serious problems.
If water can’t flow away, it can seep into brick and the wooden soffits or fascias that will be nearby. Obviously, if it’s exposed to wood for long periods, eventually they will start to rot. Water being what it is, if there are any imperfections, holes or scratches in the wood or bricks, then the water will find it. If this happens in the winter, when the colder weather is more prevalent, this can cause more serious issues if the water freezes. Water will expand when frozen so if there is any in your brickwork, you may experience more problems.
It’s not just leaves, feathers and other small items of debris that will cause your guttering to block. Stagnant water will often be the start of problems because of moss and algae. Not only will this be unsightly, but they can also cause health problems to those living inside.
Hire A professional
As we said, cleaning your guttering isn’t ever going to be top of the list of jobs you look forward to doing. Working up high is bad enough, and having to deal with the awful mess you’ll find in uncleaned gutters is often all it takes for you to put the job off permanently, but wait. There is another way.
Hiring a professional to do the job for you eliminates all of these issues. Not only will they have all the tools they need, but they will also be experienced. Their knowledge will also ensure that your gutters stay clean, flowing freely, and doing their job, so you don’t miss out on spending more time doing all those other things you love to do around the house.
So, if you are looking for domestic or commercial gutter cleaning/maintenance, Gutter Maintenance Oxford Ltd has you covered. Call today on 01865 389962 or visit our contact page for more details.