When and how often should you clean your gutters?
Gutters exist to carry roof water away from your walls and foundation. Once they fill with leaves, that water pours over the edge onto exactly the places it was meant to miss. Here’s when to clear them, how often, and how to do it without falling off a ladder.
Short answer
Twice a year for most houses: once in late spring, after trees drop their blossoms and seeds, and once in late fall, after the leaves are down. In cold climates, do the fall clean before the first hard freeze. Houses under pines or big overhanging trees often need it three or four times a year. Also check that each downspout empties at least 5 feet (1.5 m) from the foundation.
Get Gable Reminders for your house, no account, nothing leaves your phone.
What clogged gutters actually cost
- Rotted fascia and trim. Water spilling over the back edge of the gutter soaks the boards the gutter is fixed to.
- Wet basements and foundation cracks. Overflow lands right beside the wall, which is the one place you don’t want it.
- Ice dams. In freezing climates, a gutter full of wet leaves freezes solid. Meltwater from the roof then backs up under the shingles and leaks inside.
- Sagging gutters. A full gutter of wet debris is heavy enough to pull brackets out of the fascia.
Gable’s library sums it up as “an afternoon vs rotted fascia, a wet basement or a roof leak from an ice dam.”
The best times of year
| When | Why then |
|---|---|
| Late spring (roughly March–May in the northern hemisphere) | Blossoms, seed pods and winter debris are down; heavy spring rain is coming or already here. |
| Late fall (roughly October–November) | After most leaves have fallen, and before freezing weather turns wet debris into ice. |
| After big storms | High winds can fill a clean gutter with twigs in one night. |
In the southern hemisphere, shift the months by six. Cleaning too early in fall is the most common mistake: do it after the trees near your house are bare.
How often, depending on your trees
- No trees overhanging the roof: once or twice a year.
- Deciduous trees nearby: twice a year, and check after the leaves drop.
- Pines and other conifers: needles fall year-round and slip through many gutter guards, so check every three to four months.
Signs they’re already clogged
- Water sheets over the edge during rain instead of running out of the downspouts.
- Plants or moss growing out of the gutter.
- Streaks or stains on the siding below the gutter line.
- A gutter pulling away from the house or sagging between brackets.
- Puddles, or soil washed away, beneath the eaves.
How to clean them safely
- Set up the ladder properly on firm, level ground. Keep three points of contact, and don’t lean the ladder against the gutter itself: a ladder standoff rests it on the wall. Don’t reach so far to the side that your hips leave the rails. Move the ladder instead.
- Scoop the debris into a bucket hung from the ladder, working toward the downspouts. Gloves help: gutters hide sharp screws and broken bracket edges.
- Flush with a hose from the far end toward each downspout and watch that the water runs out of the bottom.
- Clear blocked downspouts by flushing from the top, or from the bottom with the hose pushed up the pipe. A plumber’s snake handles stubborn clogs.
- Check the slope and brackets. Water should flow toward the downspouts rather than pooling in the middle. A common guideline is about a quarter inch of fall per 10 feet. Tighten or replace loose brackets.
Two-storey houses, steep roofs and anyone uneasy on a ladder: hire a gutter cleaner. It’s an inexpensive job next to the cost of a fall.
Don’t stop at the gutter: where the water goes
A clean gutter only helps if the downspout carries the water somewhere harmless. Each downspout should end at least 5 feet (1.5 m) from the foundation, on ground that slopes away from the house. Use an extension, a splash block or a buried drain line. Watch during the next heavy rain to see where the water actually goes. Gable’s library calls downspout extensions “the cheapest waterproofing there is”: a $10 extension against a foundation or basement waterproofing job that runs into five figures.
Do gutter guards mean no more cleaning?
No, but they cut it down. Guards keep out leaves, while pine needles, seeds and roof grit still get through or pile up on top. Most guarded gutters still need a check once or twice a year, and some guard types make that check harder to do. Treat any “never clean again” promise with suspicion.
Clean them in the right window
Gable only adds gutters to your plan if your house has them, and puts the reminders in spring and fall, mirrored for the southern hemisphere. The downspout check comes with them. No account; your plan stays on your phone.
