Most of us hate the prospect of cleaning our gutters, and some of us are physically incapable of doing so. It is backbreaking work and can be dangerous. It is recommended that you clean the gutters of your home two times per year, much to the disdain of many.
You needn’t do it yourself, you can always pay and outsource it by just Googling ‘gutter cleaning near me’. However, for many forking out money for this service seems a bit pointless, right? Wrong! Cleaning your gutters is so important.
Do you know what happens if you do not clean your gutters? No? Well, let us tell you exactly why it is so important that you clean your gutters regularly!
After reading these reasons, you may be out on the roof to clean them pronto!
1. Mold/Pollen Allergies
Not cleaning your gutters means the water has got to go somewhere, which often means it will end up seeping into your home. No matter how well-made your home is, there will be fissures.
This means that the water will seep into your home via these fissures, and, eventually, this could result in a severe outbreak of mildew or mold.
In conditions where it is humid and dark, mildew and mold can spread like wildfire and can easily start overtaking a substantial portion of your home. These tiny fungi can establish their colonies quickly and can be incredibly expensive to get rid of.
In some cases, you may need to replace entire carpet sections, and some mold types may even mean you need complete home renovations.
Mold and mildew are also well known to be the instigators of some serious health issues, including coughing, wheezing, and throat irritation as well! Uncleaned gutters can also trap very large amounts of pollen in the spring as well.
This means that you may not only feel under the weather due to mold but your seasonal allergies can peak due to the gutters trapping pollen as well!
2. Severe Structural Damage
If you neglect cleaning your gutters, your home could actually fall apart, and this can happen much quicker than you might think! Leaves caught in gutters can trap excess water during rain, which is then unable to escape through your downpipes.
As time goes on water escapes the gutters and goes into your roof and walls, which creates fissures and cracks as it does this. These expand over time as water enters, and eventually this compromises the foundations of your home.
Water will also cause wood rot, it will damage tiles and even more. Rebuilding is much more expensive than a simple gutter cleaning!
3. Roof Damage
If leaves clog up your gutters, then this can mean that the waters left after heavy rainfall will seep into your roof. Similar to your walls, this happens via tiny hairline fissures in the building which eventually expand and grow over time.
People who live in sub-zero climates are even more prone to problems, as when the water freezes in these fissures this can cause the fissures to expand very quickly, which is even more detrimental and damaging to your home!
4. Unwanted Visitors
Any responsible homeowner is certain to take out an insurance policy that will cover any inadvertent damages to their home.
Yet, always make sure you read the fine print in your insurance policy. When you do, you will discover that insurance policies will never cover any damages which are caused by neglect on behalf of the homeowner.
This means that even something as simple as deciding against cleaning your gutters can count as neglect and that you will not be covered for this.
Even if you have physical restrictions that prevent you from cleaning the gutters, an insurer would argue that you can pay to get it done for you, and therefore damages caused by dirty gutters are not covered as it is due to your own neglectful behaviors.
You should always double-check your home insurance policies to check what is and what is not covered for your home, roof, gutters, and property in totality.
5. Counts As Neglect Via Insurance
Not only do clogged gutters let water into your home leading to the roof and wall damage we previously spoke of but, clogged gutters are also a perfect place for all types of animals. This is because a clogged-up gutter stores a massive amount of potential nutrition.
All types of animals, from birds to rodents, love clogged gutters.
If your gutters are clogged, you will find birds, rats, mice, possums, and all sorts start descending on them in a hunt for food, which can then damage your gutters even more.
Of course, they can also attract creepy crawlies as well.
You can guarantee that not only will these creepy crawlies and rodents damage your gutter further still, but they can also carry dirt and disease which is now in and around your home, making it extremely unsanitary!
What Else Can Happen?
Not only will you suffer from home damage, mold, pollen, and pests, but blocked-up gutters look and smell horrible. If you take pride in how your home looks, then you need to be keeping your gutters sparkling clean! As they pile up with debris and leaves, roofs look unkempt, which makes your home aesthetic look more shabby.
Moisture trapped in leaves will also result in moldy smells, which can even be noticed from the ground! No one will be coming to your house for a fancy dinner if the property stinks!
While we know that pests will love your gutters, we forgot to mention one critical pest you won’t want to forget. Mosquitos! Mosquitos love standing water, and therefore, if your gutters are clogged and full of water, then you are giving the local mosquito population the ideal habitat for them to thrive in!
If your gutter system sits on or close to any wood materials, then you can expect clogged gutters to lead to wood rot, which, if your gutters are attached to, can mean your entire gutter system will need replacing altogether.
If the water from your gutters does not flow into your home in excess, then it could end up flooding your landscape instead. If there is nowhere for rain to go, the gutters will overflow, and it will seep into the landscape around your home.
This means that it can easily wash away mulch, topsoil, and sand, and it can kill off flowers, trees, and shrubs.
So, if you want to save your landscape and home, and prevent annoying pests, it is best to keep your gutters clean.
Oh, and before we forget, if you have a basement, then you have even more reason not to let your gutters clog up. Water loves to flow downwards, and while it will certainly damage your walls, the majority of the damage will go to the basement, and without sufficient waterproofing, it can even flood!
Overall
While a part of the reason to clean your gutters is to keep your home looking pretty, the biggest factor is to prevent serious structural issues in the foundation, walls, and even roof. Overflowing clogged-up gutters can seep into any surface and create fissures.
It is not a pleasant job, cleaning out your gutters, but it is well worth doing so to prevent more expensive problems from arising eventually. Hiring someone to clean your gutter will always be cheaper than having to renovate your home due to excessive water damage.
