How to Protect Your Gutters throughout the Year

Your gutters play an important role in protecting your home from rain and snow. However, it doesn’t take much to jostle them out of place or to clog them with leaves and branches. Learn how to keep an eye on your gutters throughout the year so you can fix problems before they have a chance to damage your home. Companies like TMK Ventures can also help to protect your gutters with custom gutter guards in Arlington, VA.  

Adjust Your Gutters
Strong winds and heavy rainfall often cause gutters to pull away from the roof, or they might cause the downspout to shift position. Make it a habit to examine your gutters from time to time to make sure water is flowing easily away from your house and isn’t pooling around your walls. Go out and watch during a rainstorm, or use a garden hose to run water through your gutters. Most of the time, if you catch it early enough, you can move your gutters or downspout back into position yourself with little effort.  

Cleaning by Hand
Cleaning your gutters by hand can be a long, painstaking process, but it’s often necessary to clean out the debris that accumulates there over the course of the year. Use a ladder to climb up to your gutters and scoop out any large piles of debris. Wear gloves or use a trowel to avoid getting injured by sharp edges. Once the debris is emptied, rinse out your gutters to clear away the last of the dirt and to make sure they’re running smoothly.  

Install Gutter Guards
If you want to avoid the ritual of cleaning out your gutters, gutter guards in Arlington, VA, can make life a lot simpler. They cover your gutters with special screens that are designed to keep debris from accumulating in your gutters. At the same time, they allow water to filter down into your gutters and out your downspout like usual, so it won’t pool around your house and cause leaks or cracks in your walls and foundation. Gutter guards are easy to install on just about any type of gutter, and can help prolong their life while drastically cutting down on your yard work during the year.

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