Keeping Your Gutters Clean — How Important Is It?

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Keeping Your Gutters Clean — How Important Is It?

With the fall season in full swing, you’ve probably noticed that your gutters are getting clogged up. But it’s wet and cold outside and you really don’t want to deal with it right now. So, you think to yourself, “It can’t hurt to leave it like this for a few more days, right?”

Well, the truth is, it could hurt you and your home a lot. To start, clogged gutters can do a lot of structural damage to your house that you won’t even notice until it’s too late. Let’s take a look at the 5 worst things that can happen to your home if you don’t clean your gutters on time.

1. Foundation Cracks

During heavy rainfall, your gutters redirect some of the water to your garden, where the soil can absorb it. But if your gutters are overflowing, they won’t be able to do that, so the water will start getting into your foundation. 

Also, if and when the water that’s inside your foundation freezes, it will expand and cause cracks. A foundation like this could make your entire home unsteady and fixing it would set you back a pretty penny.

2. Water Damage and Rot

If the gutters can’t redirect the water away from your home, it will probably get inside your basement. When it does, it will stay inside the walls, causing black mold, mildew, and fungus growth. You can also have a huge problem with flooding and bad odors.

In addition to black mold, you should also keep an eye out for rot. When your gutters are clogged, the water will start running down the sides of your home, causing some serious damage. Also, your siding and wooden beams might rot if the problem goes untreated for a while.

3. Roof Damage

If the gutters aren’t redirecting water away from your home, it could linger on your roof. If that happens, the standing water will cause damage and start to leak into the interior of your home. What’s more, your tiles might start rotting and you’ll have to replace them.

4. Pests

Bugs will build nests in your clogged gutters and they’ll attract rodents. You can even get mosquitos and birds, which are extremely tough to get rid of without professional help. Not only are they annoying, but bugs and rodents can be dangerous to have in your home. 

They can spread viruses and diseases, not to mention deliver strong and painful bites. If your home becomes overrun by pests and bugs, you’ll probably have to call an exterminator to take care of the problem.

5. Soil Erosion

Have you worked really hard on maintaining your garden, planting gorgeous flowers, and landscaping? Well, all of your hard work will probably go to waste unless you clean your gutters. 

Since your gutters can’t distribute water properly, they’ll start overflowing and all of that runoff will go into your yard. If that happens, your entire yard will get flooded, which will cause soil erosion. 

Also, the excess water will essentially drown your plants and you’ll have to start again from scratch. On the other hand, you could prevent all of this from happening simply by cleaning and unclogging your gutters on a regular basis.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, not cleaning your gutters can prove to be a real headache. Clogged gutters can cause chips and cracks to your foundation, flood your basement, and destroy your roof. What’s more, they’ll attract bugs and rodents that you definitely don’t want hanging around your home.

Depending on where you live, you should clean your gutters once every three months, or at least twice a year. Also, make sure to unclog them shortly after a storm or heavy rainfall.