How often should you clean your gutters?

Short answer

Clean the gutters twice a year, in spring and late fall. Under heavy tree cover, every 3 months. With no trees nearby, once a year is enough, and gutter guards don't get you out of it: they still clog, so check them once a year. The job takes 60 to 180 minutes depending on the house, and costs $0 to $30 for gloves and a scoop. A gutter cleaning service charges $100 to $250.

Why it matters

Gutters exist to catch the water that runs off the roof and carry it away from the house. A roof sheds an enormous amount of water in a storm, and when the gutters are full of leaves, all of it pours over the edge instead. It lands at the foundation, where it soaks the soil, leaks into the basement, and over the years shifts the footing. It runs down the siding and behind it. It soaks the fascia board the gutter hangs from until the board rots and the gutter pulls away.

In a cold climate, clogged gutters do one more thing. Water that can't drain freezes into a solid bar along the roof edge, and the ice dam that forms backs melting snow up under the shingles and into the house. Every one of those problems costs more than a few hours on a ladder, and all of them start with a gutter that didn't drain.

When to do it more often

Heavy tree cover: every 3 months. A gutter under a maple or an oak fills in weeks in fall and again in spring when the seeds drop.
Gutter guards: check them once a year. They keep leaves out but let in pine needles, seeds and shingle grit, and a guard covered in debris sheds water over the edge just like a clogged gutter.
No trees nearby: once a year is enough, since the only thing in the gutter is shingle grit.
After a big storm: look up at the gutters while it's still raining. Water pouring over the edge anywhere means a clog right there.

What you need

A ladder tall enough to reach the gutter with your waist at the gutter level, not your feet
Work gloves
A gutter scoop or a garden trowel
A bucket, hung from the ladder with a hook
A garden hose with a spray nozzle

Steps at a glance

Set the ladder on firm, level ground, and have someone hold it if you can.
Starting near a downspout, scoop the debris into the bucket, working away from the downspout so you don't push leaves into it.
Move the ladder along the gutter, scooping a section at a time, without reaching sideways.
Once the gutters are clear, run the hose from the far end toward each downspout to flush the grit.
Watch each downspout: if water backs up, flush it from the top with the hose, or clear it from below.
Check that the gutters slope toward the downspouts and that no section sags or pulls away from the fascia.

You're done when water from the hose runs freely along every gutter and out of every downspout.

Signs it's overdue

Water spilling over the gutter's edge in rain.
Plants growing in the gutter, which means there's enough soil in there to root in.
Sagging sections, from the weight of wet debris.
Stains or streaks on the siding below a gutter.
Water pooling at the foundation after rain.

DIY or pro

This is a moderate job, and the moderate part is the ladder, not the gutter. The scooping is simple. The risk is reaching too far, standing too high, or setting the ladder on soft ground, and every one of those is how people get hurt doing this. Move the ladder often, keep your hips between the rails, and stop when you're tired.

A gutter cleaning service charges $100 to $250 for an average home, and that's good value for a house with high gutters, a steep yard that makes ladder placement hard, or heavy tree cover that means doing this every season. Many services will also check the downspouts and the gutter fasteners while they're up there, which is a repair you'd otherwise find out about when a section comes down.

Safety

Ladder and roof: ladder falls cause more serious home injuries than almost anything else. Set the ladder on level, firm ground, extend it so it reaches past the gutter, and have someone foot it. Don't lean out, don't step onto the roof from it, and don't do this job alone. Keep the ladder away from power lines, which often run near the roof edge.

FAQ

How often should gutters be cleaned if there are no trees?

Once a year. The only thing collecting in them is grit from the shingles, and a yearly flush clears it.

Do gutter guards mean I don't have to clean gutters?

No. They keep out leaves but let through needles, seeds and grit, and debris builds up on top of them. Check and clear them once a year.

What happens if you don't clean your gutters?

Water pours over the edge into the foundation and behind the siding, the fascia rots, and in a cold climate ice dams push water under the shingles.

When is the best time to clean gutters?

Late fall, after most of the leaves are down but before the first freeze, and again in spring after the seeds and blossoms drop.