Staying on top of all the various landscape maintenance tasks is a considerable set of ongoing projects that few homeowners have time for. A healthy and vibrant landscape needs to be carefully tended to in various seasons and there are certain tasks that we may forget, neglect because of their difficulty, or not even know about. Gutter cleaning is one such task. During your springtime cleaning, it could be time for your professional lawn service to add gutter cleaning to their next visit in Northbrook, IL.
Related: Lawn Care Services To Consider This Spring In Lake Forest And Winnetka, IL
Avoiding Costly Water Damage
When your gutters need a good cleaning, you’ll only start to notice the signs when it’s already too late. Debris that builds up in your gutters can cause any subsequent rain runoff or snowmelt to spill over the sides. This water could damage the side of your house, your foundation, and even your patio, walkways or your driveway.
What makes it even worse is that this debris will have rotted into a dark liquid that will stain the exterior walls, which is very hard to get rid of without using caustic bleach which can kill plants. These stains can also contain mold and mildew spores. This is bad news for anyone with mold allergies - especially since there’s always the chance of the water seeping into the home’s structure.
Water that falls to the ground in the wrong spot may also not drain away from the foundation. If it absorbs into the ground immediately adjacent to the home, this excess water can seep into the foundation and cause serious structural damage.
Normally, drainpipes will divert water away from the home to an area of the landscape that won’t be harmed by the water. But when the gutters are clogged and spill water all around the house, you can expect an overgrowth of grass, foundation plants, and most notably weeds.
Preventing the Spread of Weeds
How could neglecting to clean the gutters lead to an influx of weeds? Weeds are opportunists. If it’s constantly “raining” from your gutters, weeds will quickly seize this opportunity to establish their place in this bountiful spot.
Propagation of Pests
The rotting organic material in clogged gutters will start to attract all sorts of pests from wasps to rodents. If there’s any standing water in your gutters, it will also become a favorite breeding ground for mosquitoes and other biting insects. And you may not even notice that this is where these pests are breeding.
Dangerous Ice Buildup
A gutter and drainpipe that is clogged with debris will also let water out in a much more gradual way. In the freezing temperatures, this will cause ice to build up. The increased amount of ice can cause a serious injury hazard for anybody walking by as sharp icicles dangle off the gutters. The weight of ice (along with the debris in a clogged gutter) can cause the gutters to pull away from the roof, causing damage. The gutters can also collapse under the weight of ice and debris: a much, much more expensive and labor-intensive solution than regular gutter cleaning.
How Often is Gutter Cleaning Necessary?
You may think that late fall is the only time gutters need cleaning (to remove fallen leaves). However, don’t discount the power of wind to blow all sorts of debris into your gutters over the winter. If you have evergreen trees around your home, they drop needles all year long and these can easily end up in your gutters. A springtime cleaning can help you stay on top of the situation.
