When should you clean your gutters?

For most Snohomish County homes, at least once a year — and twice if you're surrounded by evergreens. Fall, after the needles drop, is the most important time.

Gutter Care · 4 min read

Gutters are easy to ignore until they overflow — and by then they may already be causing damage. With all the evergreens in our area, gutters fill up faster here than in most parts of the country.

How often, really

At a minimum, once a year. If your home is surrounded by fir, cedar or other evergreens — which is most of Snohomish County — twice a year is smarter, because needles drop year-round, not just in fall. Homes with few overhanging trees can sometimes stretch to once a year without trouble.

The best time of year

Late fall, after the bulk of the leaves and needles have come down, is the single most important cleaning of the year. It clears everything out before the heavy winter rains, when clogged gutters do the most damage. A second cleaning in late spring catches the spring debris and seed pods.

What clogged gutters quietly cost you

When gutters overflow, water pours down your siding and pools against the foundation. Over time that leads to rotted fascia boards, water in the crawlspace or basement, foundation issues, and even more moss on the roof from the constant moisture. A simple cleaning is a fraction of the cost of any one of those repairs. Our gutter cleaning service includes flushing the downspouts and hauling the debris away.

Related service: Gutter Cleaning →

Quick answers

People also ask

Do gutter guards mean I never have to clean them?
No. Guards reduce how often gutters clog, but fine debris like needles and grit still gets through and builds up. Guarded gutters still need periodic checking and cleaning.
Can clogged gutters really cause foundation problems?
Yes. Overflowing gutters dump water right next to the foundation, and over time that's a leading cause of crawlspace moisture and foundation settling in our wet climate.
Do you clean up the debris?
Always. We bag everything we pull out and haul it away, and tidy up anything that lands on the ground.

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