Are you cleaning your gutters often enough? Your home's gutters can easily be forgotten, as they are out of sight and out of mind. If your gutters become full or damaged, they could easily cause flooding around your home.

Here is everything you need to know about properly maintaining your home's gutters—and don't forget, if you don't want to do it your yourself, you can always hire a service that provides quality gutter cleaning in Maryland and Virginia.

Seasonal Maintenance: Cleaning Your Gutters During Fall and Winter

Most of your gutter cleaning and maintenance will occur during fall and winter. During the fall, leaves will collect in your gutters, necessitating a cleaning. During the winter, you may find that snow starts to collect on your roof and gutters, potentially weighing them down. Cleaning your gutters regularly during these seasons will prevent them from clogging, reducing the chances that you could experience water damage or damage to the gutters themselves.

But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't inspect your gutters regularly throughout the year. Gutters can be blocked even during the spring and summer months, due to pests—birds, for instance, can frequently nest in gutters, which can lead to blockages.

The Process of Cleaning Gutters

Gutters reroute water from your roof away from your home. When your gutters are backed up and overflowing, the water will drip down the side of your property instead, potentially leading to water damage to your foundation. Backed up gutters may also lead to leaks on your roof, which can lead to significant moisture damage in your house.

But all of this can be resolved through a proper cleaning. Cleaning a gutter properly isn't hard, it's just a little time-consuming:

• Make sure you have a secure ladder.
• Set down a tarp beneath you to catch any debris.
• Use a small scoop to remove leaves and debris from the gutter.
• Rinse your gutters with a hose.
• Make sure your gutters are completely clear.

Once water is running through your gutters without stopping up, you can relax. Most gutters aren't going to need a full cleaning more than once or twice a year (depending on how many trees there are in your area), but you may also need to periodically clear them of snow during the colder months.

Reasons to Call a Repair Service

Cleaning your gutter also gives you the ability to inspect your roof. It's possible that your gutters have become damaged during storms or hail, or it's possible your roof may be damaged and leaking.

Call a repair service if you see that your gutters have become warped or bent, or if there is a clog within your gutters that cannot be removed. Sometimes, your gutters may start to pull away from your roof: if this happens, it's best to call a professional repair service before the damage becomes more significant.

Gutters are particularly likely to get damaged by high winds and hail. They are more likely to experience damage if you have large, overhanging trees. Inspecting your gutters and roof after a serious storm can help.

Keeping Your Gutters Maintained and Protected

There are many types of home-gutter solutions, from splash guards to mesh guards, which can make your gutters less likely to experience damage. Splash guards prevent water from splashing against your home, while mesh guards will protect your gutters from getting blocked by leaves filling the spouts.

Funnels and strains are also available, both to prevent things from going down your gutters, and also to make sure that the water doesn't overflow and stays within the gutter system. If you find that your gutters are leaking, splashing, or getting blocked frequently, you may want to install upgrades to improve their operations. If you need gutter repair in Maryland, contact the experts at Exterior Medics.