Should I Clean My Gutters Or Hire A Professional?

When you’re looking to get your gutters cleaned, it’s important to decide whether you would like to do the job yourself or hire a professional.

Why don’t we start with so housekeeping, (no pun intended) did you know that most gutter companies recommend that you should want to clean the gutters on your home at least twice a year? Your gutters are your home’s foundation’s first line of defense against water damage.

This is an important point that many people overlook. Gutters have to be cleaned out on a regular basis so that they do not become blocked by debris such as leaves, twigs, dirt, and other items blown around by the wind. These blockages cause the water flow through the gutter system to slow down or even stop altogether which can have serious implications for the overall condition of your home’s exterior.

How do you know if you should hire someone or do it yourself?

Trying to decide whether to clean your own gutters or hire a professional can be tough. You have to examine all the pros and cons of each option before making a decision.

Cleaning your own gutters versus hiring a professional is no different than any other similar decision: the more information you have, the better off you’ll be.

Maintaining the cleanliness of your gutters isn’t hard, but it does require a little work if done regularly. You can save some money by cleaning them yourself, but hiring a pro to do the job is typically less expensive. To help you decide which option is better for you, here are some of the pros and cons of both:

Pros Of Doing It Yourself

You can do it anytime; there’s no need to schedule an appointment or take time off from work.

You don’t have to worry about losing wages by taking a day off; you can use this time to work on other projects around your home.

You may be able to get a better price on materials than what professionals charge.

You could learn some skills that can help you earn extra income if you decide to start a gutter cleaning business in the future.

 

Things you will want to have ready if you decide on a DYI approach

• A Harness + Vertical Lifeline + Roof Anchor + Tool Lanyard
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• Safety glasses
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• Leaf blower
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• Trash bags (For debris removed from gutters.
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• Five Gallon bucket
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• Paint bucket hook. (To attach to the bucket to hang from gutter while you are cleaning)
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• A Husky 15-in-1 Painter’s Tool
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• A 6 or 8-foot ladder for single-story roofs
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• For two-story roofs, you may consider an extension ladder. As well as a roof stabilizer.
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Cons

Of Doing It Yourself

Doing this type of ladder work requires at least basic safety training and equipment, such as fall protection equipment, ladders, and safety glasses. It might be harder for people who aren’t physically fit because it may require lots of heavy lifting and climbing up high ladders. You might also miss small problems that are easy for professional gutter cleaners to notice.

You see the list above of things that will help make cleaning your gutters much easier. You may already have a few of those things. There may be some of the things that are on the list that may not be necessary depending on how safe you would like to be.

If you are started without any of the above mentioned, you would need to take time and money to acquire them.

Something else to consider is the disposal of debris. If you aren’t careful about disposing of the debris properly, it could be messy and create a hassle that you might not have anticipated prior to starting the job.

You might be wondering at this point, what are the pros of professional gutter cleaning?

The pros of professional gutter cleaning include:

 

1. Quality – When you hire a professional, they have the tools, experience, and knowledge to get the job done correctly. They also have insurance coverage in case they cause any damage while on your property.

2. Flexibility – Most companies are flexible with scheduling, meaning you can get your gutters cleaned when it’s convenient for you.

3. No climbing ladders (Something most wives or husbands can appreciate) – A professional company can clean your gutters without you having to climb up a ladder.

4. Time saver – It can take a long time to clean your own gutters, which is why hiring a professional to do the work for you makes sense.

5. Cost – Hiring a professional means you won’t have to spend money on new tools or equipment because they’ll use theirs. You also won’t need to buy safety equipment or extra cleaning supplies because these will be provided by the service as well.

6. Peace of mind – For some, this is going to be the most important. The job gets done and everyone is safe. The Company, if you choose this route, will surely be insured and have their safety at the forefront of their minds as well.

Cons of Hiring the Professionals

The first con is that hiring the “Right” professional to clean your gutters can be a huge pain in the butt. Obviously, you will want to spend some time looking for the right people for the job.

That can be a time-consuming process all on its own. If you are going straight to Google, you might be reaching out to your neighbors or even your Facebook friends for recommendations. But sifting through all of that is going to take some time as well.

After finding the professional you would like, now you will have to schedule an estimate.

After an estimate, you will need to schedule again the cleaning at a time that works for them. (Most companies will do the best they can to accommodate their customers but a full schedule is a full schedule.)

Finding out the cost. The national average for gutter cleaning is about $1.00 per linear foot of gutter. So say you have 50 feet of gutter that is on a second story section that you might be a bit uncomfortable cleaning on a ladder up that high, but you cleaned the rest of your gutter?

Seems like a reasonable idea. Although most companies are going to have a minimum charge. Somewhere around $250 to $400 depending on your area. So it’s not likely that you are going to only have to pay that $50 for that 50 foot run. And they likely would have cleaned your whole gutter system for the same cost as cleaning that 50-foot run. So take that into consideration.

Another Con. What if they don’t do a good job? (I would always recommend doing a quick google review search to see what people are saying about the company you decide on no matter what)

What Kind of Person Are You? DIY? Or Hire the Professionals?

This is not an easy question to answer. There are many variables in play, and each person’s situation is different. It all boils down to economics, time and skill levels, and personal preferences. There really isn’t a right answer. Personally, I can see that either way could be completely reasonable depending on each person’s situation.

But if you are leaning more towards getting your gutters cleaned professionally. Gutter Near Me would love to give you a free estimate.

REQUEST A FREE ESTIMATE IN THE BOISE-TREASURE VALLEY AREA CALL (208) 999-7528

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