The blistery winter weather seems to have broken at last. Yes, spring is here at last – are your gutters going to be in shape?
The popularity of gutter cleaning and repair services peaks in the fall months as homeowners turn to the pros for help keeping their home’s flood protection system running smoothly. But during the spring we sometimes forget all the gunk that has traveled to our gutters during the gloomy months. With the flood of leaves and constant wash of rain, spring brings on several challenges for home maintenance, some of which require the help of professional gutter cleaning and repair services.
Wipe out insect stowaways to avoid spring swarms!
Gutter cleaning and repair are crucial for controlling the pest population around your home. When sticks, leaves, birds’ nests, and other debris are allowed to collect in your gutters, you unknowingly create the perfect habitat for problematic pests. This effect is dramatically increased when this debris stops proper drainage, leaving pockets of warm water filled with organic matter. Eggs are lain, larvae are spawned, and nests are made – before long, you have an embarrassing insect problem to explain to your guests!
Yellowjackets work all summer long to build large colonies, which are often tucked into clogged gutters. Though many of the workers die over the winter, the fertilized queen can survive in the clogging debris. Once the warmer spring months roll around, the queen emerges, and surviving females begin to repopulate the existing colonies. Gutter cleaning and repair gives you a thorough scan, sweep, and cleaning effect to identify and wipe out any potential nests, along with any other obstacles.
Similarly, spiders usually produce a mass of silk-robed eggs in the fall and then die, relying on the unhatched eggs to keep their legacy alive in the spring. Spiders often elect to lay their eggs in clogged gutters; fortunately, they are easily removed and disposed of with a standard gutter cleaning and repair service.
Avoid flooding.
The April showers are known for being dedicated to downpours, which makes gutter cleaning and repair all the more important. Gutter cleaning and repair is chiefly about keeping your gutter system in shape so that it can properly divert all water from your house. If your gutters are clogged, water will seek the easiest route down, which usually means seeping into any cracks in the walls and attic. When this happens, all sorts of problems arise. Not only do you risk subjecting your home to toxic mold growth, but you risk serious damage to your home from flooding.
Protect yourself against mold problems.
Though we have already identified the mold-stopping effects of gutter cleaning as a means of flood prevention, there is another benefit worth mentioning. After a long winter filled with blowing debris and snow melting your gutters can be filled. We know this can restrict proper gutter function, but did you know that it can also lead to serious mold problems when allowed to accumulate?
It isn’t hard to see why. When leaves, mulch, and bark sit in a damp, tightly-packed environment like the inside of a clogged gutter, it has all it needs to spawn a whole world of mold colonies. When gutter cleaning and repair are neglected, this mold continues to creep up out of your gutters, where it can decay shingles, eat at exposed wood, or just fill your property with stink every time it rains!
