How often should you clean your gutters?

Clogged gutters cause roof leaks, fascia rot, and foundation damage.

Overflowing water soaks the ground at the foundation, which can lead to seepage into a basement or cellar. It also runs behind the gutter into the fascia and soffit, rotting timber that is expensive to replace. A gutter full of wet debris is heavy and strains its own brackets.

1. Set the ladder up properly. On firm, level ground at the 1 in 4 angle (one unit out for every four up), secured so it cannot slip. Do not rest it on a plastic gutter: use a stand-off so the ladder bears on the wall. Look for overhead power lines before you carry it.
2. Work in sections and move the ladder. Keep your belt buckle inside the ladder stiles and keep three points of contact. If you cannot reach without leaning, climb down and move the ladder.
3. Scoop the debris out by hand. Gloved hands or a plastic scoop into a bucket hooked to the ladder. Do not push it toward the downpipe.
4. Flush with a hose from the far end. Confirm water runs the full length and out the downpipe rather than pooling anywhere.
5. Clear the downpipe if it is blocked. A hose fed from the bottom, or a drain rod. Confirm it discharges away from the building.
6. Check the falls and brackets. Standing water means the fall is wrong or a bracket has dropped. Note anything sagging.
7. Inspect the fascia and soffit while you are up there. Soft timber, peeling paint or staining tells you water has already been getting behind.

• Water spilling over the front edge during rain rather than running to the downpipe
• Plants growing out of the gutter, which means it has become a planter
• Staining or streaking down the exterior wall below the gutter line
• Sagging sections or visible gaps at joints
• Water pooling at the base of the wall after rain

• Overreaching from the ladder instead of moving it, which is how people fall
• Resting the ladder against the gutter itself, which is a weak resting point
• Pressure washing the gutter, which drives debris into the downpipe and packs it solid
• Clearing the gutter but never checking the downpipe actually discharges away from the foundation
• Fitting gutter guards and assuming the job is finished: guards still need checking for fine debris on top

• Overhanging trees can mean three cleans a year or more rather than two
• Pine needles are worse than leaves because they knit into a mat that water passes through slowly
• Two-storey and steep roofs are much riskier to reach and worth paying for

Anything above single storey, anything on a steep pitch, and anything you would need to reach from a roof rather than a ladder. The UK Health and Safety Executive treats ladders as suitable only for low-risk, short-duration work, and recommends other equipment if a task would keep you on one for more than 30 minutes at a time.