When you own a home, you are never really free of maintenance tasks. You have to freshen up some paint, water your lawn, and change your HVAC filters. Another maintenance task you cannot ignore is taking care of your gutters. Here are some tips to help you accomplish that so your rain gutters last as long as possible.

Clean them regularly

Your gutters can see a lot of damage when they don’t get cleaned. Especially if you live in a climate where it snows or rains a lot. Roof gutters can get leaves, sticks, and other debris stuck in them which will cause them to clog. Clogs can make your gutters too heavy, causing them to pull away from your home, sag, and even break. This can not only damage your gutters, but it can damage your home as well. Clogged gutters can lead to foundation problems, water leaks in your basement, mold on your siding, and more. Gutters should be cleaned at least twice a year to keep this from happening. Get up on a ladder with some heavy duty gloves on and clean them out.

Inspect them for damage

You should be inspecting your gutters twice a year as well. Typically the best time for this is in the fall and the spring. You want to check them for any sort of damage and to see if you need replacement gutters. You want to check for any holes or leaks, and you can do this by running hose water through the gutters after you’ve cleaned them. You also want to make sure the downspouts are secured to your house. Lastly, you want to check for things like cracked or peeling paint, sagging, and discoloration or mold.

Hire a professional

The best way to make sure your gutters are in good shape is to hire professional gutter repair companies to inspect your gutters for you. They will be able to tell you if your gutters are in good shape. Lastly, they can install replacement gutters for you if yours have seen better days.

Your gutters are an essential feature of your home, so it’s important that you don’t forget about them. Just as your HVAC, garden, and other appliances need maintenance, so do your gutters. Make sure you clean them, inspect them, and hire a professional if you need replacement gutters. You will save yourself a lot of headaches and your home a lot of damage if you do.