This is a collaborative post. All opinions are my own.

It's easy to want to focus on the FUN parts of home ownership: decorating, remodeling, and just living in/enjoying your house. But don't forget that just like a car needs regular oil changes, a house needs regular maintenance. I know, home maintenance is not fun and exciting, and it's almost certainly not where you want to spend your house budget...but these tasks are necessary. And in the long run, keeping up with regular home maintenance will save you money (and a whole lot of headache). I fully admit that I myself am not good at this. During the 1.5 years we've owned our home, we have only changed the HVAC filter once (yikes! we need to work on that asap). Another task that often gets forgotten? Gutter cleaning. However, it's so important. Neglect the gutters for too long, and you'll end up with regret when you're faced with a costly repair.

The function of your gutter is to collect all of the rainwater that falls; it will then divert this water away from your home. Considering how much rain we get here in Washington state, that's pretty darn important. If you don’t look after our gutters and keep them clean then there could be some serious effects to your home. The hygiene of your property will be compromised as the gutter clogs and the rainwater lingers.

So how often should we get our gutters cleaned? Most companies recommend that your gutter is checked and cleaned every six months. But this is a general guideline. If the weather has been particularly challenging and you note a build-up of debris then you may want to get this checked more frequently. You might assume that winter months pose the biggest challenge because this is when your gutter is getting a lot of use. However, autumn is actually the time when gutters usually become clogged because of falling leaves and debris.

We've established that if you do not have your gutters cleaned and checked on a frequent basis, then you are simply asking for trouble. You also need to make sure you have gutter covers too. Failure to follow these steps means you will have a huge bill to foot if your gutter ends up damaged. Blockages can easily result in big cracks within the guttering if they are not dealt with swiftly...an issue that’s not cheap to fix. An even bigger problem lies with the hygiene risks you create if you neglect your gutters. Blockages can lead to damp patches occurring in your home, such as on the walls or on the ceiling. Gross!

This is a task that you can totally DIY...Ben regularly checks our gutters, and clears out the leaves in the fall. But if you're short on time and worried about forgetting, the easiest way to take care of all this is to hire a professional company. There are many companies that will regularly clean your gutters so you don't have to wonder if you're doing it correctly or often enough. Most of them aren't very expensive either. You might be surprised at how worthwhile it is to have someone else come check this off your home maintenance list (and take the burden of remembering to do it). They will have all of the tools and equipment to ensure that your gutters are operating effectively. You can even arrange for the company to come twice a year and put your mind at ease.

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