It's important for homeowners to clean their gutters out at least twice per year — typically in the spring and again in the fall. But what if you recently cleaned your gutters and you've noticed that they are already accumulating debris again? It's time to take action. Rather than continuing to clean your gutters every few weeks, which is a lot of work, there are a few things you can do to slow down the rate at which debris accumulates inside of them.
Trim back any overhanging trees.
Do you have a tree that has a branch stretching over the roof? Or maybe there is a tree that is right next to your home and that towers over your roof, even though the branches don't technically reach over the structure. This tree is probably to blame for a lot of the leaves and debris that end up in your gutters. Have a tree care company come to trim it back substantially. The best time to do this is in the late fall or winter when the tree is not actively growing. In the most serious of cases, you may want to consider having the tree removed.
Install gutter guards.
Gutter guards are sheets of perforated plastic or metal that sit on top of your gutters. They are long and flat, and they are intended to cover the entire gutter opening. Water can pass through the holes or slots in the gutter guards, but leaves cannot. Smaller debris will still get into the gutters, but you should be able to remove this during your spring and fall cleaning with few issues. (The gutter guards are typically easy to remove when cleaning your gutters. You just unhook a clip or two and pull them off the gutters.)
Make sure your roof is in good shape.
Take a good look at the debris that you are scooping out of your gutters. Is it really tree debris, or is it little pebbles? If the debris looks like little, shiny pebbles, then it is coming from your shingles. This is a normal thing for shingles to experience as they start to age, and it is a sign that your roof needs to be replaced soon. If you replace the roof, your gutters should stay a lot cleaner.
Cleaning your gutters is important, but if it feels like all you're doing is cleaning the gutters, you need to take steps to keep debris from ending up in there in the first place.
For more information about gutter cleaning, visit a site like MyGutterPro.com.