Before fall rains
Gutter cleaning
Your gutters move thousands of gallons of water away from the house every winter. When leaves and seed pods pack into the downspouts, that water has nowhere to go — it pours over the edge, soaks the soil right next to the foundation, and finds its way into the basement or crawlspace.
East Bay live oaks drop year-round, so an October cleaning is the minimum. If you have a redwood or eucalyptus overhead, do it twice — September and December.
What you’ll need
- Sturdy extension ladder (not a step ladder)
- Work gloves
- A small trowel or gutter scoop
- A bucket on a ladder hook
- Garden hose with a sprayer attachment
The basics
- Place the ladder on flat ground; brace it against a roof anchor, never the gutter itself.
- Scoop debris into the bucket. Work 4-foot sections — don’t lean past the rails.
- Hose each section from the high end toward the downspout and watch the water flow.
- If the downspout is slow, tap the side of it and re-hose. Stubborn clogs may need a plumber’s snake from the bottom.
Watch out for
- Water spilling over the back of the gutter near the fascia — the gutter is pitched wrong, call a pro to re-hang.
- A mid-span sag — a hidden hanger has failed.
- Dirt or mildew streaks down the siding directly below the gutter — water has been overflowing for a while.
Spot something off? Let Odosan diagnose it.
Take a photo from a few feet back showing the gutter line, any overflow stains on the siding, or the downspout outlet.