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Why Gutter Maintenance is Important This Summer
Our real estate agents know that when a homebuyer arrives to see a home, the property has a limited amount of time to create a positive first impression. Don't let dirty, clogged gutters keep your home from making a stellar first impression.
Augusta is home to an assortment of beautiful conifer and leaf trees that provide gorgeous scenery but will quickly clog gutters with leaves, sticks, and other foliage-related debris. This makes home maintenance even more imperative to prevent moisture damage due to ill-functioning gutters. Follow this guide to ensure your gutters are properly maintained and prepared for potential homebuyers and heavy rainfall from summer storms.
- Begin with a Visual Inspection
A visual inspection of your gutters will help you quickly identity sections with extensive debris and leaves that need to be removed and allow you to determine if you have any damaged areas that require repair or replacement. If your gutters have severe clogs or large pieces of debris, you'll need to remove these items by hand. Check that your gutters are free of holes and rust; any damaged sections should be replaced. Examine your downspouts and confirm that they're properly redirecting water away from your home.
- Use Water to Clear Your Gutters
You can clear most refuse from your gutters with a garden hose and spray nozzle. Before you get started, remove any large items (like nests, clumps of leaves, or sticks) by hand. Then, you'll use a steady stream of water to wash debris out of your gutters and through your downspout. If you notice that water doesn't appear to be properly draining out of your downspouts, there's likely a clog preventing the water from flowing. Try using more water pressure to eradicate the clog; if this doesn't work, a plumber's snake is an effective way to break up the clog. While cleaning your gutters, check that water isn't leaking from the seams or anywhere else. Seams that are leaking should be re-sealed using a gutter sealant. You can also use gutter sealant to repair small holes.
- Clean the Exterior of Your Gutters
Though most gutter maintenance focuses on cleaning the inside of your gutters, it's smart to tend to the exterior of your gutters as well. Homebuyers looking at Augusta homes for sale will notice if a property has dirty, discolored gutters. Fortunately, most dirty colors are easily cleaned with a little time and elbow grease. Grab a sponge, rag, and scrub brush. You can use a commercial gutter cleaner, or you may combine a few tablespoons of dish soap with a gallon of water. Scrub the cleaning solution into your gutters, and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, wash it away. You may need to repeat the process for gutters with excessive stains. Another option is to clean the outside of your gutters using a pressure washer. This works well if your gutters are covered in a lot of mildew and algae.
Want to put your home on the market? Contact us today to get started selling your home!