It’s raining hard and water is sheeting over the front corner of the gutter, straight onto the porch steps. Or you look up and there’s a little tree growing up there. Either way, the gutters are full.
Evansville gets about 13 days a year with an inch of rain or more, according to NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals. Those are the storms that show you what a clogged gutter has been hiding.
We scoop out the gutters, flush the downspouts and, if you want, clean the gray streaks off the outside face. Not sure what yours need? Book a free exterior evaluation or call or text (812) 664-6222.
What a gutter cleaning includes
- Clean out. Leaves, seeds, twigs and grit come out by hand and go into bags, not onto your flower beds.
- Flush the downspouts. We run water down each one and watch the bottom. If water backs up, we work the clog loose. If the blockage is in an underground drain line, we’ll tell you.
- Check the flow. A last rinse shows us where water sits or spills over.
- Brighten the face, if you want it. More on that below.
Why a clogged downspout matters
InterNACHI, the home inspectors' association, puts it simply: “Clogged downspouts will cause runoff to overflow the gutter.” Its roof drainage guide says downspouts should “be free of debris.” It also shows a foundation where soil washed out from under the wall, caused by downspouts that “discharged next to the foundation.”
The University of Georgia Extension adds that leaky gutters and downspouts “can damage the woodwork, siding, foundation, and lead to wet basements and crawl spaces.”
Get the fall cleaning done before it freezes
The same extension article says the most common reason seams split is “when leaves and other debris fall into the downspout and freeze.” In Evansville, the median first fall freeze is October 29 (NOAA normals). So the fall cleaning works best once most of the leaves are down and before the hard cold sets in.
More trees, more cleaning
UGA says to clean gutters regularly, and that “may be more than once a year if there are lots of trees around your house.” Evansville is working on more trees. Its canopy measured 26% in a 2011 study, and the city’s goal is 40% (Evansville Living, 2020). The city and its partners planted 557 trees in 2024 (WNIN). Good for shade. Busy for gutters.
Gutter brightening: the gray streaks on the front
Look at the outside face of a white gutter from the driveway. See the gray or black streaks running down it? A cleanout doesn’t touch those, because they’re on the outside.
On our Facebook page we call cleaning them off gutter brightening. It’s hand work on the face with a gentle cleaner, then a rinse. Some old streaks fade more than they vanish, so we’ll test a small spot first and show you.
Getting the siding done too? Brightening fits right into a house wash, on the same visit.
Granules in the gutter are a roof clue
Dark, sandy grit at the bottom of the gutter is often shingle granules. InterNACHI says that as shingles age, the bond weakens and “granules will be loosened and carried away by runoff” (InterNACHI on granule loss). The gutter is where a lot of them land.
When we find a lot, we photograph it and show you. Some loss is normal weathering. Heavy loss is worth a closer look at the roof. Our article on why shingles dry out and shed granules explains what’s going on. If the shingles are drying out but still sound, ask us about roof rejuvenation.
Planning a roof cleaning too? Do the gutters after it. Rinse water and loosened growth run off the roof and into them.
What we don’t do
We clean gutters. We don’t repair or install them.
- No patching leaks or resealing seams.
- No re-hanging sagging runs or fixing the slope.
- No gutter guards.
- No new gutters or downspouts.
- No digging up underground drain lines.
If we see a loose hanger, a leaking seam, a gutter pulling off the fascia or a run that holds water, we’ll take a photo and tell you it’s a job for a gutter company.
You probably don’t need this if…
- You have a one-story house, a sturdy ladder and someone to hold it. Plenty of people clean their own.
- There are no trees near the house and the downspouts run clear in a storm. UGA still suggests looking the gutters over at least once a year.
- Your gutters are sagging off the house or rusted through. That’s replacement, and we don’t do it.
What happens next
Book a free exterior evaluation. We’ll walk the gutter line from the ground, check the downspouts and where they drain, and tell you whether you need a cleanout, brightening, both or neither. You’ll also hear about anything that looks like a repair, so you can call the right company.
Rather just ask? Call or text Terrance at (812) 664-6222, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
Common questions
How often should gutters be cleaned?
It depends on your trees. The University of Georgia Extension says to clean them regularly, and more than once a year if there are lots of trees around the house. For a lot of homes, the big one is after the leaves drop in fall. Houses under big trees may need a spring visit too, once the seeds come down.
Can you fix a leaking gutter?
No. We don’t repair, re-hang or install gutters, and we don’t put in gutter guards. If we spot a leaking seam, a loose hanger or a section pulling away from the house, we’ll take a photo and point you to a gutter company.
What is gutter brightening?
It’s our name for cleaning the outside face of the gutter, the part you see from the yard. Gray and black streaks build up there over time, and scooping out the inside does nothing for them. We clean the face by hand and rinse it. Older streaks sometimes fade rather than disappear, so we test a spot first.