Gutter cleaning; almost sounds like a dirty word. For those who have done it before, you know the dread of a weekend lost to gutter cleaning. It's a terrible job, a long time up a ladder with your hands in dirty, rotting leaves, and you never know what creepy crawly you might find. And for those who haven't yet cleaned their gutters, you don't know the horrors that await you!

But seriously, now that Autumn is nearly upon us; it's time to think about cleaning your gutters. You might ask yourself, why now?

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, February to June are when the most rain falls in Sydney. But that's not the only problem with Autumn; as the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, the leaves of the deciduous trees begin to change. The once lush greens slowly fade, giving way to a symphony of colours. And while the idea sounds beautiful, those leaves will soon start to fall, filling your gutters. Plus, it will be even worse if you have pine trees nearby; it all points to the perfect storm for a dirty gutter.

The problem is that when you ignore your dirty gutters, they become clogged; rainwater will be stuck, with no escape, except for the places you don't want it to go. Water can be disastrous if not controlled.

So let's take a closer look at all the what, why, how and who of gutter cleaning.

Gutter cleaning removes all debris, filth, and leaves from your downspouts and gutters that obstruct the free flow of rainwater from your roof to a safe distance from your property. If not done correctly, the debris will block the downpipe, which is the water escape route of the guttering system.

It sounds simple. So, let's go onto the next step, the why.

Let's think about what gutters should do; guide water away from your property. So when they are blocked, that water would sit around your property, seeping into your home. You can imagine some of the issues water can cause, but you might be surprised by others.

If your gutters are clogged, water will be trapped, making small puddles or small bird baths. While a bird bath doesn't seem that bad, it won't only be birds bathing in them; other animals like rats, mice, and other rodents love standing water. Plus, other bigger, scarier animals like snakes and spiders, and small, annoying insects like mosquitos. While those creatures in your gutters aren't that bad, it's only a small step from the gutter to your home or workplace, and then things start to get more serious, especially when you live in Australia.

When your gutters need cleaning, the first thing that will suffer is your roof. As the trapped water has to go somewhere, it will eventually seep into your roof space. The first tell-tale sign to show will be mould. 

Mould and wood lead to one thing, rot. Once the roof rafters start to rot, trouble is imminent. If untreated, your roof will eventually give out, and a new roof is an expensive thing to replace.

And it won't only affect your roof but everything connected to it, like fascias and soffits.