A clogged gutter does its damage quietly. The water that should reach the downspout spills over the edge instead, soaks the fascia, stains the walls and pools next to the foundation. On homes with a pool cage, the overflow and the leaves land on the screen roof and in the pool. This article shows how we clean gutters on a real visit, the ladder rules worth knowing, and what a gutter cleaning costs around Tampa Bay.
Why gutters matter more in Tampa Bay
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, according to the National Hurricane Center, and our summer afternoon storms push a lot of water through a gutter in a short time. Live oaks, pines and palms drop leaves, needles and seed pods all year, so gutters here can fill up fast.
Our short guide on getting gutters ready for hurricane season has a checklist you can do from the ground.
How we clean gutters, step by step
- Clear the roof edge. Loose leaves sitting on the roof above the gutter come off first with a blower, otherwise the next rain washes them straight back in.
- Pull the debris out by hand. We work from the ladder and from the roof and scoop each run by hand. Packed leaves, roots and the occasional fern growing out of a gutter all come out this way.
- Bag it as we go. The debris goes into a bag on the roof, so nothing falls on the screen, the pool or your landscaping.
- Rinse each run. We run the hose through every gutter and watch the water reach the downspout. A hidden clog in the downspout does not survive this step.
- Flush the downspouts. If a blockage needs more work than flushing, we let you know before doing anything else.
- Clean up and haul away. The bags leave with us, and we clean up the ground below the gutters.
Above a pool cage in Safety Harbor, before and after:
Ladders and safety
On two-story homes we work from extension ladders and from the roof, and we carry a 32-foot ladder for the highest runs; at one home in Wesley Chapel we used it to replace an exterior light the owners could not reach. Mario, who owns the company and works on the crew, completed the OSHA 30-Hour Outreach Training (General Industry).
If you are going to clean your own gutters, these are the rules from OSHA’s Portable Ladder Safety QuickCard that matter most:
- Set the angle right. Place the base a quarter of the ladder’s working length away from the wall: about 1 foot out for every 4 feet up.
- Extend past the edge. A ladder used to get onto a roof must extend at least 3 feet above the point where it rests.
- Keep three points of contact when you climb: two hands and a foot, or two feet and a hand.
- Stay off the top three rungs of a straight or extension ladder.
- Use it only on stable, level ground. Soft lawn after rain is not stable ground.
If you are not comfortable on a ladder, or the house has two or three stories, call a professional. A fall from a second-story gutter costs far more than a cleaning.
How dirty is dirty?
The price depends partly on how long it has been since the last cleaning, because a gutter with plants growing in it takes much longer than one with a thin layer of needles. These are the three levels our instant quote asks about:
What it costs
| Home | Base price |
|---|---|
| One story | $150 |
| Two stories | $225 |
| Larger homes | +$36 or +$108 by size |
| Three stories or more | $350 package |
The time since the last cleaning, existing gutter guards, a roof we cannot walk on and heavy tree cover adjust the price. Our instant quote asks about each one, and we confirm the final price before any work starts. Adding a window cleaning or a house wash to the same visit takes 20% off the whole visit (specials).
Tired of cleaning them? We install aluminum gutter guards from $8 per linear foot; see gutter guards.
Videos from real jobs
Debris out, flow tested, on homes in Tampa and Clearwater:
Gutter cleaning · Clearwater
Gutter cleaning in Clearwater: the result
Gutter cleaning · Clearwater
Gutter cleaning in Clearwater
Gutter cleaning · Tampa
Gutter cleaning in Tampa
Questions we get
Do you take the leaves with you?
Yes. The debris is bagged as it comes out and hauled away, and we clean up the ground below the gutters.
I have a pool cage. Will the leaves end up in the pool?
No. We bag the debris on the roof so it stays off the screen, and we rinse the pool cage roof when it needs it.
Do you install gutter guards on businesses and HOA buildings?
Yes. Contact us for a walkthrough.
More about the service on our gutter cleaning page, or get an instant quote.
Sources
- National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Climatology.
- OSHA: Portable Ladder Safety QuickCard.
