Gutter Cleaning

Getting on your hands and knees to clean your gutters is not the way to enjoy a weekend off work. In fact, it’s the antithesis of a good weekend relaxing and having a good time. Did you know that gutter cleaning cost might not be as expensive as you initially thought? It might be cost and time-effective to get a professional on the job while you sit back and chill. This is also the case if you own multiple properties, in which case you could outsource the management of your portfolio to a professional property maintenance and letting agency. In addition, multiple landlord property insurance will provide cover for all your properties under one easy to manage policy.

Unlike a disruptive task like rewiring a house, cleaning gutters, is a job most of us can take on without needing to bring in the professionals. There is way more to gutter cleaning than they taught you in school. And no one ever tells you how important it is to keep your gutters clean for optimal drainage.  So, how much does gutter cleaning cost? And is there anything you should know beforehand? Yep, there are loads of things to learn.

Why is gutter cleaning so important?

It’s the job of your gutters to collect and distribute rainwater away from your house. Keeping water away from your house’s foundations eliminates issues of potential overflowing and long-term damage and deterioration. You might very well be able to clean your own gutters, but do you know what you’re doing? And do you want to climb a ladder and risk potential falls? We don’t think so!

There’s no point taking those kinds of risks when the average gutter cleaning cost is approximately £4 to £5 per meter. It’s a value for money rate that can be easily afforded by most households. However, the price can be affected by the area in the UK you live. You can expect to pay marginally more in London and most of southern England when compared to the cheaper prices in the north.

Repairing and Cleaning Gutters Together

If you are thinking of getting your gutters cleaned, you might want to get them repaired at the same time. Over time, gutters can develop cracks and leaks, become dirty, or even require general maintenance and upkeep. 

If you are thinking of getting your gutters cleaned, you might want to get them repaired at the same time. Over time, gutters can develop cracks and leaks, become dirty, or even require general maintenance and upkeep. 

If you fail to clean your gutters over a long duration, it can form moss, get blockages and overflow with rain. And dirty gutters can also make your house appear old and weathered. We recommend that you get an expert to clean and repair your gutters at the same time.

How Much is Gutter Cleaning Cost?

Everyone’s house and guttering are different, so there are so many factors that can affect the price. Let’s take a standard 3-bedroom house and apply some calculations to find a ballpark figure. Please remember that this is just an example or estimation.

If you choose to work with a small company, you can already save the 20% VAT charges, so we’re already saving money. Let’s use the average of £5 per meter for gutter cleaning costs in our calculations. If your guttering is 20 meters in length, we multiply that by the cost per meter. The cost analysis breaks down at approximately £100 to £125 for a job of this size. Please see our table below with lots of costing examples, so you can gauge the projected cost yourself.

Job TypeJob LengthCost
Cleaning gutters15-mins per meter £4 to £5 per meter
Cleaning exteriors 10-mins per meter £2.50 to £3 per meter
Replace or repair leaks15-mins per meter £10 per part
Inserting downpipe filters10-mins per meter £5 per part

Gutter Cleaning Cost Factors

Numerous things can dramatically affect gutter cleaning cost differences. Please see some of the causes and factors that contribute to higher prices.

Guttering Height

The type of house you live in, and its guttering height, will affect the pricing of this job. If you live in a bungalow, your gutter is spread over one floor without too much risk or climbing. If you live in a two or three-story house, it’s much more problematic to clean your gutters. 

There are numerous health and safety rules with regard to using a ladder. The UK’s Health and Safety advisory claim that if you need to use a ladder for more than 30-minutes in a single sitting, you need scaffolding. High guttering means you will need to rent scaffolding, which will increase your overall gutter cleaning cost.

You can actually clean the gutters without a ladder if your contractor has a gutter vacuum cleaner, but again, this will affect the price. The vacuum cleaner is placed on the end of a telescopic pole and is used to get rid of leaves and other debris. You can hire a gutter vacuum cleaner for approximately £140 plus VAT for 3 days.

Property Size

This is an obvious one. If you have a larger property, there will be more guttering by the meter than in a small house. And as gutter cleaning is costed by meter, it will cost more money. The price difference for cleaning gutters greatly differs by house types. Detached houses, semi-detached, terrace houses, bungalows, and apartments all have vastly different sizes, layouts, and guttering lengths.

Additional Repair Work

It’s always important to ask your contractor to check the conditions of your gutters while they are performing cleaning duties. There might be cracks ad leaks in your gutter or a build-up of moss or other unwanted weeds. There could even be issues with broken roof tiles and other issues that can only be seen from a ladder or scaffolding. This is the opportune moment to fix everything.

However, your gutter cleaner might not be able to fix some of those jobs, so please use common sense. If your roofing needs repairing, get an expert to makes repairs. All these additional repairs will increase your cost, so please bear that in mind.

Call out Charge Costs

Always be careful of gutter cleaning contractors who have a super cheap price. There might be some additional charges that you didn’t take into consideration. Always read the small print. Some contractors charge a call-out fee, but in some cases, these have hidden charges. A small job might end up costing more than you bargained or budgeted for. Just make sure you have a solid agreement in place with your contractor before you agree or pay for anything.

What Does Gutter Cleaning Entail?

A gutter cleaning contractor usually performs a few different jobs pertaining to the cleaning and maintenance of your gutters. It’s standard that professional gutter cleaners will already know how to repair small leaks and fix damaged fittings. They also clean in such a way that moss cannot grow again for a while. 

It’s also their job to cut and trim any trees or bushes that might be overhanging into your gutters or causing any potential blockages. Cleaning outdoor surfaces and ensuring your gutters look spanking clean is a major part of their job description. Check out these other duties that can be performed by a pro gutter cleaning contractor.

Full-On Clean

The contractor's main job is to clean your gutter. They use a standard hand brush along with a trowel and hot water to scrape and clean the surfaces. A hosepipe can also be used to apply water for cleaning. A real pro always ensures that no solids are pushed down any pipes to cause further blockages. The cleaner will generally mix hot water with a bleach or cleaning substance or detergent to wash out the guttering.

Removing Waste Off-Site

One of the main jobs of a contractor is not only to clean, but to also remove any waste from the job. If you already have a compost heap, this would be the perfect place to dump any waste. However, your contractor could remove the waste by taking it to a local garden waste recycling centre. Do not dump the waste on the side of the road, or you could be in big trouble with the council. Ask the contractor to remove the waste because they already know the correct environmental procedures to follow.  

Dealing with Downpipe Blockages

Autumn is usually the best time of the year to clean or repair your gutters, but only after the trees have shed their leaves. Your contractor will be adept at cleaning downpipe blockages, which are usually the main culprit in regard to overflowing water problems.

You can ask a contractor to install leaf guards to the top of the downpipe so to minimize future issues. This mesh feature sits on the top of your pipe and stops anything large going down the pipe. It’s a cheap and inexpensive way to eliminate future blockage issues.

Obtaining Affordable Gutter Cleaning Cost

Now you’ve informed yourself of the potential damages caused to the structure of your house when gutters are blocked, you need to act immediately. If you haven’t cleaned your gutters for a while, it could be carnage up there. You might have all kinds of leaks and damaged pipes or gutters.

Hire a professional gutter cleaning contractor today. The gutter cleaning cost is quite affordable if you don’t have any damages. Just remember that the price is dramatically affected by the size of your house and how many floors you have. Please don’t stick your head in the sand and think this issue will go away. Get proactive today.

Gutter Cleaning Cost FAQ

Before you go hiring a professional gutter cleaner, you might have a few more questions. Check out our gutter cleaning cost FAQ to clean up any inquiries you might have.

Q: Can my window cleaner clear gutters?

A: We don’t know your window cleaner personally, but yes they can. Many window cleaners double as gutter cleaners, offering fascia and soffit cleaning services. Ask your local window cleaner to see what he/she says.

Q: Are there specialist gutter cleaning tools?

A: You basically only need some hot water, a trowel, and a few different cleaning brushes. However, you can hire a gutter vacuum cleaner. These tools are regularly used by professional gutter cleaners. They are really useful for cleaning above house extensions and other difficult-to-reach areas. The vacuum cleaner sucks up debris, twigs, and wet leaves in a simple manner.

Q: How often should I clean my gutters?

A: It’s recommended that you clean your gutters once or twice per year. You can clean them in autumn after the leaves have fallen, and once again in the spring after the winter storms have taken place. But if you do have a bad storm throughout the year, you might want to inspect the gutters for any potential damage. 

Q: Can I pressure wash my gutters?

A: You can pressure wash your gutters, just make sure you are not on a ladder while doing so. The power of the water jet can literally throw you from a ladder. Use a pressure washer while standing on the ground or at least from scaffolding. 

Q: What happens if I don’t wash my gutters regularly?

A: Do you ask this same question about washing yourself? Of course not, because you know exactly what happens when you don’t clean something properly. If you don’t clean your gutters once or twice per year, debris, leaves, and twigs will collect and clog up your guttering system. The blocked water will find other ways to escape, which could be running down walls or finding its way into your roof or attic space. The dampness will eventually cause deterioration and even structural damage.

Sources & Other Authoritative Sites

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