How often should gutters be cleaned?

The short answer: at least once a year

For most homes in Greater Manchester, clearing the gutters once a year is enough to keep rainwater flowing where it should. The best time is late autumn — usually November — once most of the leaves have come down, so the gutters go into winter clear.

If you leave it much longer than a year, leaves, moss and silt build up into a sludge that holds water. That standing water adds weight, encourages weeds to grow, and eventually overflows down your walls.

When twice a year makes sense

Some homes fill up faster and are better cleared twice a year — once in late autumn and once in spring:

• Homes with trees overhanging or close to the roof, especially oak, sycamore, birch and conifers.
• Properties on the edge of the Pennines — Rochdale, Littleborough, Oldham, Saddleworth, Mossley — where there's more rain and more moss on the roofs.
• Older stone or slate roofs, which shed more moss and grit into the gutters.
• Homes where the gutters have overflowed before, or where you've had damp patches on inside walls.

Why it matters

Gutters exist to carry rainwater away from your walls and foundations. When they block, water spills over the edge and runs down the brickwork. Over time that can lead to damp patches inside, rotten fascia boards, damaged render and pointing, and in winter, ice forming in the gutter itself.

A yearly clear is a small job compared with fixing any of those, and it's a chance to spot problems early — like sagging brackets, leaking joints or cracked downpipes.

Can I check them myself?

You can get a good idea from the ground. Look for plants growing out of the gutter, water spilling over the edge during heavy rain, dark streaks on the walls under the gutter, or downpipes that stay dry while it's pouring. Our guide to the signs of blocked gutters goes through these in more detail.

We don't recommend climbing a ladder to check — falls from ladders are a common cause of serious injury at home. Our ground-based vacuum system and telescopic poles let us clear most homes without ladders at all.

If you'd rather leave it to us, you can see your fixed price and book a gutter clear online in about a minute.