Home 101: Gutter Cleaners Near You — And What They Charge

Cleaning the gutters isn't just something you do when they start to look grimy — it's an essential part of home maintenance. Depending on where you live and how many trees are near your house, you should clean your gutters and downspouts either annually or biannually. Failing to do so can cause serious damage to your house and yard which may end up costing you big bucks.

Some homeowners take a DIY approach to gutter and downspout cleaning, but many choose to bring in a professional. What's the best option for you, and how much does it stand to cost? We've got all your need-to-know gutter info right here.

Why It Matters

Gutters channel water away from your home to a designated area. If they're clogged, broken or otherwise impaired, rain and snowmelt pours right off your house and hits the ground with great force. This can flood your yard and basement and damage your foundation.

If not properly maintained, your gutters can rip right off — even taking part of the roof with them! The average homeowner spends $771 on roof repair, but costs vary widely based on the roof material and extent of the damage.

Gutters that are not regularly maintained are more likely to incur damage. The average cost to repair a damaged gutter is $348, according to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide. And if you have to install new gutters, you can expect to pay anywhere in the range of $543 to $1,342.

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Who Should Do It

Cleaning the gutters is a lot easier if you have experience working on a ladder. If you're a homeowner who doesn't want to deal with the headache of doing the job itself or the risk of falling, hiring an experienced gutter cleaner is the way to go.

To protect yourself from potential liability, hire a professional who is both licensed and insured. You should ask to see documentation of this before hiring an individual or a company for the job.

What It'll Cost

The cost to clean gutters doesn't vary much from city to city. According to HomeAdvisor’s True Cost Guide, homeowners pay an average of $150 for a professional to complete the job. Costs will vary based on the height of your house and size of your gutters (which is determined by the square footage of the house).

A single-story house will have the lowest gutter cleaning costs. The price will increase with each story, and if you have more than two stories, the higher level gutters may be calculated at a higher rate than the lower ones. Working on these higher levels increases risk and usually requires special equipment.

If you haven't cleaned your gutters in a while, your costs will likely be higher. Removing the debris that's accumulated will take longer, and gutter cleaning costs will reflect that extra time.

Whatever the exact cost of regularly cleaning and maintaining your gutters is, it will almost always be less than the cost of fixing a damaged yard, foundation or roof.

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