Clean My Gutters or De-Clutter? Do Both!

Maintenance is what property ownership is all about, right? After making the payments, that is. Yes, keeping on top of basic physical maintenance – like cleaning and periodically replacing your Gutters – is as critical for sustaining and building your property’s value as De-Cluttering is for maintaining your own personal peace of mind.

Why Must I Clean My Gutters?

First, let’s describe what Gutters are; then, we’ll see what function Gutters perform. At that point, the reason why Gutters must be kept clean will become readily apparent. Gutters, and the Leaders that are connected to them, are an integral part of the first line of defense your home depends on for water management around the physical structure itself.

What Are Gutters? What Are Leaders?

A Gutter is typically an open horizontal channel that runs along the entire length of the roof, at the lower edge. The Gutter is often about 6” wide, hangs beneath the lower edge of the roof, and It collects the water that runs off the roof during periods of precipitation. The channel is closed at both ends to momentarily contain the water as nature directs it to the lowest point in the Gutter. A closed pipe, called a Leader, is connected to the Gutter at that lowest point and receives the runoff from the Gutter through a hole in the bottom of the Gutter. The diameter of the hole and the Leader itself vary but are often between 3” – 5”.

Gutters and Leaders are typically constructed of vinyl, aluminum, or another metal. The “good old days” of 100% copper Gutters and Leaders are long over, but their importance remains. (At All Clean Exteriors NJ, we often refer to the Gutter and Leader system simply as “Gutters” for simplicity.) Both Gutters and Leaders are susceptible to seasonal clogging with leaves, twigs, tree branches, and other storm-carried debris. The debris collects, especially near the Gutter/Leader connections, and thus reduces or eliminates their ability to function properly.

Prevent The Dreaded Waterfall!

Clogged Leaders and overflowing Gutters don’t just look like a problem – they are much worse. They’re unsightly today and, worse yet, they are precursors to a potential catastrophe tomorrow. The problem is not just the appearance that “something is wrong,” because the aftereffects can be very damaging.

Overflowing Gutters and the resulting cascade of water cause dramatic erosion of the soil and shrubbery beds beneath them. Moreover, water “bounces” at ground level causing dirty splashes up against your home’s foundation. And, as if that weren’t enough, it gets much worse if left unattended because that water doesn’t only bounce with its dirt against the side of your structure. Water always wants to flow downhill so, eventually, the water splashing against the house will work its way into the soil and down along the foundation of your building.

Water and foundations don’t get along well together, especially with the repeated freeze/thaw cycles that weather brings to Monmouth County, New Jersey. The eventual result is a weakened foundation that may work itself into tremendously costly repairs to your foundation.

Prevention Is Key

Avoiding this predicament is simple. All that’s required is the periodic – annual is best – cleaning of Gutters and Leaders as either a DIY project or by engaging a service like All Clean Exteriors to perform the task for you.

What’s This About De-Cluttering And Peace Of Mind?

First, let’s describe what De-Cluttering is. Put simply, De-Cluttering is the act or removing the Clutter, sometimes known as “junk,” that we all accumulate over time (unless we are very diligent about throwing it out before it multiplies!).

Why should we De-Clutter, anyway? What’s so bad about collecting some old books or magazines? Or old furniture? Or clothes that don’t fit anymore? Or appliances that don’t work? Or rusty bicycles? Or games with missing pieces, or printers that don’t print? Or TVs that don’t work, or… On and on and on it goes, but you get the point.

And the result of too much Clutter is too much stress. More stress to pile on top of all the other pressure that modern life generates all on its own. And what does stress do to us humans? Well, there are mental and physical effects and, guess what? None of them are good.

• Stress Can Cause Mental Health Issues
• ​Anxiety and Depression
• ​Insomnia and Irritability
• ​Concentration and Memory
• Stress Can Cause Physical Health Issues
• ​Cardiovascular and Respiratory
• ​Digestive and Immune System
• ​Sleep and Musculoskeletal Disorders

How Can I De-Clutter?

De-Cluttering is a simple, straightforward process that typically requires only modest physical strength and conditioning. You will need a method or a process to follow in order to categorize your possessions, collect those destined for removal, and eliminate all the items that are eventually deemed “Clutter.” You will also require a means of transporting all the Clutter, once identified, and sorted, to the recycling or refuse center that services your municipality.

Its generally good practice to check beforehand with your local Recycling/Refuse Center to identify any specific steps, requirements, or approvals that you’ll need to follow.

Once you decide that Clutter is a problem for you, the process itself is not that complicated. Here are three basic steps to follow:

Organize the Job Decide the sequence of rooms and storage that you will tackle in the order in which you’ll perform them. Plan how you’ll gather, transport, and discard the items that are eventually designated as Clutter.

Establish Retention Criteria The “Three Pile Method” rates items based on their future usefulness: “Useful,” “Useless,” and “Not Sure.” You can even designate a fourth category for items past their useful life but with a potential monetary or “usage” value the item might have for someone else if donated.

Commit The Time We all know that plans are “a dime a dozen” until they’re actually executed. Pick specific dates and times for the job and organize any assistance you’ll need ahead of time. Whether it’s just an additional pair of hands or a friend with a truck, get the commitment in advance.

Don’t Delay – You Don’t Need To Do It Alone

If you are very fortunate, you already have access to a truck and can easily enlist help from a couple friends or relatives. Hey, good for you and God bless! But if you are not so fortunate, there are several providers of both Gutter cleaning and De-Cluttering services in Monmouth County, NJ.

If you decide to engage a provider, do it the old-fashioned way: get a few references from past customers – and check them out. Past performance is one of the best ways to predict future performance, so if you decide to get help from an outsider, be sure to get an estimate from All Clean Exteriors today. You can reach them at (732) 570-4923 or online at www.allcleanexteriorsnj.com.