How to Keep Leaves Out of Your Gutters

Gutters play a crucial role in rain run-off and drainage for your house. They control the flow of the water to make sure it ends up in a spot away from your house to reduce the potential of water damage due to precipitation. It is a simple yet effective feature of the home that has proven itself to be essential to most climates over the many years gutters have been employed.

The fact that they are still considered a given in home design is proof enough of this. Unfortunately there are still some old obstacles that continue to plague the usefulness of gutters: build-up to be specific. Due to this, unclogging gutters is a necessary activity when you own a house. This happens because of debris falling in, and is especially necessary in autumn when the leaves fall. These are the biggest offenders when it comes to clogged gutters but there is always the odd surprise too, like a kid’s toy or an animal.

While common sense to most people, it is worth stating that clogged gutters cannot be left that way. Leaving them clogged will result in water pooling within them. If this happens your home is at risk of moisture seeping into the attic and even the foundation of the structure. This will offers a prime situation for mold and mildew to grow, and creates a far bigger problem than clogged gutters. There are however some tips and tricks every roofing contractor would give you to reduce this risk.

Trimming Branches

This is often the first thing people due to save their gutters from clogging. It is also the simplest and most cost effective. All it refers to is annually trimming branches away from the roof and gutters so that they are more likely to only fall on the ground rather than the home. It is often unrealistic to remove them all, but doing as many as possible will make a huge difference.

This can actually be a good thing to do for your whole house if there are big trees with heavy branches. Removing these manually ensures that they will not one day fall and severely damage the home. Despite these benefits though, and while it is very effective in regards to gutters, this strategy is unfortunately imperfect. Wind and other factors can do their part to make leaves and twigs end up in the gutters. That being said, it is a good place to start and should be used in conjunction with another method.

Gutter Guards

The name accurately describes this tool. They are mesh coverings that can be installed over the top of the gutters and eavestroughs. The mesh allows water to run in properly while keeping out leaves and other debris. These mesh guards are very effective at keeping your gutters clean. The roof itself still will require regular cleaning even with these guards.

The roof will still need to have branches and leaves removed in order to prevent potential damage. This is preferable and easier to cleaning gutters though. The leaves will not be wet as they often are found in gutters. A good solution for homeowners who find themselves with little time for yard work is to use a combination of branch trimming and mesh guards.

The one downfall of these mesh covers arise when there is an extremely heavy rainfall. In these cases the mesh can become clogged by some water while the rest flows over it onto those walking by below.

No Gutters

This isn’t suggested to most people, but there are options available for alternative methods of moving rainwater away from the foundation. It requires a little research, but this is most often seen in regions that see little rainfall. Removing gutters would be best in a semi-desert or desert climate.

Gutter Cap

This option tends to be very effective. It operates with the same principle as the mesh guards, the difference is that it is made of a hard plastic or metal rather than mesh. Small holes let water in while rejecting debris and the material makes it more durable as well. These are good options when replacing the gutters of your house. They can be installed on your own or by the dealer or a roofing contractor.


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