The Service That Pays for Itself in One Hurricane
Gutter cleaning is one of those services homeowners put off until something goes wrong — usually overflow during a heavy rain that ends up cascading down a wall, infiltrating a soffit, or pooling against the foundation. By the time you're seeing water where it shouldn't be, the gutters have been clogged for months or years. The fix isn't dramatic, but it has to be done before the next big storm event, not after.
South Florida is uniquely hard on gutters. Daily afternoon thunderstorms during summer drop enormous water volumes that test the entire gutter system. Hurricane season produces both extreme rain and an extreme amount of organic debris — palm fronds, palm seeds, oak leaves, ficus berries — all of which find their way into gutters and clog them. Tropical storm or hurricane runoff can fill a gutter system in a single event. By the time the storm ends, you might already have water damage that took months to develop into something visible.
What's Inside Your Gutters
- Oak leaves (every fall, but trees can drop year-round in South Florida)
- Palm seeds and small palm fronds (year-round)
- Ficus berries and their sticky residue
- Pine needles in zip codes with mature pines
- Granular sediment (especially the gritty residue from asphalt shingle weathering)
- Roof tile fragments and sand
- Downspout-clogging debris balls in the elbows
Our Gutter Cleaning Process
Every gutter job starts with a perimeter walk and ladder setup. We work the entire gutter run section by section, removing debris by hand and bagging it for disposal. We don't use leaf blowers in gutters because they tend to scatter debris into the yard and onto the roof rather than removing it — manual hand-removal is messier but more thorough. After the trough is clear, we flush every downspout with high-flow water to confirm clear drainage. If a downspout is clogged, we work it loose with a snake or a flexible auger.
While we're up there, we visually inspect the gutter system — hanger condition, fascia attachment, evidence of pulling away, rust spots, separated joints, and pipe boot condition where downspouts meet the ground. Anything that looks like it needs attention we document and discuss with you. We don't do gutter repair as part of cleaning, but we can recommend trusted local gutter contractors if repair is needed.
Hurricane Season Schedule
The single most cost-effective gutter schedule in South Florida is twice a year — once in late spring before hurricane season starts (typically May or June), and once in late fall after the season winds down (October or November). The pre-season cleaning ensures your gutters can handle what's coming. The post-season cleaning removes the debris a wet hurricane season produces. Homes with heavy tree cover often add a third cleaning in the deep winter when oak and ficus drop the most.
Bundling With Gutter Brightening & House Wash
The interior of the gutters (this service) and the exterior brightening of the visible gutter face (a separate service) are two different jobs that we frequently combine into one visit. Both involve being up at the gutter line; doing them together saves the equipment setup time and gives you a complete gutter refresh. House wash plus interior gutter clean plus exterior gutter brightening is one of our most-booked bundles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Twice a year — once before hurricane season, once after. Homes with significant tree cover need it three or four times a year.
We bag and dispose of debris. Smaller amounts go in yard waste; larger amounts (post-hurricane) we haul away.
Yes — we visually inspect during cleaning and document anything that needs repair.
Yes. Every gutter cleaning includes a high-flow flush of every downspout to confirm clear drainage.
That's a separate service — gutter brightening — we can quote both together. See our gutter brightening page.
A typical single-story home takes 1-2 hours. Two-story homes take longer.