How often to clean gutters in Florida comes down to your trees: twice a year for most homes, in spring and fall, and three or four times a year for a house under big oaks or pines. Here more than half of the year's rain falls from June to September, mostly in afternoon storms, so a clear gutter matters more than it does up north.
The short answer
- Most homes: twice a year, in spring (March to May) and fall (October to December).
- Under live oaks, laurel oaks or pines: three or four times a year, adding a cleaning after the heaviest leaf or needle drop.
- Gutter guards: once a year for a check and a brush off, and the downspouts flushed.
- After a big storm: a look from the ground, and a cleaning if you see debris hanging over the edge.
Why Florida gutters fill so fast
Florida trees do not drop their leaves all at once in autumn the way northern trees do. Live oaks shed their old leaves in late winter and spring as the new ones push out, so a spring cleaning catches the heaviest drop of the year. Pines shed needles through the fall, and needles knit together into a mat that holds water. Then the rainy season arrives in June, with afternoon storms that can dump an inch of rain in an hour, and a half full gutter cannot keep up.
Signs your gutters need cleaning
- Water spilling over the front edge in a rain, or pouring out at the corners
- Plants or seedlings growing out of the gutter
- A gutter sagging or pulling away from the fascia
- Dark streaks or peeling paint on the fascia behind the gutter
- Water pooling at the foundation, or soil washed out under a downspout
- Standing water in the gutter days after a rain, which is where mosquitoes breed
What a clogged gutter does to a house
When a gutter is full, rain does not just spill over the front. It backs up behind the gutter and runs down the fascia board, and on a roof without good drip edge it wicks under the shingles at the edge. Over a season or two the fascia rots, the edge of the roof deck softens, and the gutter loses its grip and sags. Water dumped at the foundation erodes the yard, splashes the walls and can reach a slab or crawl space. Every one of those repairs costs more than a cleaning.
Do it yourself, or have it done
A one story home with a short run of gutter is a reasonable weekend job: a sturdy ladder, gloves, a scoop and a hose to flush the downspouts. Never climb onto a wet roof, and leave a two story home or a steep roof to a professional. When we do it, our gutter cleaning also puts our own roofing team's eyes on the whole roof while we are up there, free, with photos of anything worth knowing about.
Make it automatic
If you would rather not keep track, the roof maintenance plan cleans your gutters every spring and fall and checks the whole roof at the same visits, with a dated photo report each time. For what to check on the rest of the roof through the year, see our Florida roof maintenance checklist, and before storm season, our guide to preparing your roof for hurricane season.
When is the best time to clean gutters in Florida?
In spring, once the live oaks have dropped their old leaves, usually March to May, and again in fall, October to December, after the summer storms and once the pine needles are down.
Do gutter guards mean I never have to clean my gutters?
No. Guards keep most leaves out and stretch the time between cleanings, but fine debris and pine needles still build up on top of them and in the downspouts. Check them at least once a year.
Can I clean my own gutters?
On a one story home with a sturdy ladder, many people do. Ladder falls send hundreds of thousands of people to the emergency room every year, so have someone hold the ladder, stay off a wet roof, and leave a two story home to a professional.
Is gutter cleaning worth it if my gutters look fine from the ground?
A gutter can look clear from the yard and still be packed at the downspout outlet, where most clogs start. Watch it during a heavy rain: water spilling over the front edge means it is time.
The service: Gutter cleaning