Avoid costly damage with a quick cleaning of your gutters. Once the autumn leaves have fallen don’t forget to check your gutters. If you haven’t checked them in a while you’ll find that they might be growing moss or even grass. At the very least, they’ll probably be full of leaves that in time can block them up.

Blocked or debris-cluttered gutters can lead to water damage around your foundation. Saturated soils in extreme cases will cause your foundation to settle or exert pressure on basement walls leading to cracks or bulges. The moss and leaf litter that sits in your gutters can also promote ice-buildup in the gutters that can bend, damage, or cause the failure of the gutter mounts.

Maintenance is easy. You can safely position a tall step ladder on single story homes, or use an extension ladder on two story homes. Leaves can be picked out by hand or blasted out with a hose or pressure washer. To safely clear debris from the ground—skipping the ladder altogether—you can find specially curved and telescoping wands for your garden hose or pressure water.