Gutter cleaning in Lewiston, ID

Most homes need their gutters cleaned once a year, in late fall after the leaves are down. Houses with pine trees or heavy tree cover nearby usually need a second cleaning in late winter, before the March to May wet season. Lewiston Rain Gutters cleans gutters and downspouts on homes and commercial buildings anywhere in the city.

Signs your gutters are clogged

You can usually tell a gutter is clogged without climbing up to look. The giveaway is water going over the edge of the gutter instead of out the bottom of the downspout.

Overflow in a light rain. A clean gutter handles a light rain easily. If it spills over in a drizzle, something is blocking the outlet.
A silent downspout. During a steady rain you should hear and see water coming out the bottom. Little or none means a clog in the outlet, an elbow, or the pipe.
Water spraying from a downspout joint. Water backed up behind a clog at an elbow forces its way out of the seams.
Plants growing out of the gutter. Grass, weeds, or tree seedlings mean there's enough wet debris in there to grow in.
A gutter that has started to sag. Wet leaves and sediment are heavy. A full gutter can pull its hangers loose.
Birds, wasps, or mosquitoes around the eaves. Packed debris and standing water make a nesting and breeding spot.
Dark, gritty sludge at the downspout outlet. That's often roof granules mixed with leaf debris, and it settles into a heavy layer in the bottom of the trough.

A rain gutter packed with leaves and debris — A gutter packed with leaves, and a cleaned-out gutter.

A rain gutter cleaned out and empty — A gutter packed with leaves, and a cleaned-out gutter.

What a clog costs you if it stays

A clogged gutter overflows, and the overflow does damage. Water spilling over the front lands right along the foundation, which is where you least want it. Water spilling over the back runs down behind the gutter and soaks the fascia board, which leads to rot and eventually to fascia and soffit repair. And the extra weight of wet debris is one of the most common reasons gutters sag and pull away from the house.

Granules in the gutter tell you something too. Asphalt shingles shed some granules all their life, but a sudden heavy layer can be a sign of an aging roof. We'll mention it if we see a lot of it.

What a proper gutter cleaning includes

Clearing the leaves out of the trough is only half of a gutter cleaning. If the downspouts are still packed, the gutter will overflow at the next rain anyway. A complete cleaning covers the whole path the water takes.

Clear the troughs by hand

Leaves, needles, and sediment are scooped out of every run, including the corners and the area around each outlet where debris piles up.
Flush the gutters

Water is run through each run to wash out fine sediment and to see whether it flows to the outlet or sits in low spots.
Clear the downspouts

Each downspout is flushed from the top. A stubborn clog in an elbow may need to be cleared with a snake or by taking the elbow apart.
Check while up there

With the gutters empty, it's the easiest time to spot leaking corners, loose hangers, low spots, and damage. You hear about anything we find.
Clean up below

Debris that falls during the cleaning is picked up from walks, beds, and the driveway.

Gutters with guards

Gutter guards stretch the time between cleanings. Fine debris and roof granules still get through many screen and mesh styles, and leaves can mat on top of them. Cleaning a guarded gutter means removing or lifting the guards, cleaning underneath, and putting them back, which takes longer than an open gutter.

Underground drain lines

If your downspouts run into buried pipe, a clog can sit underground where you can't see it. Water backing up out of the downspout connection is the usual sign. Clearing buried lines is covered on our downspouts and drain lines page.

How long it takes

A one-story house with open gutters is typically a couple of hours. Two stories, steep roofs, guards, or badly packed downspouts add time.

Before we arrive

Unlock side gates, move cars and patio furniture away from the eaves, and keep pets inside. Let us know when you call if you have gutter guards or underground drains.

How footage, height, and debris set a cleaning price

Gutter cleaning is priced mainly on how much gutter there is, how high it is, and how much debris is in it. A one-story ranch with open gutters cleaned every year is a quick job. A two-story house with guards and gutters that haven't been touched in years isn't.

Length of gutter and number of downspouts
Number of stories and roof pitch, which decide how the ladder work is set up
How full the gutters are: a year of leaves versus several years of packed sediment
Gutter guards that have to be removed and reinstalled
Downspout clogs that need more than a flush
Buried drain lines that also need clearing

We give you the price once we know the house. Regular cleanings tend to be quicker, because the debris never has time to pack down.

Lewiston's dry summers make gutter debris a fire risk too

Lewiston has a semi-arid climate with about 42 days a year at 90°F or above, according to NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals. Leaves and pine needles left in a gutter through a hot, dry summer turn into dry kindling sitting right at the roof edge.

Wildfire safety guidance from the NFPA's Firewise USA program lists clearing dead leaves, debris, and pine needles from roofs and gutters as a first step in protecting a home, because that material can catch blowing embers.

What that means for timing: a late fall cleaning clears the leaves before winter and spring rains. A quick late spring or early summer check on houses near pines or heavy tree cover removes what fell since, so the gutters aren't holding dry debris through the hottest months.

When a clogged gutter becomes urgent

A clogged gutter can usually wait for a scheduled visit. It becomes urgent when the overflow is getting into the house or the gutter is about to come down.

Overflow is pouring into a basement window well, stairwell, or crawlspace vent during a storm
A gutter loaded with wet debris or ice is visibly pulling away from the fascia
Water from an overflowing gutter is coming in around a window or door below it

For any of these, call us at any hour. We'll tell you how soon we can get there. Don't climb onto a wet roof or a ladder in the rain to clear it yourself. A bucket or tarp to redirect the worst of the water away from a window well is the safer stopgap.

Call (208) 858-8002

The first rain tells you if it worked

The first good rain after a cleaning tells you whether the system is working. Water should come out of every downspout, and nothing should spill over the front edge. If one section still overflows, that run likely has a slope problem rather than a clog, and gutter repair to reset it is the fix.

Cutting down how often you clean

If you're cleaning more than twice a year, gutter guards are worth a look. The right type for your trees can stretch the time between cleanings. Larger downspouts also help, since they let more debris pass through instead of clogging. Lewiston Rain Gutters cleans gutters across the whole city; see where we work.

Asked before booking a cleaning

How often should gutters be cleaned in Lewiston?

At least once a year, in late fall after the leaves drop. Houses near pines or with heavy tree cover usually need a second cleaning in late winter or early spring, before the wettest months of March through May.

Can I clean my own gutters?

On a one-story house with a sound ladder and a helper, many homeowners do. The risk is the ladder work, especially on two-story houses and steep or wet roofs. If you do it yourself, don't lean the ladder on the gutter, and don't forget to flush the downspouts.

Do you clean gutters that have guards on them?

Yes. The guards are lifted or removed, the gutter is cleaned underneath, and the guards are put back. Tell us about the guards when you call so we can plan for the extra time.

Are the downspouts cleaned too?

Yes. A gutter cleaning that leaves the downspouts packed will overflow at the next rain, so each downspout is flushed as part of the job.

What if you find damage while cleaning?

We tell you what we found, such as a leaking corner, a loose hanger, or a low spot, and explain what it would take to fix. Repairs are a separate decision for you to make.

Do you clean gutters on commercial buildings?

Yes. Commercial gutters are often larger and higher, so access is planned ahead of time. See our commercial gutter page for more on that work.

Schedule a gutter cleaning

Call Lewiston Rain Gutters at (208) 858-8002. Tell us whether the house is one or two stories, roughly when the gutters were last cleaned, and whether you have guards or buried drains, and we'll set a time. If a cleaning shows your gutters are past saving, Lewiston Rain Gutters also installs new seamless gutters, and we can talk about that too.