Gutters • Cleaning & Brightening
Cleaning What's Inside the Gutter, and the Streaks You See From the Street
Clogged gutters and black-streaked fascia are two separate problems. One is about moving water away from your home; the other is about how your whole roofline reads from the curb. We handle both, and we're clear about which one you need.
The Approach
Gutter cleaning: the inside job
Gutters exist to move water off your roofline and away from your foundation. When leaves, shingle grit, and maple helicopters pack the channel and downspouts, water overflows where it shouldn't, against fascia, siding, and planting beds.
Cleaning means clearing the channel and verifying water flows through the downspouts, not just scooping a hole in the middle of the matted debris.
Gutter brightening: the outside job
Those dark vertical stripes on the gutter face, often called tiger stripes, are bonded grime: a mix of tar/asphalt runoff from the roof, electrostatically clinging dirt, and oxidation that a garden hose or house wash simply won't lift. It's a stubborn, chemistry-driven stain.
Brightening applies professional exterior cleaners designed for that specific bonding, carefully worked at the gutter face. It makes a dramatic difference on most gutters, but honesty matters here: heavily oxidized or painted gutters that have never been maintained may not return to like-new, and we'll tell you where yours stands before starting.
Which one do you need?
If water is spilling over the sides, you need the inside cleaned. If the roofline reads dark and streaky from the street, you need the outside brightened. Plenty of homes need both, and both can be combined with a house wash or roof cleaning on the same visit.
Common Questions
Gutter Cleaning & Brightening FAQs
Something else on your mind? Call us or send the estimate form, real answers, no pressure.
What's the difference between gutter cleaning and gutter brightening?
Cleaning clears debris from inside the gutter channel and checks downspout flow. Brightening treats the dark exterior streaking (tiger stripes) on the gutter face. Different surfaces, different methods, many homes need both.
Why won't a house wash remove the black stripes on my gutters?
Tiger stripes are bonded grime, asphalt runoff and dirt clinging to a oxidizing aluminum surface. Ordinary washing solution glides over it. Removal takes targeted professional cleaners and careful agitation at the gutter face.
Will brightening make old gutters look brand new?
Often dramatically better, yes. But heavily oxidized or previously painted gutters may keep some shadowing. We assess your gutters and give you an honest expectation before you commit.
Do you clean up the debris?
Yes, debris removed from gutters is taken with us or bagged, not left in your beds.
Related services
Free Estimate
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Free estimates, straightforward pricing, and surface-specific methods, tell us what needs attention and we'll take it from there.