Ask House Spouse · Exterior & Weatherproofing · Gutters & Downspouts
How much does it cost to have gutters professionally cleaned?
Short answer
For a typical single-story home, gutter cleaning often fits within our minimum half-day handyman visit, which costs $580 plus a $99 trip charge. Larger or two-story homes with more debris might take longer, adding to the cost at our standard hourly rate. This service includes clearing all gutters, flushing downspouts, and a basic inspection.
What a Professional Gutter Cleaning Includes
A professional service goes beyond just scooping out leaves. Our process includes manually removing all heavy debris from gutters, snakes, and flushing all downspouts with water to ensure they are completely clear of blockages. We also perform a visual inspection of your gutter system, checking for loose fasteners, failing sealant, and proper drainage. Finally, we bag up all the debris and clean up any mess on the ground below.
Why Gutter Cleaning is Critical in the PNW
In our relentlessly rainy climate, clogged gutters are not a minor inconvenience; they are a direct threat to your home's integrity. When water overflows, it runs down siding, soaks fascia boards causing wood rot, and pools against your foundation, which can lead to costly basement leaks and structural damage. In a cold snap, clogged gutters can also cause ice dams that push water up under your shingles, damaging the roof deck.
Factors That Increase Gutter Cleaning Time
Several variables can extend the time needed for a thorough cleaning. Homes surrounded by tall fir trees often have gutters packed with dense, heavy needles and roof grit. Steeply pitched roofs require more time for safety setups and working from ladders. The presence of 'gutter guards' can also ironically add time, as they must be removed, cleaned, and reinstalled to get to the sludge underneath.
Bundle Gutter Cleaning and Save
Since our handyman services are billed by the half-day, it's cost-effective to bundle gutter cleaning with other seasonal tasks. While we're on-site and the ladders are out, we can also apply moss treatment to your roof, wash exterior windows, inspect siding for any needed repairs, or caulk gaps around windows and doors to prepare for winter.
Why it happens
The cost for gutter cleaning is based on the time and risk involved, not just a flat per-foot rate. Key factors include the height of the house (a one-story is much faster and safer than a two-story), the steepness of the roof, the total linear feet of gutters, and the type of debris. In the Pacific Northwest, wet, compacted fir needles and roof sediment create a heavy sludge that takes significantly more labor to remove than dry autumn leaves.
How to diagnose it
- 1Assess the height: Is your home a single story, or is it two or more stories requiring tall extension ladders?
- 2Check the roof pitch: Is it a low-slope roof that's safe to walk on, or is it steep, meaning all work must be done from a ladder?
- 3Look for visible overflow: Can you see leaves, pine needles, or small plants spilling over the edges of the gutters from the ground?
- 4Note the accessibility: Are there fences, delicate landscaping, or steep drop-offs around the house that will make placing ladders difficult and time-consuming?
- 5Identify any existing gutter guards: Cleaning under gutter guards adds significant time to the job.
DIY vs. professional
DIY-friendly if…
DIY gutter cleaning is possible on a single-story home if you are comfortable working on a ladder and have the proper safety equipment.
Call a pro when…
Call a pro for any two-story work, homes on steep slopes, or if you're not confident with ladder safety, as a fall can be catastrophic.
Cost expectations
$580–$1,200typical WA labor + materials
Based on our $580 half-day minimum for a standard job. Larger, multi-story homes or those with heavy debris can require a full day.
Every House Spouse job is quoted in writing before we start. 12-month workmanship warranty included.
What we see on Home Health Assessments
Around 74% of PNW roofs we assess show active moss establishment — accelerates shingle wear by an estimated 3–5 years if untreated.
Caught early on assessment: $220–$650 · Left until failure: $3,500–$22,000
A Home Health Assessment proactively checks your gutters and downspouts before the rainy season hits. We'll identify clogs, check for proper slope and secure fasteners, and spot potential overflow issues that could damage your siding or foundation.
How the Home Health Assessment worksServices we'd bring to this job
Especially common in these neighborhoods
We see this often on assessments across these Snohomish and King County cities we serve.