Your gutters are a vital part of both your roofing system and your home as a whole. They benefit your house in many ways and when they’re not clean, your home can sustain costly damage from your roof. Here are a few problems that can result from clogged and dirty gutters.

Mold, Flooding, and Foundational Damage Water damage is a common problem that arises from not cleaning your gutters. It can lead to mold and mildew, structural damage, electrical problems, fire damage, and even health problems if left unattended. If your gutters are clogged and not draining properly, water can back up and leak into your basement. This can cause serious damage to your home, including ruined insulation and mold growth.

Clogged gutters can become breeding grounds for mold and mildew growth. The wood framing around windows, doors, and decks is also susceptible to wood rot if it stays wet for long periods of time. If gutters aren’t cleaned regularly, this can happen quickly and cause major structural damage to your home’s exterior. In serious cases, water can seep into your foundation, leading to damp walls and cracks that can be incredibly expensive to repair.

Damage to Landscaping, Roof Shingles, and Home Aesthetics A gutter system is designed to channel rainwater away from the foundation of your home. If clogged gutters or downspouts allow water to back up against the foundation, it can cause erosion and damage to your landscaping. The same goes for basement walls and crawl spaces — they can be damaged by water that backs up around them.

Shingles protect against moisture getting into the interior of the house through leaks in the roof, so when they get damaged by debris in the gutter system, they can’t do their job properly anymore. If this goes on long enough, it could lead to a complete replacement of all shingles, which is an expense that most homeowners would like to avoid.

Over time, paint will begin to peel off due to moisture damage caused by rainwater running down the walls of your house. Backed up water that comes from clogged gutters adds