What Exactly Is Gutter Brightening?
While not everyone can do it themselves, most homeowners understand the fundamental principle behind gutter cleaning- when your gutters and downspouts get clogged up with debris, they've gotta be cleaned out. However, fewer people are familiar with the term "gutter brightening."
This leaves many people with questions: "Is gutter brightening an essential service?" "How often do I need to have it done?" "What exactly is gutter brightening, anyway?" We hope to answer all these questions and more with this helpful article!
The Basics Of Gutter Brightening
Gutter cleaning concerns issues and mess inside of your gutters. However, most generic gutter cleaning services don't tackle the exteriors of your gutters. Therefore, many pressure washing and exterior cleaning companies offer a separate gutter brightening service to fill that gap. The reason why this service is desirable is simple: the exteriors of your gutters get messy too.
The most common cosmetic issue people face with their gutters is called gutter striping, although the slang terms "tiger stripes" or "zebra stripes" are often used too. A lot of nasty substances like pollen, dirt, roof tar, tree sap, mold, and other stuff combine with water and drip down over the sides of your gutters. Exposed to the sun and the open air, they oxidize and get baked into the metal of your gutters. This makes them very hard to clean off, and they may seem like permanent fixtures of older gutters.
Gutter brightening is NOT painting over those stripes, coating them with any other type of finish, nor altering the original color of your gutters at all - instead, it is a cleaning service that breaks down the strong chemical bond that keeps the stripes stuck to your gutters. We do this using a special detergent designed to break down and lift oxidized stains, and with a bit of elbow grease, scrubbing, and pressure washing, we can eventually make those obnoxious stains disappear.
Is Gutter Brightening An Essential Service?
Typically, it's not an essential service in the way that, say, gutter cleaning, driveway washing, or roof cleaning is. While gutter stains are a nuisance, they usually don't present any serious structural hazard to your home. However, their presence is a detriment to your curb appeal, which could be problematic if you're trying to maximize your home's attractiveness- especially before a big step like putting your home on the real estate market. In these situations, good curb appeal is a big competitive edge, and gutter brightening can help you achieve it!
How Often Do I Need Gutter Brightening?
Because it's not a regular maintenance service, there's no set time frame wherein it "needs" to be done- it's just an "as-needed" service. Anytime you do want to take advantage of Southern Suds Softwash's excellent gutter brightening service, though, we look forward to taking your call at 434-548-4893.