Spring Home Maintenance – Unclogging Downspouts

Spring has official set in around here and it’s time to get our outdoor home maintenance. During the spring season I like to clean out our rain gutters and downspouts from any debris that accumulated in them during the fall and winter seasons. For the most part…it’s leaves, small twigs and tons of pine needles!

The left side of our property has 4 old pine trees that shed their pine needles like crazy!!! Those pine needles litter our yard and make a mess. Every Spring I have to spend time raking up the pine needles and cleaning them out of all sorts of things! First up…the rain gutters and downspouts.

I will get up onto the roof and shoot water down through the gutters and downspouts to flush them out. If the debris is packed in there tightly…I’ll use our pressure washer to flush it out. You wouldn’t believe how many leaves, twigs and pine needles come flooding out. It’s always a mess! However, it’s necessary. You don’t want to have them all clogged up with the rainy and storm seasons upon us.

You can rake up all of that mess and bag it up as yard debris. Our township will swing by on certain days and pick it up. Or…if your property is large enough…you can make a debris pile. Just be forewarned that debris piles attract all sorts of animals and critters you might not want on your property. Pick which option works best for you. You don’t want piles of the pine needles lying around on your lawn as they can kill your grass.

Getting outside into the fresh air and sunshine is always welcomed after the long winter season but this is one house chore that I don’t enjoy doing. Maybe next year…I’ll hire a professional to do it for me.