when do you usually tackle gutter cleaning?

"I've seen plenty of gutters that look clean up top but have sneaky clogs hiding further down..."

Yeah, learned this the hard way last fall. Thought I was good after clearing the leaves, but a hidden clog in the downspout caused overflow during a heavy rain. Definitely worth checking those sneaky spots occasionally...

I'm new to all this home maintenance stuff - do you guys usually just eyeball it, or is there a good way to check deeper down the spout? After reading this:

"Thought I was good after clearing the leaves, but a hidden clog in the downspout caused overflow..."

I'm thinking maybe running water through with a hose occasionally might help catch those sneaky clogs?

Running water through with a hose is definitely helpful, but honestly, I've learned the hard way not to trust just eyeballing it. A couple years back, I cleared out all the leaves and figured I was good to go. Fast forward to the next heavy rainstorm, and I'm standing on my porch watching water spill over the gutters like Niagara Falls. Turns out there was a tennis ball stuck halfway down the spout - no idea how it got there, probably kids next door.

Ever since then, I do a quick hose test after cleaning. If the water runs smoothly out the bottom, I'm golden. If it backs up or trickles slowly, I know there's still something hiding in there. It's a bit of extra work, sure, but way better than dealing with water damage or having to climb up there again in the middle of a storm...

Do you usually just do the hose test from the top, or have you tried checking from the bottom too? I sometimes shine a flashlight up from below - caught a frisbee that way once, no joke...

"I sometimes shine a flashlight up from below - caught a frisbee that way once, no joke..."

Haha, that's awesome. I've mostly done the hose test from the top, but now you've got me curious. Last fall, I found a tennis ball and a bunch of soggy leaves clogging mine - no wonder the water was overflowing. Might try your flashlight trick next time; sounds easier than climbing up and down the ladder repeatedly. Thanks for the tip!