Gutter Cleaning in Portland, OR & Vancouver, WA
Gutters and downspouts cleared of leaves, needles, and moss — before the rain finds the clog.
Gutters cleaned by hand and downspouts flushed so water actually drains — debris bagged and hauled away, roof edge checked while we're up there, and photos of the result so you don't have to climb the ladder to see it.
What's Included
- Gutter debris removal
- Downspout flushing
- Moss & needle cleanout
- Debris haul-away
- Single & two-story homes
- Before & after photos
What We Install & Repair
A full gutter cleaning, not a leaf-blower pass. We scoop the troughs by hand, bag everything, flush every downspout until water runs free at the bottom, and check what decides whether the system works: pitch, hangers, seams. The enemy here is rarely just leaves — fir and pine needles mat into a dense felt water cannot pass through, and rain never rinses it out. Single and two-story homes; anything taller is outside our ladder range.
- Hand-scooping and bagging of all debris
- Downspout flushing with flow check at the outlet
- Needle mat and moss cleanout
- Pitch and hanger check along every run
- Minor hanger re-seating while we are up there
- Before and after photos of every section
Common Problems We Solve
Overflow at roof valleys in hard rain
Valleys funnel two roof planes into one short stretch of gutter, so debris packs there first and overflows worst. We clear those sections thoroughly and check whether the gutter is pitched to take the surge.
A sagging run holding standing water
Standing water after a dry day means lost pitch — usually hangers pulled loose from wet fascia. We re-seat or add hangers to restore the fall. If the fascia is too soft to hold a screw, that is a wood repair, not a hanger problem.
A downspout clogged out of sight
We flush from the top and confirm flow at the bottom; most clogs sit in the elbows and clear with pressure. If water backs up where the downspout enters an underground pipe, the clog is below grade — drain jetting territory, not ours.
Tiger-striping down the gutter face
Those gray streaks are bonded grime and oxidation — a cleanout does not remove them. That takes a scrub with the right cleaner, which we can quote as part of a pressure-washing visit.
Moss creeping over the roof edge
We clear what fell into the gutter and photograph what is growing on the shingle edge. Treating roof moss is work we stay off — a roofer should look, especially if shingle edges are lifting.
How It Works
Set up and inspect
Ladder footed properly, with standoffs so the gutter lip never carries the ladder's weight. We look down each run first — debris depth, standing water, pulled hangers.
Scoop and bag
Everything comes out by hand into bags: leaves, needle felt, moss, shingle grit. Nothing gets blown into the yard or flushed down to become the next clog.
Flush and verify
Every downspout gets water run through until it flows clean at the outlet — the step cheap cleanings skip. A spotless trough draining into a blocked downspout still overflows in the first storm.
Fix the small stuff, report the rest
Loose hangers get re-seated on the spot. Anything bigger — soft fascia, roof-edge moss — gets photographed and explained, with an honest read on whether it needs us, a carpenter, or a roofer.
What's Not Included
- Roof repairs — lifted shingles, flashing, or roof-surface moss get referred to a roofer. Gutter work is not roof work.
- Fascia or soffit rot replacement — we show you the soft spots; rebuilding them is a carpentry job we quote separately.
- Underground drain lines — clearing those takes jetting or excavation by a drain contractor. We flush to the outlet and report what we see.
- Homes above two stories — beyond our safe ladder range, no exceptions.
What Affects the Price
- Linear feet and stories
- Total gutter length sets the base; second-story runs take longer per foot because of ladder moves.
- Debris load
- A light seasonal topping scoops fast; years of compacted needle felt with moss rooted in it is a different job.
- Gutter guards
- Guards that must come off and go back on roughly double the handling time per run — and needles still get past most of them.
- Downspout count
- Each one gets flushed and verified; more of them, or ones packed through multiple elbows, add time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often do gutters need cleaning in the Pacific Northwest?
Twice a year for most homes — late fall after the leaves finish, and late spring after the conifer needles drop. Needles fall nearly year-round and mat into a felt water cannot cross, so a single autumn cleaning leaves that felt sitting through nine months of rain.
Do you actually flush the downspouts?
Yes, every one, until water flows clean at the bottom — if not, we open the elbows to find the clog. Downspouts are where most drainage failures live, so the flush is part of the job, not an add-on.
Can you fix a sagging gutter run?
Usually, yes. Most sags are a few hangers pulled loose from the fascia; re-seating or adding hangers restores the pitch the same visit. The exception is rotted fascia — the wood needs repairing first, a carpentry job we quote separately.
Are gutter guards worth it here?
They help, but they are not maintenance-free. Fir needles work through or lie flat on most guards, and debris piled on top still blocks water. Guards stretch the cleaning interval; they do not eliminate it. Keep them, just do not expect them to retire the ladder.
Water backs up where my downspout enters the ground — can you fix that?
We can confirm that is where the problem is. If the downspout flows freely but water rises back out of the underground fitting, the clog is in the buried line — jetting or excavation, a drain contractor's work. We report exactly what we saw.
Areas We Cover
Free estimate
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Tell us what you need and we'll get back to you with a quote. Photos welcome.