How Much Does Gutter Cleaning Cost?

Common Range: $140 – $460

National Average: $185

Updated: December 7, 2023. Written by: Steve Hansen

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Cost Range to Clean Gutters on Your House

For a Handyman or local gutter service company, expect to pay around $185 for cleaning and minor repairs. Three-story or multi-story homes, or those with a complex gutter system, can cost up to $460.

This price generally includes a local pro climbing on your roof and cleaning the gutters by hand. In many cases, they place the leaves and debris into garbage bags, which helps avoid a mess on the ground beneath your stopped up gutter. Once done, they will run water through the gutters and downspouts, refasten any sagging spots where water collects, and do a thorough cleanup. It usually takes 1-2 hours for gutter cleaning.

Average Costs

Average Do It Yourself cost
$0 to $40
Contractor Cost Range
$140 – $460
Typical Cost Average
$185

cleaning leaves and debris from rain gutter

Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Overview of Gutter Cleaning

When gutters fill with leaves and debris, rainwater overflows them and falls next to your home. It splashes and can damage fencing, wood siding, fiber cement siding and garage doors to discolor and possibly cause rot. In worst-case scenarios, it leaks through cracks in the foundation where it causes flooding, mold and water damage in a basement. If you have basement egress windows, the water could overflow the gutters and puddle in the wells or worse, seep into the basement. When water in clogged gutters freezes, the result is gutter damage, an avoidable expense. Gutters on homes with large trees nearby should be cleaned in the spring and after the leaves fall in autumn. (Learn about seasonal yard cleanup costs). Gutter guards are another option for those homes, and having large, overhanging tree limbs removed will reduce the leaf problem, however your gutters will still need to be inspected and cleaned at least annually. Where there are fewer trees, gutter cleaning can be done on an as-needed basis.

This page of Costimates gives you gutter cleaning costs, basic repairs, as well as gutter maintenance costs you may have to pay during semi-annual cleanings. If replacement is in your near future, jump right to our gutter cost calculator on the seamless gutter page. You’ll see they’re a fraction of the cost of replacing siding, rotten fascia boards, dealing with basement flooding or installing a French drain system and the damage plugged gutters can cause. All our cost estimates are itemized, providing greater detail and accuracy than you’ll find anywhere else.

Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Gutter Cleaning Cost Factors

How much does rain gutter cleaning cost? The price you’ll pay depends on factors related to the scope of the project.

  • Who Does the Work – If you clean your own gutters, your costs are limited to purchasing the tools you don’t already have. Keep in mind that working on a ladder or from the roof comes with a falling risk and potential serious injury, even if cleaning the gutters on a single-story home.
  • Linear Feet of Gutters – Many gutter cleaning companies have a set minimum fee for small homes with additional costs per linear foot for larger homes.
  • Amount of Debris – Some companies inspect the gutters and write an estimate based on how full of debris they are – the more debris, the higher the cleaning cost.
  • Clearing Downspouts – When debris is thick enough to clog downspouts, cleaning costs will rise by 20 to 30 percent.
  • Cleaning of Underground / Diversion Drains – Many homes connect their downspouts to an underground drain pipe to move it away from the foundation. If these drains are blocked, add a bit to your cost as well. If you recently purchased a home with these type of diverter downspouts, make sure they are not draining into your septic or leach field system, as it will cause it to fill up very quickly. (We’ve seen this, don’t laugh!)
  • Washing Gutter Exterior – Over time, gutters will accumulate stains on the exterior. Most gutter cleaning services offer an add-on of washing the exterior gutter face, to remove the stains.
  • Roof Steepness – Some professional gutter cleaners work from the roof when possible, an approach that goes much quicker and is less costly than having to move a ladder every 4-6 feet when steep roof pitch makes working from the roof unsafe.
  • Upper Stories with Gutters – Upper stories are more difficult and time-consuming to reach, so increased cost should be expected.
  • Repair and Replacement – To properly move water away from your home, gutters must be in good condition. If the cleaning process exposes damaged material, the cost will go up based on how many sections of gutter and downspout need to be repaired or replaced.

Cost of Gutter Cleaning & Maintenance Supplies

Here’s an itemized list of the items needed to clean, maintain and replace your gutters if you tackle the work yourself.

  • $25 – $50 | Tools used to clean gutters from the ground (though they can be difficult to use, don’t allow you to see whether all debris is gone and won’t clear fine debris)
  • $75 – $200 | Leaf blower with gutter attachment – but again, it doesn’t allow visual inspection of the cleaned gutters.
  • $40 – $65 | Gutter kit attachment if you already have backpack-type blower.
  • $85 – $165 | 8′-10’ aluminum or fiberglass step ladder
  • $160 – $270 | 24’ aluminum or fiberglass extension ladder
  • $4 – $8 | Garden trowel used to scoop out leaves and debris
  • $0 – $5 | Empty 5-gallon bucket to collect the debris as you clean gutters
  • $8 – $30 | Garden hose used to rinse gutters to remove fine debris
  • $9 – $15 | Protective gloves for working near sharp shingle edges
  • $0.90 – $1.40 per linear foot | Replacement aluminum and vinyl gutter and downspouts
  • $1.50 – $2.65 | Gutter supports/hanger, 1 needed every 36” in mild climates and 18” where ice buildup in gutters is possible
  • $4 – $7.50 per tube | Exterior silicon caulk to seal gutter connections to stop or prevent leaks
Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Permits, Inspection, Related Costs and Installation Time

Permits and Inspection Cost

  • $0 | No permit is required for this project in most communities, even when gutters are replaced. However, if your neighborhood has a homeowner’s association (HOA) that has strict bylaws, you should read them to discover if something as minor as changing the gutter color must be approved.

Related Costs and Labor

Let’s look at four related tasks: gutter cleaning prices, gutter guard installation, gutter repairs and complete gutter replacement. Some price guides base their estimates on the home’s square footage, but that approach doesn’t yield accurate estimates because gable ends don’t have gutters and homes with hip roofs have gutters on all sides. Knowing your home’s dimensions and knowing where gutters are located on single-story and multistory homes will produce accurate estimates using the costs below. Where your own costs fall on the spectrum below will be determined by the cost factors discussed earlier.

Gutter Cleaning:

  • $0.65-$0.95 per linear foot | Gutter cleaning, single story homes
  • $0.80-$1.45 per linear foot | Gutter cleaning, multistory homes
  • $25-$50 each | Removing debris and obstacles from heavily clogged downspouts

Gutter repair:

  • $7.15-$10.75 per linear foot | Gutter repair costs are higher per linear foot than replacement costs because fitting new gutter sections into existing gutter systems is more time-intensive
  • $5-$10 per location | Sealing leaking connections between gutter pieces and between gutters and downspouts

Gutter replacement:

Gutter guard installation:

  • $7.25-$10.50 per linear foot | Gutter guards professionally installed cost the equivalent of having gutters cleaned professionally 10-15 times, so they’ll pay for themselves in 5-8 years where gutters require cleaning twice per year

Gutter Repair and Cleaning Time Schedule

Gutter cleaning is more affordable than many home maintenance projects because it goes quickly. Repair and replacement take longer. Here are time estimates for one or two workers:

  • 1-4 hours: Gutter cleaning on most single-story and two-story homes
  • 4-8 hours: Gutter cleaning on large multi-story homes
  • Up to 4 hours: Gutter repair and replacement of a limited number of gutter runs and/or downspouts
  • 4 hours to 2 days: Gutter replacement, depending on the linear feet of gutters and downspouts being replaced
Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Here are several other common projects related to have the gutters on your home cleaned.


Are You a Gutter Cleaning Pro of Handyman?

If so, head over to our Costimates Pro’s page, and help us make this page better and more accurate for both our visitors and your future customers.

DIY or Hire a Pro?

I don’t do too well when I get on the roof, near the edge of our home. We live in a ranch style home with a basement, and the house is built on a moderate sloping hill. That means my roof is about 12 feet off the ground on one side and 24′ on the other. While I have and still do clean my gutters in a bind, I usually hire a local handyman to clean them now and his prices are very affordable. For me, it’s the peace of mind I get from not having to get on the roof where I am not my best.

  • Requires comfort on the roof, or working from a ladder.
  • Many trips up and down the ladder to empty the bucket of debris.
  • A friend or helper to assure your safety while cleaning gutters.

If my home was a single level home, I would clean my gutters every time. Due to the height, I recommend anyone not comfortable on a roof or ladder, hire a handyman or call your gutter company to handle it for you.

Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Get Estimates for Gutter Cleaning Costs

Reviewed and edited by Steve Hansen of Costimates

steve hansen of costimates-sm Steve Hansen, that's me, the Senior Editor of Costimates. (Learn more about myself and our team) I'm an avid home improvement professional with more than 37 years experience working on all types of residential new home building, upfits, repairs and remodeling.

"Like most homeowners, I was frustrated with the lack of quality information available on specific home improvement repairs and renovations. In 2015, Costimates was formed to help homeowners learn as much as possible about various projects and their costs so they could make better financial decisions."