Starting a Gutter Cleaning Business

For many homeowners, fall means gutter cleaning season. For those who live close to any tall trees, this is one necessary maintenance item that must be completed before winter. If their rain gutters are clogged with leaves, not only will the water back up, causing damage to the facia board and foundation, but they are also prone to ice damning once the cold weather sets in. A little prevention now can save thousands of dollars in unnecessary repairs.

Although, you can start a gutter cleaning service for next to nothing, the profit potential for this seasonal business is significant. During the fall, it's not unusual for a two-man operation to take in $500-$1000 per day. Most of that will be profit.

Starting your own gutter cleaning business is simple. All you need is a long ladder, a 5 gallon bucket, a couple of hand scoops, some trash bags, and you're set to make some serious money this fall.

When it comes to gutter cleaning, there is more than one way to get the job done. A lot of this depends on the type of house, the landscape, and the type of debris in the gutter.

One of the quickest ways to get the job done is by using a gas-powered leaf blower. If the debris is dry, you can walk along the edge of the roof and blow everything out. A typical house can be finished in under a half an hour, including cleaning up the mess on the ground. It's not unusual to make $100 an hour - plus, using this method. Of course, most gutters are not dry and other methods must be used instead.

If the roof is walkable, you can go around, scoop up debris, and collected it in a 5 gallon pail. If the roof is not walkable, you must use several ladder placements around the house while you scoop leaves, pine needles, compost muck, and shingle grit into your pail. This is the most time-consuming method because you have to keep moving the ladder and climb up and down each time.

Always use standard ladder safety procedures and never walk on a roof without using a fall arrest system.

Gutter cleaning season can be short, depending on where you live. In many parts of the northern US and Canada, it gets dark around 4:30 pm in November. For this reason, you should try to work every hour you can, even if it means working seven days a week. Fortunately, it's not something that you'll have to do for long. However, if you hope to maximize your earning potential, you will need every last available hour of sunlight.

Marketing your gutter cleaning services will be easy. You should deliver flyers or run a newspaper ad at least one month ahead of the gutter cleaning season. You can bet that many people will keep your number and be calling you soon. Failing that, you can wait until most of the leaves have fallen and go door-to-door offering your services. By using this method, you'll be able to give the homeowner an instant quote. Some people even get a crew of two or three together and go door-to-door, doing the jobs on the spot. Many customers will take advantage of this service if you tell them that you will be able to do the work right away. This works well for all the procrastinators out there who will leave it until the last possible minute.

Before you decide to use this method, make sure that you've checked with City Hall to ensure that you're not breaking any bylaws by going door-to-door. Some municipalities require a license. Some won't allow it at all.

It's entirely realistic to expect to make several thousand dollars a week cleaning gutters. Unfortunately, it's very short-lived. Thus, you see very few full-time gutter cleaning companies unless they are located in more temperate climates. That being said, it's not unusual to get a flurry of calls from panicky homeowners in the spring with overflowing gutter problems.