Our own crew cleans gutters in Des Moines, flushing every downspout, flow-testing each run, hauling the mess away and sending photos of every run before we leave. The price comes from stories, size and tree cover, and the number we give on the phone is the number on the invoice. Most of our Des Moines customers book in spring and fall, when seed drop and the last leaves have finished.
Quoted from stories, size and tree cover, over the phone, with nothing added once the crew is on the roof.
The price depends on stories, square footage and what is sitting in the gutters. We give an estimate by phone or text from those three things, and the number we quote is the number we charge. Companies that price by the linear foot land in a similar place once the run is measured. A quote for gutter cleaning is built from what the crew finds on the roofline, not from a rate card. A clean quote starts with the stories and the trees. If you are looking for cleaning services in Des Moines, get your gutters quoted by phone or text.
On our jobs, a few things move the number. A third story or a roof too steep to walk takes more time on the ladder. A walk-out basement or a sloped lot raises the effective height of the back run. Gutters that nobody has opened in years come down heavier and take longer to clear. Gutter guards we have to lift and reseat add time too, and so does a seam that is starting to leak. Downspout flushing, flow testing and haul-off are included in the quote and never billed as extras. Everything pulled out goes into bags and leaves on the truck, away from your home. Once the gutters are clean, the flush is the part that decides whether the water flow actually leaves the house. Each homeowner gets the same written scope, and the cleaning and maintenance steps are listed on it before the crew rolls out. Anything that changes the job gets raised before work starts, never on the invoice.
On our Des Moines jobs, one customer with a two-story house and heavy tree cover had gutters packed with wet leaves and twig buildup down to the elbows. Their quote reflected that buildup and the extra time to flush every downspout until it ran clear. Gutter maintenance after heavy rainfall runs the same steps, just with more wet leaves to haul. You can see the job here. Text us a photo of the front of the house and we will tell you what we see before the crew rolls out. Our gutter cleaning process is the same on every house: clear the runs, flush, check the drainage, photograph the result.
| One story | Two stories | Three stories or steep | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1,500 sq ft | from $150 | from $225 | from $295 |
| 1,500 to 2,500 sq ft | from $200 | from $260 | from $335 |
| Over 2,500 sq ft | from $235 | from $305 | from $395 |
For context, nationally: Angi 2026, US average $168, most $119 to $234, $0.95 to $2.25 per linear foot.
Downspouts flushed and flow-tested, debris hauled, photos of every run. The quote already has all of it in.
Our crew clears every gutter run by hand, not just the stretch you can see from the driveway. Roof valleys and the area above the gutter line are blown clear first, so the next rain does not refill what was just emptied. Every downspout is flushed with water and watched until it runs clear at the bottom; one that will not clear is worked from the top where it can be reached. Where a downspout feeds an underground drain line, the crew checks that water is leaving at the outlet and tells you if it is not; clearing a buried line is a separate job and is quoted before anyone touches it.
Debris goes into bags and leaves with the truck. It is not blown onto the lawn, the deck or next door. The ground is left as it was found.
Before the crew leaves you get photos of every run and every downspout, before and after, on your phone, whether or not you were home. Anything the crew sees that is not a cleaning problem, a hanger pulled loose, a seam dripping, a run sitting flat, is photographed and reported, not repaired and not sold on the spot.
What can change the number, and you hear it before work starts, never on the invoice: a third story or a roof too steep to walk; gutters that have not been touched in years; guards that have to come off and go back on.
Twice a year for most houses: once after the spring seed and pollen drop, once after the last leaves fall.
Most of our Des Moines customers book two cleanings a year, once in the spring after the seed and pollen drop and once in the fall after the last leaves come down. Our gutter cleaning services across Des Moines follow that rhythm, because the seed and leaf calendar sets it. In spring we find seeds, seed casings and pollen paste packed into the downspout elbows. In fall it is the leaves and debris, and before the first freeze we find the wet mat that holds water along the gutter system and makes the trough work loose from the fascia. A clean run in spring is quicker to finish than a clogged one in fall.
Under heavy tree cover, or near a busy road or active construction, our customers are on every three to four months, because needles and grit pack the downspouts between visits and clog the gutter system faster than a seasonal schedule can keep up with. Commercial properties under the same tree cover follow that rule, and a clean downspout checked at each visit is the simplest way to catch a problem early. With few or no trees, once a year in late fall is usually enough to keep the landscape around the house from ending up in the trough.
On houses that skipped the fall visit in late November to December, we see runs that sag by January. Ice pulls the gutter off its brackets and the water has nowhere to go but behind the fascia. Clogged downspouts that sit that long lead to rot and structural damage, and that is when water away from the house stops being a chore and becomes a repair. A clean run in the fall gives the water somewhere to go. After the first visit we tell you which tier your lot actually needs.
Water over the edge rots the board behind the gutter first. Everything after that is slow, and slow is what a policy excludes.
The three signs. Water pouring over the front edge in rain instead of out of the downspout. A run that sags, sits low or has pulled away from the fascia. Plants growing out of the trough. Any one of them means the gutter is full.
What happens next. Water that cannot drain sits in the trough and spills behind it. The fascia board rots, then the soffit. Water backs up under the first course of shingles and shows up as a ceiling stain. Siding stains and swells. Below, the overflow cuts a channel at the foundation and finds the basement. The wet debris itself weighs enough to pull the gutter off the house. Standing water breeds mosquitoes; dry debris houses wasps. Where winters freeze, the trapped water becomes an ice dam at the eave and lifts the shingles from underneath.
Why your policy will not pay. Homeowners insurance generally does not cover water damage traced to clogged gutters. Carriers class gutter cleaning as routine maintenance, and damage from skipped maintenance as preventable neglect, which a standard policy excludes. A limb that tears a gutter off in a storm is sudden and accidental and is usually covered; a fascia board that rotted over two years is not. This is general information, not insurance advice; read your policy or ask your agent.
Guards stop leaves. They do not stop needles, seeds, grit or the paste they turn into. The job gets shorter, not gone.
Yes, guarded gutters still need cleaning, less often, and it is a different job: clearing what sits on top of the guard and checking that water is actually getting in, rather than scooping out the trough. Mesh and screen guards hold whole leaves off. Pine needles thread through, seed casings and pollen mat on top, roof grit settles underneath, and once that mat is wet, rain runs over it and off the front edge. The gutter is empty and the water never went in.
Guards earn their keep under big leafy trees and on roofs too high to want to climb. They do not end maintenance, whatever the installer said. Our crew lifts the panels, clears underneath, flushes the downspouts and reseats the guards; tell us what is on the house when you get the quote and it is priced as a guarded system, which usually runs shorter than an open one.
Under an hour on most houses. Nobody has to be there, and the photos arrive either way.
The crew calls the day before with an arrival window and again when they are on the way. This Old House puts a professional gutter cleaning at 30 minutes to an hour on a typical home; bigger houses, steep roofs and gutters left for years run longer. Nobody needs to be home for exterior work; the crew does not come inside. Before they arrive: side gate unlocked, cars off the driveway if runs face it, pets inside while ladders are up. Ladder stand-offs keep the ladder off the gutter lip and the siding. After: photos of every run and downspout before the truck leaves, and an invoice that matches the quote.
Send us a photo or a short video in the rain. You hear what it is before anyone talks about money.
Still overflowing. A gutter that is clean and still sheets water over the edge in rain has a slope, capacity or downspout-size problem, not a debris problem. If that happens after a cleaning, send us a photo or a short video of it in the rain and we tell you what it actually is; we do not sell a second cleaning for a slope problem.
The number. The price quoted on the phone is the price on the invoice. If the crew finds something that changes the job, you hear it and agree to it before they start, never after.
Your house. Stand-offs on every ladder so nothing rests on the gutter lip, and screens and downspout extensions go back where they were.
Payment. The balance is charged when the job is finished and the photos are on your phone. Some dates take a small booking fee to hold the slot, and you hear about it before you book.
The whole city and the towns around it, booked by phone or text from the nearest crew.
Our crew has cleaned gutters across Des Moines WA neighborhoods listed on our schedule, and we cover the city from the nearest base. Our gutter cleaning service is built for Des Moines homeowners, and booking starts with a quote by phone at (866) 435-6328 or by text. Send stories, approximate square footage, whether trees hang over the roof, and a photo of the house front if it is easy to take. Lead time depends on the calendar, and the two busiest windows are spring and fall, when most of our Des Moines homes book.
We call before we come, and nobody needs to be home. The crew works from the outside and sends photos to your phone when they are done. If you want regular gutter cleaning on a set schedule, tell us when you book and we will hold the dates. Ask us to clean your gutters on the same cycle each year, which is how you keep your gutters clear between visits, and we will note the rain gutter runs that need the closest watch. Residential properties get the regular schedule, and residential and commercial jobs both get the same photo report. Debris removal is part of every visit, so a clean trough with no buildup at the elbow is what keeps water flowing. Nothing is left in the trough to cause a blockage or hold rainwater, and each run gets a clean check before the truck leaves.
Q: What does gutter cleaning cost for a two-story house in Des Moines?
A: The number comes from stories and size. We quote it by phone or text, and the number on the phone is the number on the invoice. Our gutter services in Des Moines WA are priced the same way on every house.
Q: When is the right time to clean gutters in Des Moines?
A: Our customers here book in spring after the seed drop and again in fall after the leaves are down. If you wait past the first hard freeze, the wet leaf mat is harder to clear and the gutter system can start to sag by January. Booking before the freeze helps protect your home from water damage.
A: Most slots come up within the week. We confirm a date when you call, and we will tell you what is open.
A: No. We work outside, we do not come inside, and we send photos of every run before the truck leaves. Leave the side gate unlocked and keep pets in while the ladders are up.
Q: Do you flush the downspouts and check where they drain, including underground lines?
A: Yes, the gutters and downspouts get the same check: every downspout is flushed and flow-tested, and we check that water is leaving at the outlet. Clearing a buried line is a separate job and is quoted before anyone touches it.
A: Yes. On our jobs guards keep out leaves, but needles, seed casings and grit still mat on top and block the flow. We clear the surface, flush the downspouts and reseat the guards. Trees in the surrounding areas drop needles onto guarded runs too, so plan to keep your gutters on the same schedule.
A: Send us a photo or a short video of the overflow in the rain. A gutter that is clean and still sends rainwater over the edge has a slope or downspout-size problem, and we will tell you what it is. We will not sell a second cleaning for a slope problem.
Q: Will the price change once the crew is on the roof?
A: Only if the job changes, and you hear it before work starts. Call (866) 435-6328 or text a photo of the roofline and we will give you a written estimate you can rely on.
Stories, size and a photo of the front by text. That is a real number, not an appointment.
