Are cleaning the gutters and cleaning the windows on your Spring Cleaning To-Do List?

Spring is upon us and we all know what that means – Spring Cleaning! That’s why you’re rousting your husband and the kids from bed early one Saturday morning. That’s why you’ve got a comprehensive To-Do List, with specific duties for each member of the family. But, who will you assign to clean the windows?

Spring cleaning is a way of sweeping the dirt, and stale air out of the house after a winter’s worth of cabin fever. It can leave you feeling fresh and clean. It’s invigorating. It provides a rebirth of energy and optimism. And, cleaning the windows is a critical part of the process.

If the windows aren’t cleaned right – if they have streaks, spots or someone didn’t get all the way into the corners – those half-dirty windows will nag at you every time you look out the window while spoiling your sense that you’ve done a thorough Spring Cleaning. Instead of looking out into the yard at the flowers budding up from the ground, and robins building their nests, you’ll look through the dirt, streaks, and spots that were left behind when your windows were not cleaned properly.

So, you realize the importance of cleaning the windows and cleaning them properly. But, when you bring the subject up, your husband has a problem with the idea.

“Before we clean the windows, we need to clean the gutters.”

When he points out that you have to clean the gutters, you look at your list knowing in advance that cleaning the gutters isn’t there. You show your husband the list and point out that cleaning the gutters isn’t on the list. But, he stubbornly persists: “We have to clean the gutters before we clean the windows.”

Don’t look so surprised; he’s right. The process of cleaning the gutters will result in old leaves, shingle gravel, dirt and what not falling onto the windows. If you clean the windows before you clean the gutters, you’ll just have to clean the outside of the windows all over again.

You ask the logical question: “Why don’t we skip cleaning the gutters for now” and your husband has an answer to that question, too.

“If we don’t clean the gutters, rainwater will back up and come over the edges of the gutters rather than going into the downspouts. Then, the windows will get dirty anyhow.”

Now you're stuck with two dilemmas: 1. Who can clean the gutters without falling off a ladder and, 2. Who can clean the windows properly, so they don’t spoil all your and family’s efforts with Spring Cleaning? Maybe it’s better to call in professionals for the windows and gutters so the jobs are done safely and they’re cleaned right. You and the family have enough Spring Cleaning to do anyway.