Gutter Brightening in Dothan, AL

Look at the outside face of a white or light-colored gutter that has been up for a few years and you will often see dark vertical streaks hanging down the front, sometimes called tiger stripes. They make a freshly washed house look unfinished, and a regular house wash usually lightens them only a little. Gutter brightening is a separate, more hands-on service that targets those stripes. Call (334) 621-3439 and we will connect you with an independent local provider in the Dothan area who offers it. We are a referral service; we do not clean gutters ourselves.

What tiger stripes are

Painted aluminum gutters hold a lot of water, debris and dirt. When water spills over the front lip, which happens more when gutters are clogged with pine straw and leaves, it carries grime down the face. Over time that grime bonds with the paint, which is slowly breaking down in the sun. The result is a set of dark streaks that are partly dirt and partly an electrostatic bond with the oxidizing paint surface. That is why ordinary washing does not lift them: the dirt is no longer just sitting on top.

Why this is common in the Wiregrass

Pine trees are a big part of the reason. Pine straw drops year-round and fills gutters fast, pollen coats everything in spring, and summer thunderstorms dump heavy rain that overflows clogged gutters in a hurry. Add strong sun and humidity, and gutter faces get dirty and oxidized faster than they might in a drier, less wooded place.

Gutters in Dothan through the year

In older neighborhoods such as the Garden District, mature pines drop straw into gutters all year, and pollen from roughly February into spring turns into a yellow sludge in the trough. July and August, the wettest months here on average, bring the hardest downpours, which is when clogged gutters overflow and lay down fresh stripes. Hurricane season runs through the fall, so many homeowners clear the inside of their gutters in late spring and have the faces brightened afterward, then check them again after any big storm. White aluminum gutters against red brick, a common pairing around Dothan, show the stripes clearly.

How gutter brightening is done

Gutter brightening is mostly hand work. The provider applies a specialty gutter cleaner designed to break the bond between the grime and the paint, then agitates the face of the gutter with brushes or pads, often from a ladder or with an extension pole, and rinses. Pressure alone is not the answer; blasting a gutter face can dent the aluminum and rarely removes the stripes evenly. Heavily oxidized gutters may brighten but stay a little chalky, since the original paint has worn.

Gutter brightening cleans the outside of the gutter. Cleaning debris out of the inside is a separate service, and many homeowners have both done on the same visit. Clearing the inside first helps prevent the overflow that causes new stripes.

Pairing it with a house wash

Gutter brightening is often added to a house wash or roof soft wash. The roof and siding are cleaned first, then the gutter faces are brightened, so runoff from the roof does not re-dirty clean gutters. Some providers price brightening per linear foot and others include it as a flat add-on. Ask whether soffits and downspouts are included.

What gutter brightening typically costs

As a typical national-guide range, cost guides commonly list cleaning the exterior of gutters at roughly $200 to $400 for an average home, with price depending on the total linear feet and the height of the house. When added to a house wash, some providers charge less than they would for brightening alone. These are general guides, not local quotes. See the cost guide.

Timing and how long it lasts

Gutter brightening can be done any time the weather is dry enough to work on ladders safely. Results often last several years if the gutters are kept clear so they do not overflow; clogged gutters will start striping again. Many homeowners schedule it with a fall house wash or right after spring pollen season.

What to ask before you hire

• Do you hand-clean the gutter faces with a gutter-specific cleaner, or just pressure wash them?
• Will you clean out the inside of the gutters as well, and is that included?
• Are downspouts and the gutter bottoms included?
• How do you protect my plants and siding from the cleaner?
• Do you carry general liability insurance? Can I see a certificate?

Alabama does not have a state license written specifically for pressure washing or soft washing. Providers generally need a business license from the city they work in, such as the City of Dothan, and some counties issue their own business licenses too. Because there is no state trade license to look up, proof of insurance is the more useful thing to ask for: a current certificate of general liability insurance that covers damage to your property, plants or vehicles. If the job grows into repairs, painting or carpentry, ask whether any other license applies to that part of the work. Inside Dothan city limits, the city requires a business license for anyone doing business there, handled by Business Services in the Finance Department, and those licenses expire every December 31. Houston County issues its own license through the Probate Office. A provider who works in Dothan regularly should have no trouble telling you they are current.

Ask every provider how they protect your yard. A careful crew wets down shrubs, flower beds and grass before and after applying cleaning solution, covers delicate plants, closes windows and covers outdoor outlets and light fixtures. Ask where the rinse water goes, too. Wash water should not be sent into a storm drain loaded with detergent, oil or chemicals, so a good provider plans the runoff before starting, especially on commercial lots. Dothan's stormwater rules treat anything entering the city's storm sewer system that is not entirely stormwater as an illicit discharge, apart from exceptions listed in the ordinance, so the curb inlet at the end of your driveway is not the place for soapy or greasy rinse water.

Frequently asked questions

Areas we serve

We connect callers across Dothan, Enterprise, Ozark, Headland and the Wiregrass of southeast Alabama, including:

• Dothan
• Enterprise
• Ozark
• Headland
• Taylor
• Kinsey
• Cowarts
• Ashford
• Webb
• Rehobeth
• Daleville
• Abbeville
• Slocomb
• Houston County
• Dale County

Local pages: Enterprise, Ozark, Taylor.

Related services

• House Washing & Soft Washing
• Driveway & Concrete Cleaning
• Roof Soft Washing
• Deck & Fence Cleaning
• Commercial & Storefront Washing