For cleaning alone, the usual choices are a gutter cleaning company, a window-cleaning company that also cleans gutters, or a handyman. Damage, replacement, new guards, roof work and buried drains belong to other trades. Decide which job you have before you ask anyone for a price. A request that mixes cleaning with an unknown repair is the hardest kind to compare.
Window-cleaning companies are a large part of this market. Of the eight national companies in our gutter cleaning company comparison, seven are window-cleaning companies that also sell gutter cleaning. We read each one's own pages on 2026-09-26.
Which provider fits which gutter job?
| Your job | Who usually does it | Ask before you book |
|---|---|---|
| Clear gutters and above-ground downspouts, haul debris away | Gutter cleaning company, window-cleaning company with a gutter service, handyman, or a cleaning request like ours | Which runs and downspouts are included, and how the upper runs are reached |
| Cleaning, plus a loose hanger or a dripping seam | A provider that does both at one visit, or a cleaner now and a repair quote separately | Is the repair a separate line, and does it need a license where you live? |
| Sagging runs, rust-through, wrong slope, or replacement | Gutter repair or installation contractor; some roofers | A written repair scope with the sections named |
| Guards to install, remove, or replace | A guard installer, or a cleaner who handles your guard type | Who lifts and resets the guards, and is that priced separately? |
| Water backs up where a downspout enters the ground | A drainage specialist | Whether they assess the buried line, not the gutter |
| Moss or debris on the roof, or roof damage | A roofer or roof-cleaning company | Whether anyone walks on the roof, and who checks the shingles |
| The roof was just replaced | The roofing contractor first | See gutter cleaning after roof replacement |
If your job sits in two rows, split it. Ask for one written scope for the cleaning and one for the repair or roof work. Two clear scopes are easier to compare than one combined price.
What does each type of provider bring?
Gutter cleaning company. Cleaning is the main job, so ladders, haul-away and downspout clearing are routine. Some also sell guards or repairs. Ask which of those are in your quote and which are offers for later.
Window-cleaning company. Useful if you also want windows washed or the outside of the house rinsed in the same visit. Check whether the gutter service covers the inside of the channel, the outside face, or both. One brand we compared, Men In Kilts, listed minor repairs and camera inspection at the same visit.
Handyman. Useful when a small repair should happen during the cleaning visit. Ask whether they have the ladders and experience for your highest gutter, and how they remove the debris.
Roofer. The right call when the roof itself is the problem. Ask whether routine gutter cleaning is a service they offer, or only part of a roof job.
A request service like this one. We take one cleaning request, check provider availability for your address, and confirm the scope and price in writing before payment. We do not repair, install, clean roofs or clear buried pipes.
What should you check, whoever you hire?
The Federal Trade Commission's home-improvement advice applies to any of these providers:
- Get more than one estimate, and do not choose on the lowest number alone.
- For licensed work such as repairs, check the license with your state or county government.
- Ask for proof of insurance. Our insurance check lists the documents to request.
- Get the scope in writing, even where your state does not require it.
- Do not pay the full amount up front, and do not make the final payment until the work is done.
- Be careful with anyone who knocks because they are "in the area" or pushes for a decision on the spot.
Then put each written offer into the quote comparison worksheet so you compare the same job.
A worked example
A hypothetical two-story house has an overflowing back gutter and one sagging run above the deck. The owner asks two providers to quote "clean all gutters and downspouts" and asks a gutter repair contractor, separately, to quote "re-hang or replace the run above the deck." The cleaning quotes now compare line by line. The repair is priced by the trade that does repairs, and nobody adds an unexplained "while we are up there" charge to the cleaning.
Scope and limits
This guide describes common provider types, not every local business. Licensing rules for repair and installation work differ by state and city. Check them with the licensing authority where you live. We do not claim our own insurance covers the physical work; ask for proof from the provider who will do it.
Get my price
If your job is cleaning, start the gutter cleaning request. Mark any known damage so a person reviews it. We confirm the provider, the scope, the price, and a proposed window in writing before payment.
Any US ZIP. No contact details until you have seen the estimate.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, "How To Avoid a Home Improvement Scam" (July 2022): multiple estimates, license and insurance checks, written agreements, payment timing, door-to-door warning signs, https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-avoid-home-improvement-scam, verified 2026-11-06.
- Company facts come from each company's own pages, read on 2026-09-26 and recorded in our company comparison.