It’s fall and the leaves are starting to clog our gutters and cover our driveways. Raking and/or blowing leaves away from your home is a tedious and boring job but necessary one. If they aren’t removed and it snows and freezes, they can become a very heavy problem for your home. They can expand your gutters and render them broken thus useless. If water is not directed away from the house it can flood the basement. Also, if the water pools it can create mold which is never good. Ice dams can form and push up your roof shingles. Long exposure to moisture can damage asphalt tiles. It can make your roof leak.
Leaves block sunlight from the lawn which can cause the lawn to die prematurely. They can create mold and the weight can ruin it for next year. Rodents and bugs could create a new home in the leaves. You don’t have to pick up all the leaves if you have a mulching mower. By mulching the leaves, you make them smaller, so they decay faster. This way you are using the nutrients in the leaves for good. It can be used as mulch in a flowerbed to retard weeds over the winter.
Leaves can stain. Concrete, pavers, and asphalts can all be susceptible to staining if the leaves get wet and stay put. Deck wood if not fully sealed can stain. Also, wet leaves can bubble the paint on porches and decks.
To avoid costly repairs don’t ignore leaf removal. Get rid of them ASAP before we get the first snow which will just make it all worse.