Gutter brightening: the stripes a house wash will not touch

What is gutter brightening?

Gutter brightening removes the vertical dark striping - often called tiger striping - from the painted outer face of aluminium gutters. It is a distinct service because that striping is a bonded film rather than loose dirt: it survives a house wash, a hose and ordinary detergent. Removing it means a dedicated brightening product applied to the face and physically agitated by hand, section by section, and then rinsed. It is not gutter cleaning, which is clearing the inside of the trough.

Signs you need gutter brightening

• Evenly spaced dark vertical stripes run down the front face of the gutter, strongest below the seams and hangers
• The gutter faces look filthy from the ground even though the trough was cleared out recently
• You have just had the house washed and the walls came up clean while the gutter line did not change at all
• The staining does not lighten when you rub it wet with a cloth or hit it with a hose
• The fascia and soffit above and below the gutter look noticeably brighter than the gutter itself
• The pattern is worst on the elevation that gets the most rain-driven runoff, rather than on the shaded side

Seeing something not on this list? Browse pressure washing problems by symptom →

How gutter brightening actually works

1. 1

   Confirm the trough is clear first

   Brightening treats the outside face. If the inside is full, the runoff that created the striping is still overflowing over the front edge, and the stripes start rebuilding immediately. Sequence is clearing first, brightening second - often on the same visit but in that order.

   Watch forA brightening quote with no interest in the state of the trough. It is the equivalent of painting a wall that is still wet.

2. 2

   Test a length before committing to the run

   A short section is treated and assessed once dry, which establishes both how much of the stripe will actually clear and whether the product affects the gutter's painted finish. Gutters vary enormously in age and coating condition even on one house.

   Watch forA guarantee of a uniform result before anyone has tried a section. Nobody can know how far a particular set of gutters will come back until a length has been done.

3. 3

   Apply, agitate and work in sections

   The product goes onto the face, is given its contact time and is worked with a brush along each section. The agitation is the part that does the work - this is genuinely hand labour along the whole run, from a ladder or a pole, which is why it is priced separately from anything sprayed.

   Watch forAnyone proposing to do this by spraying alone from the ground. Without contact and agitation the film stays where it is, and you will have paid for a rinse.

4. 4

   Rinse the face, the wall and everything below it

   Residue is rinsed off the gutter, off the siding beneath and off the planting in the drip line. Brightening products are applied at the highest point on the elevation, so everything below is downstream of them.

   Watch forStreaks left running down the wall under the gutter. The wall was clean before the brightening started; if it is marked afterwards, the rinse was inadequate and it needs sorting before the crew leaves.

5. 5

   Look at it dry, from the ground, from both angles

   Wet gutters look brilliant regardless of what happened. Judge the result dry and from the position you normally see the house from, along the run as well as square on - striping shows up most in raking light along the length.

   Watch forSign-off while everything is still wet. This is the service where that difference is starkest, and it is the reason this job generates disputes.

What does gutter brightening cost?

Brightening is typically quoted per linear foot of gutter face, separately from a house wash, because it is hand work rather than spray work. Height, access, how many storeys and how far gone the striping is all move the number. See the Cost Guide for how add-on items are priced.

See the full gutter brightening cost guide - by material, size and region →

If the number is the problem, here are the ways people pay for it →

Exterior cleaning tools → Measure the gutter run and note the height before you take quotes.