They also drop on your roofs and gutters, keeping precipitation from moving efficiently and safely away from your home. You can prevent costly roof and home repairs with a little simple maintenance done every fall.

STEP 1: TIME TO CLIMB

The first step in maintaining your gutters properly is to grab a ladder and safely ascend to the gutter height. Using your hands or any number of available tools, clean all the leaves, debris, dirt and assorted crud from your gutter.

STEP 2: CHECK FASTENERS

The next thing you want to do is to check the gutter spikes to make sure they pass through the gutter, fascia board and into the rafters of your roof. Over time, these spikes can work their way out or they may have never been properly fastened at all. If needed, invest in new gutter spikes to keep your gutters safely secured to your home. While you're up there, look for holes in the gutters themselves or in the caulking in the seams.

STEP 3: ATTEND TO DOWNSPOUTS

While you're cleaning out the gutters, don't forget to also clean the downspouts. If these spouts are clogged, it can cause backups that will pull your gutters down from your house. You also want to check the rivets on your downspouts. If the rivets are loose or have dropped out, head the hard ware store and get a set of new rivets and a rivet gun to make quick repairs. At the bottom of the downspout, there may be a splash guard to prevent the water from eroding the earth near your home. Make sure these are routinely replaced to keep your foundations secure.

STEP 4: PRESSURE WASH

Once you've got everything securely fastened, you can then break out the big guns. Pressure washers are powerful tools, and it's important that you use them according to the manufacturer's specific instructions, especially while you're working up high, such as on ladders cleaning your gutters.

Also be careful with positioning the stream from the pressure washer so that it doesn't hit the roof shingles at the wrong angle and blow them off the roof.