Gutter Brightening
in Dacula, GA
Those dark streaks and tiger stripes running down the face of your gutters aren't just dirt - they're oxidation bonded to the surface. Regular washing won't remove them. Our special cleaning process and hand scrubbing will.
Take a step back and look at the gutters on your house. Not the inside where leaves and debris pile up, but the outside - the face of the gutter that everyone can see from the street. If your gutters are more than a few years old, you're probably looking at dark vertical streaks running down the front. Some people call them tiger stripes. Some just call them ugly. Whatever you call them, they make your entire house look older and dirtier than it actually is, and they don't come off with a garden hose, a pressure washer, or regular house washing.
At Kidd's ProWash, gutter brightening is one of our favorite services because the results are so dramatic. We take gutters that look dark, streaky, and weathered, and we bring them back to their original white or cream color. It's a noticeable transformation that makes the whole house look better. We've been doing this for homeowners all across Dacula and Gwinnett County for five years, and the reaction is always the same - people can't believe how much of a difference it makes.
What Are Tiger Stripes on Gutters?
Tiger stripes are those dark, vertical lines that run down the face of aluminum gutters. They're not dirt in the traditional sense - they're actually a combination of oxidation, electrostatic bonding, and environmental residue that has chemically attached itself to the gutter surface. When water runs over the lip of the gutter, it carries tiny particles of dirt, pollen, roofing material, and other airborne debris. As that water drips down the face of the gutter and evaporates, those particles bond to the aluminum through a process called electrostatic attraction.
Over time, the aluminum itself begins to oxidize. Oxidation is a chemical reaction between the metal and the air - similar to rust on steel, but instead of turning orange, oxidized aluminum turns a dull, chalky gray. That oxidation layer traps even more dirt and particles against the surface, making the streaks darker and more noticeable year after year.
In Georgia, this process happens faster than in drier climates. The humidity in Gwinnett County keeps the gutter surface damp, which accelerates oxidation. Pollen season adds a thick layer of organic material. Summer rain washes roof debris down the gutter face constantly. And the red clay dust that's everywhere around Dacula gets trapped in the oxidation layer, giving the streaks a brownish-dark tint that stands out against white or cream-colored gutters.
Why Regular Washing Won't Remove Them
House Wash Won't Cut It
House washing solutions kill mold, mildew, and algae on siding - but they don't break the chemical bond between oxidation and the aluminum gutter surface.
High Pressure = Damage Risk
Pressure washing can strip some surface streaking but often leaves patchy results - some spots lighter, some still dark - and can dent or damage aluminum gutters.
Specialized Product Required
The streaks are bonded at a molecular level. Gutter brightening requires a specialized cleaning solution and hands-on scrubbing - no shortcuts, no machines.
Our Gutter Brightening Process
There's no shortcut to bright gutters. It takes the right product, a scrub pad, and good old-fashioned elbow grease to restore them.
Apply Brightening Solution
We apply a specialized gutter-brightening solution section by section. This product is formulated specifically to break the bond between oxidation, electrostatic deposits, and the aluminum surface.
Hand-Scrub Every Inch
After the solution sits and begins breaking down oxidation, we hand-scrub every inch of the gutter face with non-abrasive pads in long, even strokes until the original color comes through.
Repeat for Heavy Oxidation
For heavily oxidized gutters where streaks are very dark and the face has turned almost completely gray, we apply and scrub two or three times in the same area. Each pass removes more bonded material.
Rinse & Inspect
We rinse the entire gutter system with clean water to remove all solution and loosened residue, then step back and inspect. The before-and-after difference is striking.
Gutters that looked twenty years old look almost new. The white or cream color comes back, the streaks are gone, and the whole roofline of the house looks cleaner and sharper.
Gutter Brightening Pairs Perfectly with House Washing
If there's one service combo that gives you the biggest bang for your money, it's gutter brightening and house washing done on the same visit. Think about it - your siding gets cleaned of all the mold, mildew, and green algae, and your gutters get restored from dark and streaky back to their original color. The entire exterior of your home looks refreshed from top to bottom.
We see this combination all the time with homeowners around Dacula, Lawrenceville, and Buford. Someone calls for a house wash, we get there and the siding cleans up beautifully, but the gutters still look dark. We mention gutter brightening, they add it on, and by the time we leave, the whole house looks like it just got new siding and new gutters. That's a powerful curb appeal boost, and it costs a fraction of what replacing gutters or repainting would run.
Roof cleaning is another great pairing. A dirty roof with dark algae streaks and grimy gutters makes a house look neglected. Clean the roof and brighten the gutters on the same visit, and the entire top half of your home is transformed. Neighbors notice. Guests notice. And if you're selling your home, potential buyers absolutely notice.
The ultimate curb appeal package: house washing + gutter brightening + window cleaning. It covers the siding, the gutters, and the glass - the three surfaces that define your home's curb appeal.
Which Gutters Can Be Brightened?
Aluminum Gutters
The most common type in Gwinnett County. Whether white, cream, beige, or brown, our process restores the original color by removing the oxidation layer.
Vinyl Gutters
They don't oxidize like aluminum, but still collect dark streaks from water runoff. Our solution and hand-scrubbing technique removes them effectively.
Severely Damaged Gutters
If gutters are dented or have peeling paint, brightening improves appearance but won't fix structural issues. We'll give you an honest assessment upfront.
When Is the Best Time for Gutter Brightening?
Gutter brightening can be done any time of year, but most homeowners in Dacula schedule it in the spring or fall. Spring is popular because people want their home looking good for the warm months after a long winter of rain, moisture, and leaf buildup. Fall is popular because people are getting their homes ready for the holidays or preparing for a winter sale.
If you're having your gutters cleaned out - removing the leaves, debris, and clogs from the inside - adding gutter brightening to the same visit makes the most sense. We handle the interior gutter cleaning and the exterior brightening together, so you get fully clean gutters inside and out in one appointment.
Homes near heavily wooded areas - along Harbins Road, out near Auburn, around Fence Road - tend to need brightening more often because the constant leaf and debris runoff creates faster streaking on the gutter face. For those homes, annual brightening keeps things looking good.
What About the Rest of Your Home's Exterior?
Most Popular Service Bundle
When your gutters look great but your windows are dirty or your siding has green streaks, it creates a contrast that highlights the parts you haven't addressed yet. When all three are clean, the house looks brand new. When one is clean and the others aren't, the dirty parts stand out even more.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the linear footage of your gutters, how many stories your home is, and the severity of the oxidation and staining. We give free quotes and will always tell you the price before we start. Most homeowners in Dacula find it's surprisingly affordable for the results it delivers.
It depends on your environment. For most homes in Gwinnett County, the results last one to two years before significant streaking returns. Homes under heavy tree cover may see streaks return sooner. Regular gutter cleaning helps extend the brightening results.
No. Our cleaning solution is designed for use on aluminum and painted gutter surfaces. Our scrub pads are non-abrasive enough to preserve the finish while being effective at removing oxidation. We've been doing this for five years and have never damaged a gutter during brightening.
Yes. Our process works on factory-finished aluminum gutters, which is what the vast majority of homes have. If your gutters have been repainted with exterior latex paint, we can still brighten them - we just adjust our approach to protect the paint layer.
For an average home in Dacula, it takes about two to four hours. Larger homes or homes with heavily oxidized gutters take longer because each section may need multiple rounds of scrubbing. We don't cut corners - every section gets the attention it needs.
No. Gutter cleaning removes debris from inside the gutters - leaves, dirt, pine needles - so water flows through properly. Gutter brightening cleans the outside face of the gutters to remove dark streaks and oxidation. They're different services, and most homes benefit from both.
Get a Free Gutter Brightening Quote
If your gutters have those dark streaks that make your whole house look older than it is, gutter brightening is the fix. Kidd's ProWash has been restoring gutters for homeowners across Dacula and Gwinnett County for five years. Chase built this company on the belief that it's people over profits, and that means we give you honest advice, fair pricing, and results that speak for themselves.
Reach out to us for a free, no-obligation quote. We serve Dacula, Lawrenceville, Buford, Auburn, Grayson, Suwanee, Duluth, and Snellville. Check out all of our gutter cleaning services to see what else we can handle while we're at your home. Let's get those gutters looking the way they should.
Ready to See the Difference?
Get a free, no-obligation quote from Kidd's ProWash. We serve Dacula, Lawrenceville, Buford, Auburn, Grayson, and all of Gwinnett County.