Put on rubber gloves and use a hose to get rid of leaves and squirrel poop that jam up gutters. Otherwise, water could back up into walls, causing many thousands of dollars in damage.
If your house is more than one story tall, hire a roofer or a gutter company to do the job ($150 or so).
Frequency: Once a year at least.
Last updated December 20 2007: 9:44 AM ET