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If you want to avoid burying your downspouts, several alternatives can help direct water away from your home's foundation. One option is to connect a rain barrel to your downspout. During a storm, the barrel collects water that you can later use for irrigating your lawn or garden. Another common solution is to install an above-ground downspout extension. This can be done in a couple of ways:

• Splash Guards: Placing a splash guard, available at most hardware stores, under your downspout can act as a simple funnel to direct water away from the house.

• Downspout Extensions: You can add an extension to the end of the downspout's elbow to carry water further into your yard. Some extensions are flexible, allowing you to maneuver them around landscaping.

These above-ground solutions are particularly useful if your home has a slab foundation that you cannot dig up. However, they have limitations. An extension may not move water as far from your home as an underground system. More importantly, if your yard slopes back toward your house, these methods will be ineffective, and burying your downspouts remains the best option to prevent potential flooding and water damage.

If not properly maintained, an underground downspout may damage your home's foundation. A clogged downspout can back up, causing water to pool around the base of your home and seep into the foundation. Regular inspections and maintenance keep your downspout in good working order, preventing damage and protecting your home.

The trick to getting gleaming gutters can vary based on the material of your gutters. Aluminum gutters can often be restored to pristine condition by using a cloth to scrub them with a solution consisting of 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water. Vinyl gutters can be whitened using dish soap and water. For deeply stained vinyl gutters, adding bleach with water and dish soap may help to remove black streaks. Many retailers sell premixed gutter sprays. Applying cleaning solutions to dry gutters before rinsing can help cleaners attach to dirt and grime for easier removal.

Shingle granules can be cleaned out of gutters using a small scoop or a hose, depending on the quantity of granules and how much other debris is in your gutters. First, clear your gutters of leaves and other debris. This may remove granules in the gutters if they are mixed in with the debris. Use a plastic scoop to remove larger quantities of granules or a hose with a high-powered nozzle for smaller amounts, and collect and dispose of the granules once they’ve been removed.