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Spring is in the air, and with it is the start of home maintenance season.

Steve Field, president and owner of Home Solutions Midwest, has some advice for maintaining roofs: Check to make sure there isn’t any visible cracking.

Keeping roofs clean and free of debris helps water flow correctly, as an excess of leaves and debris can cause a water backup, which in turn could lead to leaking inside the home. Excess water could also damage landscaping.

People should also check from the ground level if pieces are missing or damaged.

He recommended checking to see if there is buildup and ensuring vents and pipes are sealed to prevent water problems.

In terms of gutters, he suggested ensuring downspouts are clean and free of debris from the winter.

“After the winter, sometimes the fastening, hanging brackets can have gotten loose through the expansion and contraction of the ice and the snow in the gutters, so checking to make sure that those things are secured so that you don’t have any leaking or any issues with the gutters,” he said.

He said to check and see if seals and joints in gutters were tight to prevent leaking and dripping.

At the same time, cleaning gutters regularly was a good idea. Depending on the amount of tree cover, twice yearly would be good, but for those living in more heavily-dense tree cover a person should consider cleaning gutters more often, he said.

He noted spring and winter were a good time to clean, but said people living with more heavy cover should consider cleaning the gutters throughout the summer as well.

Ensuring downspouts were clutter-free is also important. Flushing with a hose can help clean those.

“Just because your gutter’s clean doesn’t mean that the downspout is also, and those can plug up and cause the backups the same,” he said.

He also recommended having professionals do the work, both cleaning the gutters and inspecting the roof, so there isn’t a safety issue.

Having leaf protection such as a Gutter Helmet that goes over the gutters — thereby allowing water to flow into gutters and divert leaves and debris to the ground — also helps.

Anyone needing gutter work can reach out to Home Solutions Midwest at 507-373-3435. The company’s website is homesolutionsmidwest.com.

Home Solutions Midwest has design consultants that can visit your home to review your gutter system. They follow up with a recommendation on any upgrades that can help the homeowner.