Gutters look like a small job until you count how many times they need doing. The real question is not whether a crew can clean them. It is whether you want to be the one on the ladder, and whether the hired version actually covers what you think it covers.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Count the cleanings before you count the money
Start with the calendar. Look at how many times a year the gutters fill with leaves, seed pods, and grit from the trees around Mom's house. Mark the first cleaning after the leaves drop, any spring cleaning, and any storm where you saw water running over the edge. Write that number down. Every comparison from here runs on the same number of visits, so a single quote is never enough to decide anything.
Measure the ladder work, not just the gutters
Check the height of the eaves at the lowest point and at the highest. A single-story run you can reach from a stable base is a different job from a two-story pitch that needs an extension ladder and someone holding the base. Note whether the ground is level, whether shrubs or a deck sit in the way, and who would stand at the bottom. If you would be working alone, count that as a real cost in your hours. It is labor the family is giving, so write it down like any other line item.
Then list your own gear: a gutter scoop or trowel, a bucket, a hose with a wand to flush the runs, a bag for debris, and gloves. If you already own these, the do-it-yourself side is cheaper on the first visit. If you would have to buy them, add that cost to the first year.
Ask the crew what the quote includes
Before you accept a hired quote, ask for it in writing and read it against these lines. Does it clean the full length of the gutters, including the corners and the section over the porch? Does it flush each downspout and confirm the water runs out at the bottom? Does it include hauling away the debris, or does it leave bags on the lawn for you? Does it check the brackets and hangers and tell you if a section is sagging or pulling away from the fascia? If Mom's gutters have guards, does the quote say whether those get lifted or removed to clean the trough properly? Will the crew take a photo of the finished work so you can see what was done?
Ask for proof of insurance and the company's liability coverage, and ask who will actually be on the ladder. The name on the quote and the person doing the work are sometimes different people. Put the answers on paper and keep that paper in the same folder as the other papers for Mom's house.
Decide with the same number
Add up your own hours per cleaning, including setup, any trip to the store for supplies, and cleanup. Multiply by the number of cleanings you counted. Then take the hired quote for that same number of visits, add any debris fee it leaves out, and compare the two totals. If your own hours come out higher than the crew's bid, hire it out. If you would do the work yourself and show up reliably, the do-it-yourself path makes sense, but only if you will actually be there for every cleaning on the calendar, not just the first one.
Be honest about that second part. A gutter cleaned in October and forgotten until spring is no cheaper than one never cleaned at all. Whatever you choose, put each cleaning date on a shared calendar with a name next to it, so the work has an owner and the group text does not have to guess who was supposed to do it.
Local options in St. Louis
Many local crews and handymen in the St. Louis area do gutter work, and the quotes depend on how tall the house is and how much debris your trees drop. Ask two or three companies to quote the same scope, the same number of visits, and the same debris terms, and keep every page. For where to start looking and what to ask a local provider, see Local help.