Whether you do it yourself or hire a pro, cleaning gutters is a critical task that can prevent future water damage.
DIY Gutter Cleaning. To clean your gutters yourself, wear gloves, a dust mask, and safety goggles. Make sure your ladder is well-footed at all times and use a ladder stabilizer, or stand-off, to. Gutter cleaning requires working from a ladder, so be careful of the ladder's footing, and how much weight is placed on the gutter. A stabilizer bar is a good choice because it will keep the ladder's weight on the roof or wall and off the gutter. Be careful of electrical lines and trees. In a downpour, a clogged roof gutter sends a cascade of water down the side of your house, making canyons of your flowerbeds and saturating your foundation. Clean gutters of leaves and debris to help prevent damage to your landscaping and siding, and to head off expensive water damage repairs to your foundation that may cost $10,000 or more.
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While it’s a job many of us would love to ignore, gutter cleaning is an important twice-a-year ritual all homeowners need to adopt. When clogged gutters overflow, they can cause ice dams on the roof that force water inside your house. They can also get so heavy that they’ll pull the gutters loose and rot the trim and siding. Even if your gutter doesn’t fill to overflowing each season, leaving any decaying debris in there is an invitation to carpenter ants and mosquitoes. If you have a lot of trees around your house, you might want to clean your gutters even more frequently.
Cleaning Your Gutters
There are lots of ways to do the cleaning. You can find inventions like tongs on an extension pole, shop vacuums with gutter nozzles or even a remote-controlled gutter-running robot. But most methods eventually involve getting on a ladder. If you have gutters above the first story or aren’t comfortable on a ladder, you’re better off hiring a pro.
DIY Gutter Cleaning
To clean your gutters yourself, wear gloves, a dust mask, and safety goggles. Make sure your ladder is well-footed at all times and use a ladder stabilizer, or stand-off, to keep from denting and damaging your gutters. Scoop the debris into a garbage bag with a garden trowel, then rinse toward the downspout with a high-pressure nozzle on your hose and scrub it clean. Try to avoid spattering the siding in the process. Next, clear the downspouts with a hose or auger. Installing leaf strainers at the drain tops will cut down on the large clogs.
Maintaining Your Gutters
When it rains, check for leaks and mark them with a china marker so you can patch holes or correct pitch problems when it’s dry. There’s debate about whether gutter caps or screens are worth the investment of up to $7 a running foot. Because nothing keeps all debris out, you still have to have your gutter cleaned every couple of years at least, and screens and caps make it much more difficult and expensive to do it.
Some seasonal chores around the house always seem like a big job. Climbing the ladder and tackling the gutters isn’t a project you look forward to, but you know you have to get it done.
Do you sometimes wish you knew the best way to clean gutters? Could you use a few tips and tricks?
We know you know the drill, but this is a job that’s a little easier when you’re armed with a few smart strategies. To help you avoid the soggy problems we often see as Chicago’s leading water damage restoration contractor, we offer our handy guide to cleaning dirty gutters.
10 Tips That Make Cleaning the Gutters Easier
Always take a look at the weather forecast before heading up to the roof. You don’t want to be surprised by an afternoon shower while you’re putting these 10 gutter cleaning tips to work.
1. Assemble Your Gear
Start with a ladder safety check. When you’re sure about the climb, assemble the following gear.
- Heavy gloves and non-slip shoes
- Plastic buckets with easy-grip handles
- Ladder horns and heavy wire hooks
- Trowel and gutter scoop
2. Check the Roof
Even the best-trimmed trees scatter leaves and small twigs across your roof year-round. Check for gutter-clogging litter that can complicate cleaning plans. Carefully clear debris off the roof with a rake or low-pressure power wash.
3. Begin Near a Downspout
Gutter Works Company
Start digging out leaves and dirt near a downspout and work away from it along the gutter length. This keeps potential clogs from falling into the spout’s drop outlet. Be careful around gutter hangers and brackets.
Power Tip: Resist the temptation to fill your bucket to the brim. You don’t want it to splash gutter gunk on walls and windows down below while you’re working.
4. Attack Slime Buildup
One of the best ways to keep gutters from clogging is to get rid of the natural glue that makes them so sticky. Attack algae and fungus buildup with products formulated for cleaning gutter slime and mildew.
5. Clean the Downspout
Once you clear out the gutters, rinse the downspout with a garden hose. If you have to deal with cleaning a clogged downspout, pack a rag around the hose to seal it in the top of the spout, and blast out debris with water pressure.
6. Be Ready for Big Stuff
Be ready for any big surprises in the downspout with a plumber’s snake. If you run into a bird’s nest, squirrel’s stash or one of the kid’s tennis balls, this tool might save you the trouble of taking the downspout apart.
7. Give the System a Final Flush
Finish cleaning gutters and spouts with a steady rinse from the garden hose. Start the flush with medium pressure at a point farthest from the downspout, and let it run for 10 or 15 minutes.
Cleaningsmac's Gutter Works Llc
Power Tip: As water flows through the system, watch gutters and downspouts for any signs of leaks.
8. Be Careful With Power Tools
Be careful with robot cleaners, leaf blowers and high-pressure washers. These power tools can scatter debris, loosen hangers and blast pinholes through gutters. Always follow instructions in product manuals, and use with caution.
9. Try Capping Off Downspouts
Ask a home improvement pro about how to keep leaves out of downspouts. His or her answer might be an easy-to-install plastic cover. A downspout screen does the job, but it can clog without regular maintenance and cleaning.
Gutter Cleaning Service
10. Think About Gutter Guards
Ask that same home improvement pro about how to stop leaves from blocking gutters. DIY solutions range from mesh covers to screen installations. Before you decide on a permanent solution, investigate the pros and cons of different gutter guard systems.
It’s Really Worth It
The best way to keep gutters clean is to tackle the project knowing that you’re saving the house from potential flooding as well as these homeowner headaches:
- Rotting soffits and fascia
- Warped and buckled gutters
- Eroded gardens and lawns
- Foundation and basement damage
A little motivation can go a long way, so keep in mind that your hard work now and next spring pays off in fewer repair problems and a beautiful landscape.
Please Be Careful
When you head up the ladder for gutter duty, please be careful. We want you to stay safe, so ask someone to keep an eye on you while you’re up there. If you have favorite tricks for cleaning the gutters, share them with our online community. Just post your tips in our Comments Section.
Keeping your gutters clean makes a big difference when heavy rains move through the city. We’re always here for you when storms and flooding take their toll on your home. You can depend on ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba for expert water damage restoration services across Chicago and the suburbs.