Get Your Head into the Gutters?

Gutters serve an important purpose to divert rainwater away from your home. A great way to damage and sink your foundation over time is to ignore cleaning them out as they clog. Mankind has figured out a way to clone a sheep, but we have not figured out a way to avoid gutter clog ups. Until the industrial revolution of house gutters occurs, use today’s newsletter as a step-by-step guide to clean your gutters.

How to Clean Out Your Gutters

What You’ll Need:

• Ladder

• Gloves (Preferably rugged and waterproof)

• 5 Gallon Bucket

• Large Trash Bags (or other Leaf Bags)

• Garden hose w/ water source

• Optional: Leaf Blower

Step 1: Preparing the Ladder

The first part of cleaning your gutters is reaching the gutters. Find a ladder that will reach high enough to bring your stomach in line with the top of the gutters. When using a ladder, make sure all the ladder’s feet are on the ground, its clear of power lines, and if you’re using an extension ladder, make sure the angle leaning onto the house is low enough so that you won’t fall backwards.

Step 2: Removing Debris from the Gutters

With gloves on and your 5-gallon bucket safely on the roof or hanging from the ladder, remove all loose debris from the inside of the gutters. You’ll want to use thicker gloves because the inside of gutter systems often have exposed screws which will easily cut your skin.

Work on one section of the home at a time. If you have a 15-foot run of gutters in the same area, remove all the debris here first then go to step 3. This will avoid moving the ladder back and forth over and over in between steps.

Step 3: Fill Trash Bags or Leaf Bags with Debris

As your 5-gallon bucket fills up with gutter clogging material, dump it into a bag and dispose of it properly. Shockingly, leaves don’t look great as a lawn ornament. Make sure you’re getting rid of the debris because you’ll be surprised how much you’ll end up with in the end.

Step 4: The Rinse

Once all the debris is removed, take a hose and stand on the end of the gutters furthest away from the downspout. Start rinsing the gutters with the hose removing any final dirt from the inside. Do this around the house until they are clear from leaves, dirt, and pine needles.

Extra Tips

What if my downspout is clogged?

If the downspout to your gutters is full of debris, you have a couple of options. The first option is to tap the downspouts on all sides to break free any clogs. The vibration from hitting the side-wall of the metal should help loosen up large deposits. Another option is to disassemble the downspout using a screwdriver. Most gutter downspouts are held together by flat head screws. Simply unscrew the connections and clean out the debris.

What if I Can Walk on My Roof?

If you’re comfortable walking on your roof, you can save a lot of time using a leaf blower to remove the debris. This won’t bag up all the dirt and leaves, but it will save you a lot of time during the job. It’ll also removes the need to move the ladder every couple of feet. Be careful on your roof especially on a hot day. Shingles can get hot enough to burn you in the summer heat.

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