Best Practices When Cleaning Out Your Gutters

Roof gutters are more important than many homeowners think. They take gallons of rainwater and carry it down through their spouts. This prevents waterfalls from pouring off of your roof during heavy rainfall. Without gutters, water can pool around your property and cause damage over time. 

How do you maintain gutters? Clogged and dirty gutters are particularly problematic. They require maintenance throughout the year, especially if you live in an area with a high volume of trees. Leaves are one of the most common things to clog gutters. Now, let’s dive into keeping your gutters functioning properly throughout the year.

The Need for Gutter Cleaning and When to Do It

The main aim of cleaning gutters is to ensure rainwater from the roof flows freely through the gutters and down through the spouts. Cleaning gutters is much cheaper than the repairs associated with not doing the clean-up. When should you clean your gutter?

The most appropriate time is right before the rainy season begins. All gutters should be cleaned at least once a year but you may need to get up there more often if you have trees nearby. It is recommended that you clean gutters every spring and fall in preparation for rains and snow. Special gutter cleaning is required after a storm, before a forecasted storm, and after strong winds that may have blown leaves and debris into the gutter.

The Gutter Cleaning Steps

1. Assemble all the items you will need.

2. Wear a long-sleeved shirt and wear rubber gloves.

3. Get an extendable ladder with standoff stabilizers to avoid placing it directly on gutters. Put the ladder on a spot that you put in the gutter.

4. Carefully move up the ladder with a waste bag in hand.

5. Pick up all debris carefully placing it in the bag. If there is some litter on the roof, start by removing this because if you don’t it will all end up in the gutter when it rains.

6. Use a small plastic scoop to remove any gunk.

7. Use a garden hose to clean and flush the gutter.

8. Unclog the downspouts if they are clogged and test their effectiveness by spraying water from the hose pipe at full speed. Repair any leaks you may notice.

Important Safety Measures

Cleaning gutters has more to it than just getting up there and cleaning away. You need to do it safely. Actually, there are thousands of people who get injured cleaning gutters every year. You can avoid these injuries by adhering to a few safety precautions.

The ladder you use should be strong and preferably, four-legged. This provides the support to hold your weight up there. Clean a small area, come down, and move the ladder to clean another portion. Avoid overstretching because you can easily fall off the ladder.

Wearing protective gear is very important. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the dirt and germs in the debris. Eye protection is also necessary. Wear goggles to protect your eyes from aerosols from bird droppings on the roof as well as stings from insects like wasps and bees that may have made a home on your roof. The right kind of shoe for gutter cleaning is rubber shoes. These will give you a proper grip so you do not easily slide.

Conclusion

With the right practice, gutter cleaning can be done safely. Bear the above tips in mind the next time you carry out this important activity. Remember gutter cleaning is very important because clogged gutters can cause you to lose a lot of money in repairs.

Alex Capozzolo is a partner of Better House Buyers, a home buyer based in Georgia. He has been writing for the real estate industry for several years. Alex enjoys writing on real estate investing, home improvement, and interior design.

Guest Contributor: Mary Anderson