What’s the best way to clean your gutters?

Cleaning your gutters is one of those tasks that can be easily moved. But the longer you wait, the bigger the job gets. Fortunately, we have some useful tips on how to maintain your gutters and even repair them if necessary.

How to keep gutters clean

In order for your gutters to work as they are supposed to, it is important that you clean them thoroughly every fall and spring. Accumulation of dirt can clog the downpipes and cause water damage to your roof and panels. If so, water could flow down your gutters and into your basement, where it can cause permanent damage.

Remember, it is much easier to clean your gutters after a few dry days when the residue is less soaked and easier to work with.

We are going to introduce you to one of the oldest and easiest methods of cleaning gutters. Accessible materials are used that you can easily find in your local hardware store.

Here’s what you’ll need to clean your gutters:

• ladder
• trowel
• 2x buckets with wire hooks
• Garden hose with nozzle
• working gloves
• Latex gloves
• safety goggles

• When cleaning your gutters, you will need to climb a ladder. Many people are afraid of heights and may feel uncomfortable with this idea. If that sounds like you, it’s probably best to call a professional cleaning company like kleenit.com.au get the job done. Otherwise, be careful when working on your power lines to avoid damage.

• For best results, place your stepladder on level ground and never climb the penultimate step. If you have a two-story house, you’ll need to use an extension ladder instead.

• Wear latex gloves under your work gloves to protect the skin on your hands from wet residue that seeps through your gloves.

• Take your tools, put them in one of the buckets, and hook them up on the ladder with wire hooks. This way you don’t have to carry your tools in your pocket. Next, take the empty bucket and connect it to the other side of the ladder.

• Start near the downpipe and clean the debris and twigs that are on the gutters. Your trowel will help you remove smaller, compacted particles of dirt that may be difficult for your hands to grip. While you’re at it, you’ll also need to remove and clean your downpipe strainers.

• When you have removed the large residues, rinse the smaller pieces of dirt with a hose. Make sure that you start rinsing at the opposite end of the down pipe so that the water runs over the pipe.

• If you find that your gutter is not emptying properly, there is probably a blockage in the downpipe. If your gutter encounters an underground tile system, you will need to remove the lower end of the downpipe.

• Then set your hose nozzle to full pressure before turning on the water and insert the hose from the bottom of the spout. If that doesn’t work, call on a professional who will use an electrician’s line to access the rubble in a discreet yet effective manner.

• Once your downspout is cleaned, reattach it and rinse your gutters again. If you notice stagnant water in the gutters, it means that they are not properly inclined. Ideally, the length of the system should decrease ¼ inch every 10 feet toward the downspout. If yours isn’t aligned this way, remove the hangers to adjust the gutter to drain properly before putting it back on.

Once you have cleaned your gutters adequately, you should keep them that way using gutter strainers that help keep dirt away from your gutters.

Conclusion

A clean gutter is a clean house, and as you can see, gutter maintenance is as simple as following the steps above. Best of all, this cleaning method takes no more than an hour or two of your time and you only have to repeat the process twice a year.