Of all the home maintenance tasks for this time of year, one that should be near the top of your list is cleaning your gutters. It’s not as bad as it seems, especially when you know how to clean gutters safely. If you use common sense and follow the rules, you can get this chore done efficiently and it won’t take up your whole day.
Don’t Put It Off
Cleaning the gutters can get you dirty and sweaty, but the results are worth the effort. If you don’t get your gutters cleaned before winter weather hits, you’re risking a slew of problems that could lead to expensive repairs down the road. For example:
• The gutters might become detached from the house. Gutters jammed with debris that’s wet and soggy will freeze in the winter and force the gutter away from the home, eventually sagging and falling.
• Clogged gutters overflow, causing a buildup of water near your foundation which leads to a leaky basement or worse, a crack in the foundation due to expansion from freezing.
• Stains can when gutters leak. Organic materials like leaves and sticks can stain your siding when they mix with water that’s not diverting away from your home.
Issues such as these are easy to prevent if you remember to clean your gutters during fall. Read on to learn how to clean gutters safely.
How to Clean Gutters Safely
Homeowners should already know that gutters need attention. You may have noticed this during the last rain when the gutters overflowed from not having been cleaned in a while. Water spilling over and leaking from them is a sure sign of a repair waiting to happen. That said, let’s take a good look at how to clean gutters safely.
You’ll be working above the ground and in a place where your safety is at risk if you’re not careful. Prepare to take all the safety steps before starting. The primary tool you’ll be using is a ladder. Use a step ladder if you’re working on a one-story home and an extension ladder for a two-story. In either case, make sure the ladder is on level ground and can’t slip out from under you. It’s best to have someone else at home whenever you are using a ladder.
• Before climbing up the ladder, have hooks and buckets ready to attach to the ladder to keep things close by as you need them. Never carry tools up the ladder where you could lose your balance and fall onto the tools.
• Wear only good shoes or boots with non-slip soles. You don’t want to risk losing your footing when you’re on a ladder.
• Wear safety glasses while you’re up there working. With leaves and sticks flying around, you shouldn’t risk having something land in your eyes.
• If you see power lines near you, consider hiring someone to complete this task instead. Professionals have more experience in these situations, and it’s worth it to spend the money to stay safe.
Get the Correct Tools Ready
Now that you have a good idea of the rules involved in learning how to clean gutters safely, it’s time to gather the required tools to get the job done right.
• It should go without saying that a ladder in good condition that’s tall enough for the job is essential. Also on the list of essential tools is gloves and safety glasses. Remember, you can’t be too careful.
• Mentioned earlier is the use of hooks and buckets to keep tools within reach but not in your way.
• A trowel and a screwdriver work great for scraping and removing dirt and debris that’s packed tightly inside the gutter.
• To keep things a bit cleaner around your home, a large tarp or a blanket comes in handy to catch falling debris as you move down each side of the house.
• Don’t forget to have your hose with a sprayer attachment ready to spray the gutters clean after you remove the piles of debris. Use the hose to clear out the downspouts, too.
Time to Get it Done
The steps to clean your gutters are straightforward and common sense applies every time in these situations:
• Place the ladder near a downspout and lay out the tarp or blanket underneath the gutter.
• Use your hooks to place an empty bucket near the top of the ladder, with your tool bucket hooked on the opposite side of the ladder and easy to reach.
• Clean out all the debris within easy reach and dump it into the bucket or let it fall to the ground onto the tarp or blanket.
• Move your way along toward the opposite end of the gutter system, cleaning as you go.
• From the opposite end, have your hose and sprayer ready to rinse away leftover dirt and debris.
• Check the downspout as the water drains out. It should work fine. If not, run the hose up the downspout to clear any clogs.
• Check and clean the downspout screen.
• Now, all that’s left is the cleanup.
Now that you know how to clean your gutters safely, you are better equipped to maintain this aspect of your home. Remember to keep this task on your calendar and complete it at least twice a year. Always follow safety rules and take your time.
Elite Home Inspections serves Louisville, Kentucky and the surrounding areas with home inspection services. Contact us to book an appointment.