Gutters are like your home’s unsung heroes, protecting its foundations, doors, windows, and siding from getting damaged during a rainstorm. They even help prevent basement floods! But for them to be able to do their noble job, you, as a homeowner should also perform your duty and clear your gutters of all the leaves and debris that can get accumulated in time.
If you fail to do this, your drain outlets will eventually dam up, water from the rain will fill the gutters and overflow, or worse, pull your gutters lose.
You can choose to hire a professional to do the job or you can do it yourself, but you should make sure that you can do it safely from your roof or from a sturdy ladder. If your home is quite high or with two or more storeys, it’s safer to hire a pro.
Gutter cleaning should be performed at least twice every year and more often if there are a lot of trees around your house or if your area often gets rainstorms.
Should you decide that you can do it, here’s an effective method for you:
*Scoop out all the leaves and loose debris. You should start at the low end of a gutter by the drain outlet. Make sure you have a gutter scoop or garden trowel that is sturdy enough to scoop all the dirt. If you want to lessen the cleaning up that you’d have to do later, have a plastic bucket with you and scoop the debris into it.
*Once you are done with that, have your water hose with you. (Make sure that there’s an on-off high-pressure hose nozzle attached.) This time you should work from the other end of the gutter and work your way toward the drain outlet. This can be quite messy so do try to avoid splattering too much mud!
*Check if water is properly draining from the pipes. If not, clear any obstructions. You can try flushing down directly with your hose. You can also use a plumber’s auger to pull out any debris from the bottom.
Remember that before you start with these steps, you have to inspect your ladder and make sure that it is placed on a level and firm base. A tall stepladder is a safer option. Never work when it’s windy, wet, or icy. Wear durable non-slip shoes. Also, make sure that there are no power lines in the way. Don’t forget to wear work gloves and goggles to protect your eyes!
