Whoever said cleaning gutters was a pleasant task? It is messy and quite a hassle but it has to be done, unless you want to pay someone else to do the job for you. This article attempts to explain in as easy a way as possible how you can ‘do it yourself’ in a safe manner, by making use of the tips in the article.
In order to remove all the debris that collects in your gutter and then clogs the drains, you will need to clean them out at least once in every 4 months to avoid bigger problems like the overflow from backed up gutters seeping into the earth’s foundation down to your basement. If the water does not overflow, the trapped water forms the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Ladder safety concerns
• You will have to climb up a ladder to be able to properly clean out your gutter. Making sure you are safe up there should be your primary concern when cleaning the gutter. Place the ladder firmly on a flat surface and preferably get someone to hold it for you. You can also rig up a harness to hold you up should the ladder slip; take your safety seriously, don’t laugh off the danger, thinking it’s only a ladder.
• Extension ladders are good if you have them because they will reach above the roof line.
• Don’t stretch too far right or left when cleaning; it is far better to make the effort to climb down and move the ladder. When reaching out, the middle of your chest should always stay within the sides of the ladder.
• Never climb onto the top 2 rungs to do the cleaning, it is extremely dangerous.
Gutter cleaning tips
• First you need to dress appropriately, wear safety glasses and thick workman’s gloves that will give you a good grip and cannot be easily punctured.
• Place your ladder near the downspout, making that your starting point. Use a gutter scraper tool or a garden trowel to scrape the accumulation of debris up.
• Just drop the debris to the ground; it will be easy enough to rake it up when you are done. Alternatively, you can tie a thick garbage bag at a convenient height to the ladder and drop the debris into it.
• Start with the downspout at the low end, work your way to the high end, never reaching too far out but climbing down and moving the ladder instead.
• If the debris is dry or very wet it is more difficult to remove, if it is dry just give it a light spraying of water, it will be easier to remove and will make the job a lot easier and faster.
• Once the bulk of the debris has been removed from the gutters, use the garden hose to wash out anything that has been left behind.
A tip for blocked drains, if the reason you decided at long last to get the gutters cleaned is because of a blocked drain, you can clear the blockage by pushing a plumber’s snake up the drain from the bottom.
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Learn more about gutter cleaning and the cost of gutter cleaning at gutterarea.com |
