No matter who’s in charge of gutter cleaning duties in the household, this chore can be time-consuming and even dangerous (if you don’t take the proper precautions). The dangers of DIY gutter cleaning shouldn’t be taken lightly. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than 90,000 people are critically injured falling off ladders and require emergency medical care every year.
Homeowners around the country have different creative techniques to go about DIY gutter cleaning. Take a look at a few of them below.
The Old-Fashioned Way
Grab your ladder and get ready to spend some time climbing up and down. Before you climb the ladder, lay a tarp over your lawn in an area near your ladder where you can toss leaves you remove from the gutters. This will save you time picking up the scattered debris when you are done.
Then, throw on some gloves, climb your ladder, and start removing the leaves using your hands or a garden trowel. As soon as you’ve cleared out a section, climb down the ladder and move it over a few feet, then repeat the work on a different section. When you're done, use a garden hose to run water down the gutters to help remove any leftover debris.
Safety Precaution: Don’t gamble at the chance of the ladder tilting over, that’s why it’s important to avoid excessively leaning over to your left or to your right to reach a few more leaves while gutter cleaning. Always move the ladder to get a better reach.
Pressure Washer
Some people recommend a pressure washer to exert more force on the gunk and leaves stuck in your gutters. However, since it is a more powerful method of DIY gutter cleaning, you have to make sure that your gutters are properly maintained and have spikes that are securely fastened to the rafter.
Once you make sure your gutters are properly fastened and free of leaks, you can buy or rent a pressure washer to do some heavy-duty gutter cleaning. Remember to only aim the nozzle at the gutters, and not at your roof’s shingles, as you’ll risk tearing them off and sending them flying.
Build Your Own Gutter Cleaner
This option will take more preparation and equipment but will make your gutter cleaning life easier afterward. Bring out your inner handyman with this DIY project. You’ll need to purchase some:
- PVC pipe and PVC cement
- Saw
- Two 90-degree elbows
- Drill
- Threaded hose adapter
- Garden hose
Then, follow the steps on this DIY gutter cleaning video:
What About Gutter Guards?
Gutter guards can help ease some of the pains of gutter cleaning, yet experts on Angie’s List recommend staying away from gutter guard companies that claim you’ll never have to clean your gutters again. This is because even though a guard might block some large debris from entering your gutters, you’ll still have to remove them and clean out small junk that slips in through the gutter guard holes.
While properly maintaining your home is important, you should have homeowner’s insurance to protect your assets, no matter the circumstances. Call one of our friendly agents today at 1-800-INFINITY or visit our website for a free quote.
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