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Gutter cleaning is necessary for landscaping, so it’s important to ensure that the gutter system looks as fresh and inviting as possible. A clean gutter will also prevent weeds from growing in between the slats. Cleaning out the home’s gutters is a necessity that needs to be done annually. With the help of gutters, you can keep the water away from your house.
Gutters must be set free from debris and dirt. Homeowners take the gutters for granted, which shouldn’t be. You have to make sure that your gutters are installed and functioning properly. In this blog post, we are describing some easy and effective ways to clean gutters. Read on the tips and tricks to clean your gutters effectively.
Why Is Gutter Cleaning Important?
Gutters play an essential role as if the cleaning of the gutters is not done correctly; then the conditions may also get worse. During winters, the melt and freeze cycles can cause a big problem as the snow melts and then freezes in the gutters, creating a blockage and breakdown of the gutters from the roof.
Gutter cleaning helps in many ways:
- Roof Protection: It collects the rainwater from the roof and directs it towards the downpipe away from the property. Otherwise, the clogged gutters will not allow rainwater to move easily.
- Lowers the Risk of Cracked Foundation: Blocked gutters can lead to many problems as the water will fall near the home’s foundation leading to leakages and cracks around the windows or basements. So, cleaning the gutters may lower the risk of a cracked foundation.
- Prevents Water Damage: The gutters filled with debris or leaves may block the downspouts, leading to ineffective water drainage. Proper maintenance of gutters is required to keep them functioning well.
- Keeping Pests Away From Gutters: The gutters blocked with debris or leaves are a call for rodents, birds, and other insects. They will cause serious damage to your roof and gutters. To prevent this problem, you should keep your gutters clean.
- Saving Money: The blocked gutters and downpipes may lead to unexpected repair or replacement expenses. Before getting into trouble, you must take preventive measures by ensuring the proper cleaning and maintenance of the gutters.
Effective Gutter Cleaning Tips That Will Save Your Time & Efforts
The gutters are the essential thing to protect your home from water damage. If your gutters are blocked or damaged, it can cause a massive problem for you. So, it is your responsibility to keep your gutters safe and clean from dirt and debris as they accumulate in the gutters over time and need to be cleaned out. Here we have shared some top gutter cleaning tips that will also help your save time and effort if you have to do it on your own.
Schedule Regular Cleaning
Cleaning gutters on time will prevent damage. The gutters, cleaned regularly, ensure safety from any type of blockage. The frequency of cleaning depends on the number of plants or trees around your property. You need to figure out the gutter cleaning schedule per your area’s changing seasons too. Irregular or no cleaning may lead to clogs, resulting in water damage to your home.
Putting On The Safety First
Investing and getting the right equipment for gutter cleaning will save your time. For a successful cleaning session, you need to grab a PPE (personal protective equipment) kit with non-slippery shoes, eye protection, waterproof clothes, a safety harness, and gloves. You should also have a hard bristled broom, pressure washer, hand trowel, leaf blower, ladder, green waste bags, and a cleaning solution. These tools and types of equipment will lead you to the correct gutter cleaning process.
- Use a reliable ladder.
- Wear gloves to protect your hands and protective eyewear for the eyes.
- If working with a pressure cleaner, don’t forget to wear waterproof clothing.
- Put on a safety harness if gutters are on the roof.
- Make sure that you are not working around the electric cables.
- Wear non-slippery shoes while cleaning gutters so that you don’t fall.
You can also call a professional gutter cleaner for your help if you are not sure about your ability to do it yourself.
Cleaning Of Debris By Hands From Gutters
Surely, you’ll find dirt, moss, branches, debris, and sometimes little plants too in the gutters. You have to withdraw the bulk of debris from the gutters with your hands. Just grab a towel, scoop out the debris, and put it in the green waste bag or bin. Don’t forget to wear safety gloves to protect your hands from cuts and abrasion. It also keeps you safe from dust, dirt, infection, and contamination. If you simply try to wash out the debris without doing this step, then the debris will get stuck and block the pipelines and the drains. This will create a huge problem for the next cleaning process.
Selection Of A Cleaning Solution
You can use the right cleaning solution, which helps in loosening up the tough deposits and gives it a lubricating effect that will help to wash away the dirt while pressure washing. For stubborn dirt, you can use a rotating brush along with the pressure washer for deep cleaning. A combination of cleaning solution with the pressure washer with the right attachments is best to complete the gutter cleaning task.
Cleaning of The Downpipes
Blocked downpipes may prevent water from running off the drains and downpipes from the roof. It will start flooding just after slight rains as downpipes are used to direct collected water away from the property. There are many options available to clear out the blocked downpipes, which are completely dependent on your own individual liking. You can try a high-pressure flush, or you can try dislodging the clog by tapping the downpipe and then flush. Keeping your downpipes clean will help your gutters work in an efficient manner.
Cleaning Out The Drains
While cleaning gutters, it has been observed that many of them fail to clean the drains, which is equally important. It becomes more challenging to clean the drains when debris and other blockages are found in the gutters. Before removing the grill from the drains, it is recommended to clear the drain covered by any debris. If you see your drains blocked, then you must use a pressure water attachment that can blast the blockage away from the drain.
Put on the Gutter Guards
Installation of the gutter guards becomes important if you observe that you need to clean your gutters too often. The guard is fitted to your gutters to prevent debris from getting into the gutters. This will also prevent birds from building nests in your gutters. These guards will definitely make the cleaning more manageable and will also reduce the frequency of cleaning the gutters.
Regular Maintenance of Gutters
Gutter cleaning is quite a time-consuming task. Going on with the deep cleaning of the gutters once will lead to easy cleaning of the gutters in the future. Cleaning the gutters twice a year will prevent moss from taking hold and making a blockage over there. Those who stay in the areas having lots of trees should try to clean their gutters on a quarterly basis to avoid any kind of dirt and debris.
If you want to know about Pros & Cons Of Using A Gutter Guard, Click here
Common Gutter Cleaning Methods
Blocked gutters increase the risk of leaking roofs, and most people don’t even realise that. Here we have mentioned some of the gutter cleaning methods that you can easily follow to keep your gutters clean and increase their lifespan. Just go through the basic methods which can be used if you are cleaning the gutters on your own.
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Method 1: Using A Ladder and Hose
For this step, you’ll need a garden hose, a high-pressure nozzle or a jet sweeper, and a strong ladder. After keeping the ladder in place, climb it and start using the hose. In a few circumstances, we have noticed that you might need to clear the gutters of debris with your hand. Keep a green waste bag with you, then simply collect the scoop of debris and remove it. Once done with the cleaning of gutters, go back to the top and run the hose. You need to make sure that the water running through the downpipes should flow freely without getting stuck.
Method 2: Cleaning of Gutters From the Ground
You can also clean the gutters by simply standing on the ground. But to do so, there are some accessories that you may require. To avoid ladders, you can get a gutter cleaning wand. Just pick the right one for you, as it can reach the rooftop while standing on the ground. You should pick the curved end wand and attach the wand to the hose, and put it directly into the gutter, forcing the water pressure to push debris out of the gutter or towards the downpipe. Gutter cleaning wands are easily available in the market, and the prices may vary depending on their length, quality, and sizes.
Method 3: Use a Pressure Washer For Cleaning Gutters
The pressure washer is again one of the best options to clean the gutters without getting onto the roof. You can move the dirt, moss, and debris from your gutters while using the right attachments, which creates the pressure necessary to wash them away. This technique is considered one of the best options available.
When Is The Best Time To Clean Gutters
It is advised to clean the gutters twice a year in the spring and again in the fall. Some other aspects make it important to regularly clean out the gutters. For instance, if you have a pine tree in your garden, then you may need to clean the gutters on a quarterly basis. This will ensure that your gutters will not be choked by pine needles, which can also cause damage.
The weather condition of your surroundings also affects the frequency of cleaning gutters. Either you can hire professional gutter cleaners or you can do it on your own. Early spring and early fall are the best times when you should clean your gutters. Cleaning during these times will prepare your gutters for the upcoming challenges.
Conclusion
Cleaning your gutters is an important job that has to be done in the right manner. It is the responsibility of each homeowner. With the help of these tips, you can clean the gutters safely and quickly and will ensure the gutters are working well and last long. Just follow the steps and notice the results later.
The frequency of cleaning the gutters depends on the area you are residing in; if you are surrounded by trees, then you need to clean it after every 3 months. If not, then you can do it twice a year. Taking care of the gutters while cleaning them yourself is essential; otherwise, it may lead you to huge losses. You can also hire a professional gutter cleaning service if you are not sure about your capability to do it on your own.
