When your gutters start filling up with things like sticks, leaves and other debris they will get clogged and all the water that doesn’t flow will go under the roof and even into the foundation. Another thing that can happen if you don’t clean your gutters is ice dams. To avoid any complications, make sure that you are cleaning your gutters at least once a year, and here are the best things to help you out with that.
Hire Gutter Cleaners
The best and simplest way to get your gutters clean is to call a professional to do it for you. That is because they will come with all the tools and they know what they are doing as it is their job. You won’t be putting yourself in danger and there is no chance of you breaking anything if you have a pro do it for you. But if you think that you are handy enough to do it, keep on reading.
Trim Any Tree Limbs
Something that will make your life much easier as well as cleaning the gutters is simply trimming any tree limbs that are in the way. That will reduce the number of leaves, twigs as well as any other things piling up in your gutters. Not only that but it will also protect your roof and windows in case there is a storm.
Install a Gutter Protection System
One of the best ways you can help yourself with cleaning your gutters is simply installing a gutter guard also known as the gutter protection system. There are so many different products that you can choose from that will help you with preventing debris and forming clogs. As there are so many types on the market nothing that you pick will make your situation worse, it will only help you.
Clean Them Regularly
The best thing that you can do that will help you in the long run when it comes to cleaning out your gutters is simply doing it regularly. When you efficiently clean your gutter, which means that you are cleaning them completely, every time that you do it will be easy. If you don’t do it regularly you will struggle doing it the next time you have to do it.
Inspect Your Downspouts for Any Clogs
When you are cleaning your gutters, you have to make sure that you don’t forget to check your downspouts and see if there are any clogs. When they get clogged the water will have no place to go and all the water will back up and cause damage. It is really important because even if you clean the gutter itself, if the downspout is clogged it’s all for nothing.
Perform Needed Maintenance
Walk around your home and look for anything that looks suspicious. Loof for things such as rust, gutters dropping or even cracks. If you happen to see cracks or gaps make sure that you seal them up. But if it looks like your gutter is badly damaged make sure that you call a professional to replace all the damaged gutters.
Consider Installing Downspout Extensions
As we have mentioned before, having a clogged downspout will make all your cleaning work go in vain. That is why there is no better solution than installing a downspout extension because it will help you with gutter cleaning in the long run. It means that there won’t be any water pooling around your crawl spaces or foundation.
Clean them Properly
Cleaning your gutters can actually be really tricky and most people don’t clean them properly. First and foremost, you have to make sure that your ladder is stable at all times because you can hurt both you and your gutters if they aren’t stable. You will want to scoop out any gunk from your gutter into a garbage bag. Most people use a garden towel to do so. After you have scooped everything out make sure that you rinse it and down the downspout to ensure everything is as clean as possible.
Get A Gutter Scoop
There is nothing that will make your cleaning easier and faster than getting a gutter scoop. It is the best tool that you can have when you are cleaning your gutters. Basically, it is a plastic scooper that can be found at all hardware store. It is so effective because it has a think scooping edge that will remove any kind of degrees in gutters of all shapes and sizes. Another amazing benefit of having it is that when you are using this tool you won’t be scraping the gutters and damaging them in the cleaning process.
Protect Your Hands
Even though not a lot of people think about it, having your hands protected will make your job both simpler and more efficient. That is because you won’t have to be constantly worrying about if you are going to injure yourself or how you are touching gross gunk. Therefore, gloves will not only protect your hands from touching gross degrees but it will also prevent you from touching all the bacteria. They can also prevent you from getting cuts from old metal shards. The best ones that you can choose are thick ones so they don’t get punctured very easily.
Protect Your Eyes
Along with protecting your hands toa little thing that will actually make your job more efficient is protecting your eyes. If your gutters are clogged and filled with gunk the chances, are you have something living in there. Many people will experience frogs, wasps and bees as well as rats coming out when they start cleaning. That is why you need to make sure that your eyes are protected.
Wear Rubber-soled Shoes
Another very useful thing that people think about is getting shoes that won’t slip around when you use force. It will make your job so much easier as you won’t be constantly finding your balance and something to hold on to when your foot is slipping.
Clean Off The Roof
A lot of people will think about this one. But before you start cleaning your gutters you should clean off your roof. That is because when there are things on the roof and you clean out your gutters the first time that the wind blows or rain falls your gutters will get clogged again and you will be back at square one.
Schedule Semi Annual Cleanings
As we have mentioned before, if you don’t want to do it on your own you should call a professional. But it is not a bad idea to have a professional come and clean your gutters with machines and tools that you don’t have twice a year. That will eliminate any chance of water damage caused by a clogged gutter or your gutters rusting and breaking.
As you can see, keeping your gutters clean is not that hard if you know what you are doing and you have all the right tools. Cleaning gutters is definitely a chore that you should skip out on because it can cause serious damage to your house. By following these tips, you will be able to have clean gutters that you will be proud of and a home that has no water damage caused by clogged gutters.
