Gutters. They are absolutely necessary to the health and longevity of our homes, but they get no respect. If you're a typical homeowner, you ignore them until you absolutely have to get up there and clean them. If you're afraid of heights, it's even more of an ordeal. With a few simple techniques, you can check "clean the gutters" off of your to-do list.
Equipment
- Large plastic tarp or yard waste bag
- Ladder
- Gutter scoop (or a half gallon plastic milk jug cut on an angle so that the upper "handle" part makes a scoop)
- Rubber gloves (the kind you would use for washing dishes)
- Garden hose, with nozzle
- A bucket, modified so it will hang on the gutter. To make this, a two or three gallon bucket is best, since it won't get too heavy, even if the contents of your gutter are wet. Make sure it has a metal handle. Use wire cutters or tin snips to cut the handle at the center. Then, use pliers to bend each handle into a "hook" facing the same direction. These can be hooked over the side of your gutter so you don't have to hold a bucket while you clean.
When to Clean Gutters
Gutters should be cleaned in spring and fall. Fall cleaning will take care of all of the leaves and sticks before winter starts. Spring cleaning will remove sticks and other debris that collected over the winter----even the occasional newly-built bird's nest.
How to Clean Gutters
- Lay the tarp out under the section of gutter you'll be cleaning, or place a yard waste bag nearby.
- Place and stabilize the ladder.
- Bring your "hanging bucket" up and hang it over the edge of the gutter next to your ladder.
- Start scooping out the gutter. Use your gutter scoop or milk jug scoop to get out as much debris as you can. Small leaves or pine needles that the scoop misses can be flushed out later with a garden hose.
- Place any removed debris into your hanging bucket.
- When the bucket gets full, climb down and dump the contents on your tarp (if you'll be composting the contents of your gutters), or into your yard waste bag. This way, you won't have any cleaning to do after you're done cleaning!
- Once the gutters are cleaned out, it's time to check the downspouts for blockages. The best way to do this is to take a garden hose with a spray nozzle and spray water straight down each downspout. If it comes out of the bottom quickly, you'll know your downspout is clear. If not, try a little more water pressure, which should knock most blockages free. If it's still not clear, you'll have to remove the elbow at the top of the gutter. Usually, any blockages in your downspout will be found there. Remove any debris, and reattach.
- Go back up to the gutter (for the last time) and spray out any remaining debris. It will flow easily out of the gutter and down the downspout.
Ways to Reduce Debris in Gutters
There are several products available at almost any home center that will help reduce the amount of gutter cleaning you'll need to do. Some to check out:
- Gutter screens, which are installed on top of the gutters. They let water and small debris through, but keep leaves out. A down side to them is that wet leaves can tend to sit on top of them, which means you'll still have to go up to clean off the screens.
- Gutter brushes, which lay inside the gutter and let water and small bits of debris through but keep leaves out. The brushes will need to be removed and rinsed off occasionally.
- Gutter caps, which, when installed properly, keep leaves and large debris out of gutters. These are a bit more expensive than the other options, but very worthwhile if you despise cleaning the gutters.
Cleaning the gutters isn't a fun job, but it's necessary to the health and integrity of your home.
