Gutter Cleaning - Clean Gutters and Downspouts

A few times a year I have to do the hated task of cleaning my gutters.  Gutter cleaning is not one of my favorite things to do.  I used to haul out the ladder and drag it around the house reaching up into my gutter and grabbing a bunch of slop with my hands and throwing it onto the ground.  But it is quite important to make sure that your gutters are clean.  Rain gutter cleaning protects your foundation as well as you siding, windows and doors.  If you gutters are full it doesn’t allow for proper draining into you downspouts and water begins to flow over the edge of the rain gutters.  The greatest potential damage from this is damage to your foundation.   Your gutters and downspouts are there to remove the water from around your house.  If you have clogged downspouts then the water drains down around your foundation.  Often people get water in their basement from this very problem.  Simple basement leaks can often be solved by gutter cleaning.  

Well finally I wised up and streamlined the gutter cleaning process.  Things went a lot smoother when I invested in some gutter cleaning equipment.  Here is the low down on some of the gutter cleaning tools that may make the job a little easier. 

Gutter scoops are what the name implies.  It is sort of like a shovel for your gutters.   Gutter scoops are helpful for getting out the large debris that clutters up your gutter.  They come in different sizes so you will need to measure you gutter before you buy one.     Scoops sure beat your hands for taking out the slop from your gutters.   Some of the scoops have long handles.  This can come in handy.   It will limit the number of times that you have to move your ladder. 

Gutter scoops are not expensive but you could probably make a fairly functional homemade version if you want.   Just cut off the bottom of a plastic jug (at an angle) that will fit into your gutter and voila you have a gutter scoop.  It won’t have a long handle but it will get the job done. 

The one gutter cleaning tool that I have made great use of is a leaf blower.  I have used this the last number of times I have cleaned the gutters and downspouts.  You can do this in one of two ways.  You can climb up and down the ladder and use the blower to clear out the gutters.   However, this method does get messy.  You will be blowing debris all around the house.  I usually have to end up sweeping the patio and other areas.  The second way you can clean the gutters with a leaf blower is by climbing up onto your roof.  You need a gas powered leaf blower to do this since one attached to an electric cord would be unsafe.  Also make sure that your roof has a low pitch.  Running around a roof with a high pitch can be dangerous. 

The nice thing about doing it from the roof is that you can just walk around and blow the debris out of the gutters.  It is extremely quick and easy.   There are attachments that you can buy for some leaf blowers that will allow you to reach your gutters from the ground.  Of course, this would be the safest way to clean you gutters. 

Sometimes when cleaning your gutters & downspouts you will find out that your downspout is clogged somewhere that is not reachable by your hand.  In this instance you will need to use a common plumbers snake and either thread it into the downspout from above or below.  This should be sufficient to release the clog in your downspout.   To make sure that the debris is clear you can take a garden hose and insert it into the downspout from above.  Turn it on and make sure that downspout flows clearly. 

Of course if you don’t feel like cleaning the gutters yourself or if you feel it would be unsafe for you to be climbing up and down a ladder you could always hire a gutter cleaning service.  If you can’t find anything listed in your local Yellow Pages under gutter cleaning service you can probably find a local handyman who is willing to do the job for you.