The main reason that you want the water and the hose is so you can test your gutter system. Once you think you have all the debris cleared out of the gutter, you need to test it to make sure that you do not have any more clogs, especially in the downspouts. Start at one end of your gutter system and start running water. Check to make sure that the slope of your gutters is steep enough so that no pools of water form. You want constant movement toward the downspout with no accumulation. The next thing you will check for is that the water flow continues out the bottom of the downspout at the same rate that it is going in. If the water only trickles out or stops coming out all together, then you know you have a clog somewhere.

If you do have the spray nozzle, your hose can be an even bigger help when it comes to cleaning you gutters. You can use the hose to dislodge debris and clogs. A regular garden hose under normal household pressure and a jet setting on your nozzle will have enough force to loosen almost any leaf clog in your gutters. You can also use the water to clear the gutter system of debris. Use the water stream to lift and throw the leaves and twigs out of your gutters. Then once the big stuff is gone you can use the pressure of your hose to clean off the mildew and muck that forms on the bottom of the gutter trough. Because gutters are usually made of aluminum or other lightweight materials, you cannot use a pressure washer to clean them as you would siding or other surfaces. The pressure from your hose is perfect.

You need to be careful when using your hose to clean your gutters though. Handling the hose up on a ladder can be tricky and you need to make sure that you always keep at least one hand on the ladder and do not lean. Make sure that the dangling hose is not caught on your feet or in your way when you are climbing up and down. A technique that I use is to tie the hose nozzle to my belt while I climb and make sure the hose stays on the outside of the ladder. Another safety precaution to keep in mind is that your ladder rungs will get slippery when they get wet. Anytime you bring water into the equation, the danger level of any home improvement task goes up. Be extra careful of your footing and hang on tight when climbing down a wet ladder.

First, gutter cleaning is dangerous. This job requires that you work on a ladder and ladder accidents are quite common. Thousands of people are seen in emergency rooms every year because of injuries they sustained while working on or near ladders. There are even a few deaths every year. Climbing ladders is dangerous enough, but when you have to work on top of one, reaching out as far as you can and scooping and scrubbing, the danger factor goes up. The dangers are not limited to working at heights, though. The debris that clogs up gutters is often wet and infested with mold and mildew that can be harmful to your health. Most people can get away from gutter cleaning with a few sneezes if they wear a mask and they have a healthy respiratory system. However, if you are unlucky enough to suffer from a mold allergy, you could have a wide range of reactions including difficulty breathing or even death. The dangers associated with this chore are only the first reason you should consider hiring a professional gutter cleaner.

Another reason is if you are afraid of heights. We have already recognized that working on a ladder is dangerous. Imagine how much worse it is for someone who is afraid of heights. Just the act of climbing up the ladder, before you ever have to let go, is terrifying. To some, it is worth the extra cost to pay someone to do it for them. It may seem irrational, but acrophobia is a real thing and the symptoms can include a loss of the ability to think clearly and panic attacks. Those symptoms could lead to someone doing something that could lead to injury.

Something you might not think about that is a great benefit of having a professional gutter cleaner to your home is that they can make sure your gutters are hanging the right angles to maximize your gutter efficiency and they can tighten any loose holders or replace any missing straps. As your gutter system ages and settles, it might not be hanging appropriately. Professional gutter cleaning services usually include an inspection to make sure that the pitch is appropriate and your gutters are securely attached to your home. If you so not mind working on a ladder and have no fear of working at heights, then you might want to consider hiring someone for this reason about once every two years or so.

You do not necessarily need the fancy gutter brushes, scoops, or wands to clean your gutters, but there are a few essential items. First you will need a ladder. You have to be able to reach your gutters in order to clean them. The other essential items include a pair of gloves and a trash bag. You have to have somewhere to put the debris once you clean it out, hence the trash bag. And you want to protect yourself when you are handling the mold and mildew covered leaves in the gutters, hence the gloves. You can use your own two hands to scoop out the debris. Once you clear the big pieces your gutter should work well enough until you can get back up there with a brush or a garden hose.

If you do not have a ladder, which is the hardest essential to come by then you do have one other alternative tool that you can use – the telephone. Call a gutter cleaning service to get the job done. However, keep in mind that it will probably take them as long to get to your job as it will for you to get your own gutter cleaning tools and do the job yourself.

A-frame ladders are also called step ladders. They are called A-frame because when they are in use, the two sides of the ladder and the supports that go across the middle form an A. The name step ladder comes from the fact that these ladders have wide steps to stand on rather than thin rungs. The extra stability afforded by those wide steps are one reason that an A-frame ladder is a good one to use for a gutter cleaning project. Another reason in favor of step ladders is that they often have shelves built in near the top to hold tools and things. This shelf can be very helpful when you need to switch between a gutter scoop and a gutter brush while gutter cleaning. If you did not have the shelf, you might have to climb up and down the ladder to exchange tools.

A-frame ladders might not work in all cases, though. Usually step ladders are meant for smaller jobs. This type of ladder usually does not go very high. If your house is only one story then you can probably get away with it. But if you need to get twenty feet in the air, you probably will not be able to do it with an A-frame. Another thing to consider is the ground around your house. A step ladder needs a lot of space to set up. You need to make sure that there is level ground on both sides of where the ladder will be set up and that there are no bushes or landscaping in the way. It is not safe to balance an A-frame ladder on anything but the ground unless you have one of those convertible ladder systems like the Transforma ladder that come with staircase ladder configurations..

If you cannot use an A-frame ladder then an extension ladder might be in order. The second major type of ladder is the extension ladder. The name comes from the fact that the ladder is stored so that it is only eight to ten feet long, but it can be extended to reach much greater heights. Other than their adjustable nature, the other major difference between these types of ladders is how they stand. Extension ladders are meant to be leaned against something and cannot stand up on their own. The bottom of these ladders usually has feet that swivel so that they can be level with the ground no matter what angle the ladder is sitting at. Extension ladders are a good choice for gutter cleaning because they will definitely reach your gutters no matter how high they and you can fit them almost anywhere because they do not take up much room on the ground.

There are some downsides to these ladders, however. The rungs on an extension ladder are typically round and small. There is not as much support for your feet when you are on these ladders so it is especially important to follow proper ladder safety procedures. Another downside to these ladders is that they do not usually have any kind of shelves or places to put things you are working with. If you are using an extension ladder, then you will need to carry things in your pocket or a bag or sit them on the roof. Because the roof is sloped, that could be a problem, but you have to make do with what you have.

As you can see, there are benefits to both kinds of ladders. I am afraid of heights so I want as much support as possible when I am on a ladder. That is why I prefer A-frame or step ladders whenever possible. However, my two story house means that I have to use an extension ladder.

What gloves are best? You want a glove that will still leave you dexterous enough to grasp tools and work easily with your hands. Make sure that the gloves fit properly and are not too big. You also want to get a pair that will extend as far past your wrist as possible. The disposable kitchen gloves that you can buy in the grocery store usually work well because they have grips on the fingers and extend almost up to the middle of your forearm. The more of your arm that is covered, the further you can reach into the gutters without worrying about getting any gutter grime on you.

But why is it so important to wear them? Well, of course you want to avoid getting dirty, but there are molds and bacteria in rotting leaves that you do not want to come in contact with your skin. The moist and warm environment created by the sun shining down on your rooftop is the perfect conditions for mold and bacteria to thrive. If you let these contaminants touch your skin you are much more likely to touch your mouth or eyes and get the mold or bacteria into your system. Some people will not be that affected by them, but others suffer from extreme allergies and could get sick.

How can mold make you sick? Mold allergies have many symptoms, including but not limited to sneezing, chronic cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy eyes, watery eyes, red eyes, skin rashes, hives, sinus headaches, reduced lung capacity and trouble breathing. As with most allergies, the longer you are exposed or the more times you are exposed, the worse the allergy can get. Depending on the severity of your allergy you could experience the symptoms of a mild cold or you could stop breathing. Black mold or toxic mold can even be lethal in some cases. This is a health concern to take seriously.

Even if you wear gloves, you probably will still be at least somewhat affected by the presence of mold. If you have a severe reaction to the mold, then you might want to consider hiring someone to do your gutter cleaning. Even though you will save money if you do the job yourself, it is not worth getting sick over.

Gutter cleaning and gutter maintenance are an important part of home ownership. Your gutters are the collection system, on the edge of your roof. They are designed to divert water that is running off your roof to downspouts. Without gutters, the water would run off your roof in curtains. Unfortunately, your gutters also collect debris like leaves, twigs, and dirt. If too much of that debris collects in your gutters, there is nowhere for the water to go and gutter cleaning becomes necessary. Gutter cleaning is not a pleasant chore, but it is something that every homeowner has to do for many reasons. This site, will give you gutter cleaning tips and suggestions about gutter cleaning tools. This information could mean the difference between a beautiful home and a disaster.

Why Is Gutter Cleaning So Important?

Although gutter cleaning is a chore, if you do not complete it you could end up with far worse problems. Gutters are the first line of defense against erosion of soil around your home foundation. A gutter system is supposed to carry water running off your roof to down spouts so it does not saturate the soil next to your house. If this soil is saturated, then you run the risk of getting the foundation wet. A foundation exposed to water can lead to a multitude of problems.

When water comes across a barrier, it will look for the path of least resistance to continue. If that barrier is your foundation, water can find its way into small cracks in the foundation. No concrete foundation is going to be perfect and crack free. As water travels into the cracks, it will find another barrier because the cracks do not go all the way through the foundation. Therefore, the water will turn around and flow out of the crack, but it will take small pieces of concrete foundation with it. Every time water overflows your gutters and finds its way into the foundation, it erodes away at it. After enough time has passed, the cracks will work all the way through the foundation and water will leak into your basement. Water in your basement can lead to problems with mold, mildew, and other bacteria.

If your gutters are not cleaned regularly and they start to overflow, allowing water to find its way to the soil directly next to your house can also be a problem. As the soil on top becomes water logged, the water will travel deeper and deeper into the soil layers. If the soil underneath your foundation becomes too saturated then it could give way causing a cave in of your home’s foundation. In other words, your house would collapse into a giant sinkhole and could be unlivable. The picture below gives you can idea of what could happen if your gutters are not properly cleaned and maintained.

If your gutters are clogged that means that they are heavy. Too heavy, in fact. The fasteners that are used to attach your gutters to your home cannot withstand the weight of a gutter system full of wet leaves and debris. When your gutters are too full they start to pull away from your house. If they are not in position to catch rainwater running off the roof, the problems to your foundation and possible sinkholes are even more of a concern. Not to mention that a gutter that has pulled away from the house in an eye sore and the falling gutters could get in the way of your security solar lights. Your house will look very unattractive and not well taken care of. If you are thinking of selling your home, gutters that are sagging or out of position could be a deal breaker.

How Do I Clean My Gutters?

Fortunately, the actual process of cleaning out your gutters is not a difficult one. It may be time consuming and unpleasant, but not hard. The tools you need to clean gutters are things that you probably already have around the house. Even though there is specialized gutter cleaning equipment out there, it is not necessary to do an adequate job at gutter and downspout cleaning.

The first thing you will need to do gutter cleaning is a ladder. You need to be able to reach the gutters safely. Make sure that you are using a sturdy ladder and leaning it up against a solid surface. Never lean the ladder against the aluminum and relatively unstable gutter system. The aluminum gutters will buckle under the weight of a person climbing on a ladder. When you climb up the ladder, you will only be able to clean the gutter sections that you can reach. Therefore, you will have to keep climbing down and moving the ladder after you clean each section. An alternative that might make the gutter cleaning go faster is a scaffolding system. Scaffolding is a modular system of pieces made of metal that support people when they are working up in the air. Metal is the most common material of construction, but you can find scaffolding systems made of other materials or a combination of wood and metal. While you will be able to reach more of the gutter system before having to move the scaffolding, there is a downside in that it takes time to construct the scaffolding.

Once you can reach your gutters for cleaning, you will need some kind of gutter cleaning tools to clean out the debris. The cheapest way to clean your gutters is with a pair of work gloves. What? You cannot use gloves to clean gutters. Well, I should say that you need to put your hands in the gloves. That’s right, your hands are an effective gutter scoop. You definitely need a pair of gloves, though. You do not want to be touching the moldy leaves and possible bacteria that have contaminated your gutters. The one problem that you might run into with your hands in a pair of gloves is that your progress will be slow. You can only pick up so much debris at a time with the hand. An alternative to using your hands is using a gutter scoop.

You can buy tools made specifically for cleaning out gutters. They are scoops with high sides to allow for maximum capacity and thin enough to fit into your gutter system. Make sure you measure your gutters before purchasing a gutter scoop because they come in many sizes. Not only will you be able to pick up more debris at a time with the scoop for gutter cleaning, but your reach will be extended. There are long handle gutter cleaning tools that allow you to increase your reach up to two feet in both directions. A long handle and high capacity will make the gutter cleaning process go much faster.

As you are scooping out all of the dirty leaves, twigs, and other debris that clog your gutters, where do you put it. There are two choices. First, you could just throw it on the ground as you go. Then, you can walk around your house picking up the debris later. Or, you could take a garbage bag with you when you go up the ladder. That way, you can throw away the debris as you go. There are advantages to both methods. Not having a garbage bag with you on the ladder allows you to work with both hands more easily. You will be able to clear debris much faster. On the other hand, walking around your house later to pick up the debris on the ground, will just add time to the chore anyway.

Once you scoop out all of the large pieces of debris, you might find that there is a residue on the sides and bottom of your gutters left behind. A slimy layer of mold or mildew could be coating your gutters. While this may not obstruct the flow of water, it will give off an unpleasant odor. It is important to clean this residue out as well. For that, you should use gutter cleaning brushes. Of course, there are brushes marketed specifically for this purpose, but any brush that will fit into your gutters will get the job done. Gutter cleaning brushes with longer handles and a round head are best so that you can reach as far as possible without moving your ladder or scaffolding and so that you can scrub in all directions without having to move the position of the brush in your hand.

Once you have cleared away the large debris and scrubbed the inside of your gutters to get rid of any residues, you will need to rinse. The easiest way to accomplish this task is with a garden hose. Just turn on the garden hose at one end of your gutter system and let the water rinse as it travels throughout. When it completes the rinsing trip, it will run out the downspouts and you will be done.

If you want to skip all the steps that require you to scoop and scrub debris, then you might want to look into using a pressure washer. Pressure washer and gutter cleaning will go together if your clogs are not too severe. You can turn the pressure washer on and spray the high powered stream into one end of the gutter system. The high pressure should be able to loosen any small clogs and carry any debris either over the sides of the gutter or to the downspouts. One problem with this approach is that it could create a big mess. As the high pressure water stream goes into the gutter system, it might spray up over the sides carrying debris and mold down the side of your home. Also, most pressure washers do not have a very long hose or handle so you will have to find a way to bring the pressure washer up to the level of your gutters.

If you do not want to wrestle with heavy machinery on a ladder or scaffolding system, then you might look into a gutter cleaning wand. Gutter cleaning wands operate under the same principle as the pressure washing technique, but they are made especially for gutter cleaning. They usually have an extremely long handle so that you can stand on the ground and reach up into your gutters. They spray water under pressure into your gutters in a controlled manner so that there is not too much spill over.

One final alternative is to use a gutter cleaning robot. There are devices out there that are designed to move along your gutter system and clean as they go. Companies like Looj or iRobot make small machines that will fit into the gutters and have brushes on the front that scrub your gutters clean. I would not recommend using a machine like this if you have significant clogs because they could stall the gutter cleaning machine.

Safety Considerations for Gutter Cleaning

Cleaning your home gutters can be a dangerous job. There are a few safety considerations that every home owner must think about. Perhaps the most obvious, is ladder safety. There are literally thousands of ladder industries every year according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. There are even some deaths associated with homeowners not using their ladders correctly or choosing the worn ladder for a particular purpose.

The most important ladder safety tip is that the base of the ladder much be on solid, level ground. Make sure there is no ice, snow, grease, or mud beneath the feet of the ladder. All of these conditions could cause the bottom to skip out from under you when you are on the ladder. Another important thing to do correctly is to place the ladder in the right position. A good general rule is that for every four feet high that the ladder is going, the base should be one foot away from the side of the house. Another important safety tip is to always face forward when moving up and down on the ladder and never take both hands off the ladder. The video above will give you more ladder safety information.

Another important safety tip for gutter cleaning is to always wear gloves. The moist environment of your clogged gutters is the perfect place for mold and bacteria to grow. You want to expose yourself to as little of these potentially harmful materials as possible. Most people, if wearing gloves will come away with nothing worse than a few sneezes. However, if you have a severe mold allergy, you might not want to clean your gutters yourself. It might be better for your health to hire a professional gutter cleaning service.

Gutter Cleaning Services

Unfortunately, for our gutters, most people wait to clean them until there is a problem. The truth is that your gutters should be cleaned twice a year. You should complete this project in early spring to clear out any left over ice and debris that has accumulated during the winter. You should also go through cleaning your gutters in late fall. This is perhaps the most important time of year to clean your gutters because you need to clear out all the falling leaves and things that gather in your gutter system during fall before the melting snows of winter begin to tax your gutters and downspouts. Complete a gutter cleaning project twice a year may seem like overkill, but if you clean them regularly the task should not be too involved any one time. But still, it sounds like a lot of work. You may be wondering if it would be better to hire a professional gutter cleaning service to do the job.

In terms of gutter cleaning cost, it is cheaper to do the work yourself. You only need a few household items and the only real expense is your time. But, that extra time with your children or spouse might be worth it to you. Gutter cleaning services can charge a wide range of gutter cleaning prices. Factors like the size of your house, how many stories your home is, how clogged the gutters are, and whether the downspouts are clear can all effect the price. You might pay anywhere from seventy five dollars to five hundred dollars. It is a good idea to only hire the services of someone who will give you an estimate. If someone claims to give a one price fits all service, chances are that they might not do excellent work.

There is a touchy-feely reason that you might want to clean your own gutters. There is a certain amount of pride that goes into taking care of your own home. When you make a purchase as large as a home, you want to do everything you can to keep that home looking great and in top condition. When you complete a household chore like cleaning your gutters, you feel like you are contributing to the well being of your home and your sense of ownership and pride becomes stronger. The bond between homeowner and home is an important one.

If you hire gutter cleaning services, the cleaning is usually only part of the service. Gutter professionals will also make sure your gutters are attached firmly to your home so there is no separation. Gutters are typically attached to the home with special hangers and the gutter cleaning service will replace them if necessary. They will also level your gutter system so that they are at the proper angles to maximize efficiency. Some gutter professionals actually do gutter cleaning as a side business. For example, some roofing service companies offer gutter cleaning services so a benefit to hiring gutter cleaning professionals is that you can get other necessary home maintenance done at the same time. All in all there are pros and cons of both doing the gutter cleaning yourself and hiring a gutter cleaning professional. I solve this problem by hiring a service once every two years. The other three cleanings I do myself. When the professionals come, they take care of the gutter science, and I just make sure that the clogs do not get too bad in the mean time.

Gutter Guards

If you want to avoid cleaning your gutters as much as possible, then you may want to make the investment into a gutter guard system. Gutter guard systems vary in method, price, and effectiveness. Finding the right gutter guard for your gutters depends on your local weather, foliage, and the pitch of your roof. Essentially, a gutter protection system will allow the water to flow into the gutters, but not the debris that typically clogs them. There are two main types of gutter guards. One is a screen of some kind with holes big enough to let water in but small enough to keep leaves out. These systems will still let in some debris, so you will need to clean your gutters; just not as frequently. The price on this type of gutter protection can range from $250 for a do it yourself project to over $2,000 for a professionally installed option. One popular gutter guard manufacturer is called Amerimax. Hey make a wide variety of gutter systems and gutter protection options.

The other main type of gutter guard works on the principle of water adhesion. A flap of sorts extends from the edge of the roof over the gutters to the edge of the gutter system. As water and debris are running off your roof, the water adheres to the flap just long enough to let the debris fall away over the side of the house and the water to fall into the gutters. This type of gutter guard system can be very expensive. These products cost between eighteen and twenty dollars per foot. An average 1,500 square foot has about 160 linear feet of roof line. That translates into anywhere from $2,880 to $3,200. Nevertheless, most people who have this type of gutter protection think it is well worth it because they practically never have to clean their gutters.

No matter what kind of home you own, a mansion or a cottage, gutter cleaning is an important household chore that cannot be ignored. Make sure that you take care of this task so that your home lasts as long as you do.

Gutter scoops are just what they sounds like. It is a short, but relatively deep shovel or spade, usually made of plastic that you use to lift debris out of your gutter. Because it needs to fit in the gutter the utensil must not be wider than your gutter. Gutters range anywhere from two and a half inches to five and a half inches in width so the scoop needs to be slightly smaller than your gutter width to function properly. Make sure you measure before you purchase. These tools will usually start with just a flat plastic bottom and then the sides will get gradually taller as you move towards the handle. Make sure that your gutter scoop can hold a good amount of debris. You do not want to be slowed down by having to scoop very small amounts over and over. You can accomplish your task much fast if you can take larger scoops out each time. Another way to save time is to find a gutter scoop with a very long handle so that you can reach further down the gutter without having to move your ladder. The most time consuming part of cleaning the gutters is going up and down the ladder to move it. A long handled gutter scoop will allow you to reach a larger area of the gutter without moving.

Gutter Scoop Slim profile works with all gutter styles. Scoop can be used for numerous applications besides just cleaning debris from gutter. It has high sides to help prevent spillage and measurement units inside scoop and handle. Convenient handle notch allows scoop to be hung.

You can purchase these tools from a variety of places. The most likely place to find one would be a large home improvement chain store like Home Depot or Lowes. You can also find them at many online retailers or general purpose stores like Target or Wal-mart. You shouldn’t have to pay more than five or six dollars for a serviceable product.

Alternatives to buying include using your hands or a garden trowel or making your own. Your hand is the cheapest alternative, but it is slower than using a scoop. Most scoops will be able to hold several handfuls of debris and will make the chore go faster. Garden trowels have the same problem. They are small enough to fit in the gutter, but they do not hold a large volume of debris. Another downside to using a trowel is that they do not have the steep sides to hold the debris in place. Even if you manage to get a large scoop of debris, it will fall off the sides before you can get it to the bucket or garbage bag. Making your own is probably your best alternative. Fabric softeners bottles area good choice because they are thin. You should leave the cap on and turn the bottle on its side. Then cut the bottom off at an angle to make the sloping sides of the scoop.

Whatever tool you decide to use, make sure that you make the choice. Cleaning your gutters is extremely important and cannot be avoided. I would recommend using a gutter scoop to make the job go faster.