5 Best Methods for Cleaning and Maintaining Your Gutters – 2021 Guide
If you are living in a house, you know that there are some chores you have to take care of every few weeks or months. Roof damage, water leaks, squeaky doors, and stuck windows are just some of the tasks on the list. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. House maintenance isn’t easy since it requires a lot of time and even more work. But many people would say it’s worth the sweat. A clean, organized home can bring you so much joy and happiness. That is a place where you make many great memories with your family and friends. But that is not all. Working on small house repairs and maintenance tasks can also be satisfying. You can learn how to do a lot of things and become more worldly-wise and handy.
One of the many things you need to do regularly is cleaning the gutters. If you want to avoid the leaks and keep the walls dry, clean gutters are your best friends. They direct the water from the roof downwards and make sure no water is retained. During the windy period, a lot of leaves and dirt can get stuck in the gutter. And that is why they require cleaning every once in a while. You should clean them every spring, or even more often if there’s a need. If you have a lot of trees surrounding your house, you should clean the gutters twice a year. You can always pay someone to do this job for you. If you don’t want to hire a professional but do this job by yourself, we got you covered. Here are some of the best methods for cleaning and maintaining your gutters.
1. Use a leaf blower
Cleaning your gutters with a leaf blower can be a fun, easy way to do the job without much trouble. It can be done very fast so you won’t need a whole day to get this work done. Especially if you have the leaf blower attachment, which means you don’t need to climb the ladders. The attachment directs the airflow and can help you clean the gutters while you’re on the ground, completely safe. If you’re scared of heights or you just prefer not working from the ladders, this can be a great option. In case you don’t have the attachment, you can still work with the leaf blower to do the cleaning job. You’ll need to climb the ladders in this case, so make sure you take all precautions. When cleaning the gutters, wear a shirt with long sleeves, face mask, safety goggles, and rubber gloves. And never allow yourself to lean too much and do the acrobatics while on the ladders. Take care of your security, and make sure you do it right.
2. Go in with a Wet/Dry vacuum
It had happened to all of us to forget to clean the gutters. Or we were postponing this task for too long, and now we’re in a mess. If you’ve been lazy and haven’t cleaned your gutters in a while, try Wet/Dry vacuum. During the time, the layer of debris had probably clogged the gutters. And now you have to invest some more energy to make them clean again. If so, try this vacuum and see if it’s going to work for you. In the closest store, you can probably find some hoes and attachments for the vacuum. And this can help you to reach the gutter and clean all the dirt. Also, this way, you won’t need to climb the ladder. Instead, you can do it from the ground, with more safety. Sometimes the debris is stuck to the gutter, so you’ll need to moist it first to pull it out. So make sure you do that to get the job done right.
3. Do it manually
If you don’t have any equipment, but you still want to get the job done, you can clean the gutters using your hands. Yes, you’ll go through a little bit more trouble, but you’ll still get it done. Of course, cleaning this way requires having the right tools and being patient with this task. Again, make sure you keep yourself safe. Wear long sleeves, a mask, some thicker gloves, and everything else needed. Climb the ladder and bring the bucket and gutter scoop with yourself. Use your hand to pull out everything from the gutter. Collect it in the bucket and throw it away afterward. Make sure you move the ladders every time it’s needed, and not to lean too much to get the work done. It is not safe, so you want to avoid it. In the end, flush the gutters and make sure you removed all of the leaves and debris. Although cleaning the gutters using only your hands is the harder way, you’ll save some money for the equipment and eventually get the job done.
4. Prevent the dirt from getting caught
There is another thing you can do to prevent the debris and leaves from getting caught in the gutters. There is something called the gutter guard and can be used to minimize the need for cleaning the gutters too often. If you have a lot of trees around the house, or you live in a windy area, this can be life-changing. A gutter guard can be placed inside or onto the gutter. And it protects the gutters from getting dirty too fast. So consider buying these if you think it might work for you.
5. Call the professionals
If you don’t like these previous methods, there is another option to consider. You can always hire someone to do the job instead of you. Professionals will do the gutter cleaning very fast and in the best possible way. You can relax and enjoy not doing this job by yourself. At gutterspecialists.co.uk, you can find gutter cleaning specialists and get more information about them. Cleaning the gutters doesn’t have to be hard for you. Just find someone who will do the job the best way possible.
Conclusion: Many tasks should be done around the house. Some of the chores should be done weekly, monthly and some of them you need to do once a year. You should clean the gutters once a year, every spring. That way, you’ll remove the dirt, enable the water flow, and prevent leaks and floods. You can use many different methods to get this job done. Find the one you like the best and enjoy your clean, organized house.