Gutter Cleaning: Tips to Declutter Your Home Gutters

It’s a part of the house we frequently forget, hidden up high at the edge of our rooves, dutifully protecting our homes from water damage. We mask their unsightly appearance by coordinating them with the trim, and sometimes, we make the dire mistake of assuming they aren’t important.

Yes, good old gutters. Always needed in wet climates but frequently misunderstood, gutters get a bad rap, and almost none of our attention.

As it turns out, a lot can go wrong if you neglect your gutters, like:

• Pooling, flooding and leaking
  
• Damage to the foundation
  
• Cracking and rotting
  
• Discoloration of siding
  
• Erosion of your yard or garden
  
• Insect and animal infestation
  
• Mold growth
  
• Gutter collapse
  

Typically, your gutters will need to be cleaned once or twice a year, depending on whether you have a lot of trees in your yard that deposit leaves onto your roof. It’s best to get gutters cleaned later in the season to ensure the nearby trees are about done with their shedding. Just be careful not to wait until the very end of the season, as local professionals will likely be overbooked.

If you want to know whether your gutters need to be cleaned right this moment, you’ll have to go outside to check. Is water overflowing from the top of your gutters instead of flowing out the downspout? This is a clear sign that debris is clogging your gutters. Even if it’s not raining, you can climb up on a ladder and inspect your gutters up close. Large debris, mushy leaves and packed dirt may require some elbow grease to dislodge.

You’ll need the following supplies to clean your gutters:

• Ladder with stabilizer
  
• Two buckets with hooks
  
• Tarp
  
• Gloves
  
• Trowel
  
• Hose with a spray or gutter setting
  
• Screwdriver (optional)
  
• Plumber’s snake tool (optional)
  
• Gutter caulk (optional)
  

Set Up: Wait for a dry, clear day to ensure debris is easiest to remove and to prevent slipping and falling. It is a good idea to wear an old long sleeve shirt to protect your arms from scrapes and pricks. Be sure to move any furniture or other items away from the space beneath the gutter so they will stay clean.

Now, set up your ladder on flat, sturdy ground near the downspout. If your yard is uneven or the ground is soft, try placing a piece of plyboard under your ladder. Lay a tarp underneath the part of the gutter you will be cleaning so you can drop debris directly onto it. Load one of your buckets with your tools, and put on your gloves for safety and cleanliness.

Removing Debris: Bring your tool bucket and your empty bucket with you up the ladder. Stay below the third rung from the top so you don’t lose your balance, and remove all sharp objects from your pockets in case of a fall. Do not try to clean your gutters by standing or kneeling on the roof and bending over to scoop the debris out. This could lead to injury!

Start cleaning out larger, drier debris with your hands. You may drop what you remove from the gutter onto your tarp or place it into the empty bucket. Then, scoop out compacted debris, like rotting leaves and dirt, with your trowel. Repeat the process while progressing from the downspout to the opposite end of the gutter until you have removed the bulk of the debris.

Washing the Gutter: Once the gutter is cleared of all debris, bring your hose to the opposite end from the downspout. Use a spray or gutter nozzle to wash the dirt down and out the gutter system. You may notice the water doesn’t seem to flow freely despite having removed all the debris. In this case, look for the downspout strainer and rinse it off.

If that still doesn’t work, take your hose and stick it up the end of the downspout. Run the water on high to dislodge any clogs. If you are unsuccessful, try the same process with the plumber’s snake tool. If you have an underground gutter system, you will need to use a screwdriver to disconnect the downspout from the rest of the system. Reconnect once cleaning is complete.

Now that the blockage is cleared, try running water through the gutters one last time. If you notice any leaks during this part of the process, wait until all surfaces have dried, then seal the leaks with gutter caulk. Consider installing gutter covers to reduce the frequency of gutter cleaning in the future.

Cleaning your gutters can be a DIY project if the blockage is simple, there are no major holes or leaks and your house is free from water damage. Call a professional if the project is dangerous. Power lines hanging close to your home, uneven ground or rickety ladders all have the potential to cause you serious harm. Repairing heavy gutter damage is also a job for a pro, as you want your gutters to be fixed or reinstalled safely and correctly to ensure proper function. If you’re averse to climbing up a ladder, especially if you have a two- or three-story house, professionals are a great way to keep up with your home’s exterior maintenance.

After you clean your gutters this fall, you may notice something is wrong, like a leak, hole, faulty hanger or incorrect slope preventing water from running the right way. If that’s the case, it’s time to get a professional to help you with your gutter maintenance!

You can also put the potentially dangerous chore of cleaning your gutters behind you for good by scheduling gutter cover installation through Alpine Construction. Our worry-free gutter cover solution will prevent future clogs and ensure water flows freely through your gutters for as long as you own your home.

Our trustworthy team at Alpine Construction has been serving the Spokane area for more than 30 years, and would be happy to help you with your gutter problems. We offer gutter repairs, gutter installations, gutter cover installations and seamless gutters. If an overflowing gutter has already caused damage to your house’s siding, we can help with that, too. Contact us at 509-448-8099 for your free estimate today!