Sunday, March 16, 2014

Gutter Cleaning 101



It`s getting to be time for spring again. Old Man Winter probably filled your gutters again with gunk to clog them up. Time to check them and get them clean before the spring rains come around.  This gunk can clog up your downspouts causing the gutters to back up and overflow. This can cause damage to your roof or fascia board when they back up. Over flowing gutters can cause damage to your foundation. Keeping the outer shell of your home flowing freely will help to avoid further problems down the road.


Cleaning gutters is not rocket science and can be accomplished by any D.I.Y. person. When cleaning gutters work from a ladder and not the roof. Leaning over the roof may lead to personal injury if you fall. Use small buckets to collect the debris as you go along, this is also a good way to hold your tools while in the air.  Attached the buckets to your ladder with small hooks to free up your hands.  Never reach over the sides of the ladder. Once the debris is removed, use the hose to flush out the remaining gunk, start at the end opposite of the down spout to wash everything out.  An attachment for the hose to aid in the cleaning can be found at your local home store.  A clean gutter system will give you the peace of mind once the rains arrive. Also a good side note to remember, check the weather before cleaning gutters as dry gunk is better than wet gunk.