Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Cleaning Your Gutters on Your Own

By Hubert Miles

There are a couple of different methods for cleaning your on gutters. The methods below are relatively easy and can be done by the do it yourselfer.

Using a leaf blower

1) To use this method you'll need to get a leaf blower, rope, safety goggles, dust mask, and an extension ladder.

2) The easiest way to get the leaf blower onto the roof is to tie one end of the rope to the leaf blower and the other end to the top rung of the ladder. Once you get on the roof you can then hoist the leaf blower easily.

3) From the roof use the leaf blower to blow the debris and other materials from the gutters. Be sure to wear your safety glasses and dust mask. When complete, simply lower the leaf blower back down off the roof and carefully climb back down the ladder.

Water hose usage

1) This method will require a small hand shovel, a ladder, and a garden hose with a sprayer. Use the hand shovel to remove as much debris as possible from the gutters. Place the debris in a trash bag for easy cleanup.

2) Start from the farthest end away from the downspout and work down the gutter to the downspout. You may have to use a scrub brush to loosen up any harden dirt inside the gutter walls.

3) Finally, clear the downspouts with a blast of water to make sure all the debris is out. You can use a clothes hanger or plumber's snake if needed at the bottom of the downspouts.

To assist in cleaning and to reduce the frequency of cleanings you can install leaf guard systems or wire mesh on your gutters. Unfortunately, these don't always work perfectly, but they do block the majority of debris from the gutters. These systems can be very expensive and are usually custom made. If you do have a system like this installed be sure it can be easily removed for cleaning.

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