How To Clean Your Gutters.

Considerate Plumbing & Roofing • August 13, 2022

Are Your Gutters Blocked?

Cleaning your roofing gutters can be done anytime throughout the year, however, it’s better to do it when you have good weather and before you move into the winter season.

Gutter or spouting maintenance is importance for several reasons, for example, if your spouting system is blocked, you can expect a build-up of water during rains, which can lead to an overflow of water and cause damage to your house.

Clean guttering is especially important if you have and are living off tank water because you do not want debris in your tank water.

If you intend to do the cleaning yourself, you will need a small amount of equipment including: a ladder, ladders little helper (or equivalent), bucket and gloves. Make sure you're using a decent ladder that’s not 100 years old and is in good working order. The last thing you need is to fall off a faulty ladder.

Use a safety device to secure your ladder to the house/gutter to stop it from traversing sideways once you have set it up. Ensure the ladder has a sufficient angle so it does slip backwards and if you have someone to spot the ladder, that can be an advantage. If you have a ladder limb or equivalent, that can be helpful to hook a bucket on, however, if you don’t, cleaning can still be done.

Ensure You Ladder Is Set Up Safely!

Some people like to wear gloves because depending on the condition of your gutters, the metal may have developed sharp edges or there might be some exposed edges depending on when it was installed. Once you've put the gloves on, you're ready to climb and clean.

Carefully climb the ladder and stop when you reach a manageable height to work and feel secure. Using your hand or a small towel, drag the debris out from the gutter and either put it in the bucket or simply drop it on the ground below. Sometimes it can be easier and safer to manage debris from the ground rather than trying to handle a bucket.

Once you have cleaned a particular span or section that’s manageable, simply climb down the ladder, move it along and repeat the process over until you are satisfied with your result. If you're fussy you might want to use a small brush to achieve a better clean. And finally, if your OCD is really kicking in, utilise a hose to wash the gutter out or simple wait for the next drop of rain and let it happen organically.

To prevent the chore of gutter cleaning and to protect your water tanks, contact Considerate Plumbing and Roofing to discuss the installation of gutter guard (below image) or gutter replacement if need be.