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Dan Simms is a contributing writer at USA TODAY Homefront specializing in home repair, renovation and renewable energy. While working as a property manager for one of the largest real estate management firms in New York, Dan worked alongside contractors and renovation specialists to prepare homes for sale. He is an avid DIYer and has completed a shed construction and a bathroom renovation in his own home and investment properties. He lives on Long Island, New York. Reach out to him on LinkedIn.
You can use extension tools to clean gutters from the ground.
Using the right tools, such as hose attachments and power washers, makes cleaning your gutters easier.
Gutter guards limit clogs and further reduce gutter maintenance needs.
I used to dread cleaning my gutters, but years of experience — and more than my fair share of mistakes — have taught me a few tricks to make the job easier. The biggest tip I can offer is to clean your gutters regularly. Letting them fill up with grime makes them harder to clean and poses a threat to your roof and foundation.
“Clogged gutters can cause water to overflow onto your roof, leading to leaks and potential water damage inside your home,” said Jason Vernier, home inspector for WIN Home Inspections in Fort Myers, Florida. “Ideally, you should clean them at least twice a year — once in the spring and once in the fall.”
Typically, with top-notch gutter guards, your gutters are protected and can help cut cleaning time.
You can clean your rain gutters from the ground using hose attachments or an extended shop vacuum, or from a ladder using a power washer, your hands or a leaf blower. Cleaning your gutters from the ground is safer, but severe clogs may require getting on a ladder.
The cleaning process is relatively straightforward, but if you do it incorrectly, you could hurt yourself or damage your gutter system. Gutter replacement can be costly and replacing your gutters is a much bigger pain than cleaning them, so take time to find what type of gutter you have and understand how to do this DIY job the right way before attempting it. While cleaning gutters is simple enough to do yourself, installing new ones is not.
If your gutters have a fair amount of debris but aren’t severely clogged, I recommend leaving the ladder in your garage and using either a shop vacuum or a garden hose attachment for your first pass. It’s much easier to tackle this job from the ground with the right gutter-cleaning tools than from a ladder.
A shop vac with a long attachment is one of the best ways to clean your gutters, and it’s how I start the process every time. Standing on the ground, start at one end of your gutters and slowly walk to the other, guiding the hose as you go. It might take more than one pass to get everything, but this method takes so little effort that even three or four passes are less time-consuming than a single pass on a ladder.
I don’t recommend buying a shop vacuum for the sole purpose of cleaning your gutters, but if you already own one, it’s your best bet. If you are in the market for a shop vac, Home Depot, Lowe’s or your local hardware store are good places to start. They usually cost between $100 and $300 from Home Depot.
Using your garden hose with a gutter-cleaning attachment is another effective method for cleaning your gutters from the ground. I recommend doing this after a pass with the shop vac, if you have one. These attachments go on the end of your regular garden hose and have a flexible design that makes it easy to reach over the edge of your gutters from the ground.
Once you fasten the attachment to your hose, walk along your gutter line with the spray nozzle open. Most attachments have a valve on the handle that lets you control the water flow without heading back to the spigot — make sure you get one with this feature.
The main benefit of this method is accessibility. Not everyone has a shop vacuum, but virtually everyone has a garden hose. Purchasing a garden hose gutter attachment from Home Depot or your local home improvement store won’t cost you more than $30 to $50.
A sturdy ladder is the way to go if you have more gunk to remove from your gutters. Larger, stickier objects, such as wet leaves and twigs, are almost impossible to remove from the ground, so you’re better off getting out the ladder from the get-go.
Be sure to practice basic ladder safety if you use one to clean your gutters. Having someone hold the ladder is your best option, but you can also use a ladder stabilizer. Whether you have someone holding your ladder or not, always make sure it’s set on stable ground and isn’t leaning one way or the other before you climb it.
Sometimes, the old-fashioned way is the best. Using your hands — wearing work gloves or thick rubber gloves — is the simplest way to clean your gutters, especially if they’re clogged with larger debris. Cleaning out leaves or twigs is much easier with your hands than with a hose or shop vac. I wear a rubber glove under a work glove to stay clean and dry (and warm in the fall).
Have something nearby to deposit the debris you remove so you don’t have to go up and down the ladder multiple times. A small plastic bag could do the trick if you only have a few small regions you need to clean. I recommend putting a garbage can at the foot of the ladder for more severe buildup.
A power washer is a good option for moving a lot of smaller debris down to one end of your gutter so you can scoop most of it out at once. I’ve found that using a power washer on larger clogs — especially leaves — can be counterproductive.
You’ll need the right kind of power washer to use from a ladder; some models don’t have a long enough hose to reach. I do not recommend trying to maneuver your power washer up on the ladder with you. If your power washer’s hose doesn’t reach the gutters with it resting firmly on the ground, choose another option.
Home Depot carries a variety of pressure washers at several price points, including a few cordless options that are perfect to use from a ladder. Most range from $140 to $400.
If you’re lucky enough to have mostly dry leaves and dirt in your gutters, you can probably get away with using a leaf blower to clean them. My approach with a leaf blower is to blow as much of the driest debris as possible directly out of the gutters. Then, once the easy stuff is gone, I blow the remaining debris into a pile I can quickly grab with my hands.
You’ll probably find that you can’t clean everything with a leaf blower unless you live in an extremely arid climate. If I think my gutters are dry enough, I’ll usually start with my leaf blower and use my power washer later to get the most stubborn debris.
Just like you need the right power washer, you’ll also need a relatively lightweight leaf blower to make it a viable gutter-cleaning option. Home Depot or a similar retail store is once again a good place to look since it carries a wide range of leaf blowers that are light and maneuverable enough to use on your gutters. You can get a decent one for around $150, but expect to pay $250 or more for a high-end one. While you’re there, don’t forget to pick up eye protection.
Downspouts are the vertically oriented pieces of gutter at the ends of your roof that direct water toward the ground and away from your home. You should clean your downspouts while cleaning the rest of your gutter system.
Cleaning your downspouts is usually easier than cleaning your gutters since downspouts tend to clog only at the top or bottom. To clean the bottom, use a small garden shovel or trowel to reach up into the downspout and remove any leaves that might be causing a clog.
You should also make sure the top of your downspout is clear. It’s easiest to do this while cleaning your main gutters since you need to do it from a ladder. If you suspect a clog in the middle of your downspout, use your garden hose or power washer to spray water directly down the downspout.
I use downspout strainers, which cost between $2 and $8 each. They can help eliminate clogs in your downspouts, making them worth the small investment.
It’s a good idea to assess the slope of your gutters every time you clean them to ensure they’re still giving you optimal drainage. The slope of your gutters can change over time due to extreme weather and animal activity. If you notice standing water in your gutters, there’s a good chance the slope needs resetting.
The proper slope for gutters is a half-inch drop for every 10 feet of length. If you suspect your gutter slope is off, measure your gutters to check:
I recommend hiring a professional to fix gutters that aren’t sloped properly.
If you have a lot of trees on your property and near your home, gutter guards are a good way to prevent gutter clogs. Gutter guards let water flow through your gutters while trapping most debris. There are many DIY and professionally installed gutter guard brands, but they’re not all equally well-made.
The best gutter guards are made from durable materials, such as stainless steel and aluminum, are fairly priced, and effectively trap large and small debris. You’ll still have to clean your gutters, but maintenance will be easier and less frequent.
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