Gutter Maintenance Without the Heights: Clean from the Ground
How to clean gutters from ground
Gutter cleaning is something everyone wants to be done but no one is willing to go down there. The fumes and the grime can be overwhelming but what if we had a solution that can not only help you with cleaning gutters but also remove the clogged debris? If you want to get rid of stubborn debris in your gutter system, make sure you read today’s blog till the very end. What we have in store for you can help you clean gutters easily and efficiently.
The best part of today’s blog is that we will teach you how to do the job with or without a ladder which makes this approach accessible to a lot more people since not everyone has a ladder at home.
We are pretty sure most of us know how to clean a gutter but some tricky-to-reach gutters can be a pain and are better when left to professionals. However, you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself so let’s get started!
How often should you clean your gutters?
This is a question a lot of people want to know the answer to as no one is ever thrilled about cleaning the gutter. How many times it should be cleaned depends on your house and how much it is used. Generally cleaning your gutters twice a year ensures they are in good health and don’t damage the foundation of the house.
The location of your home also plays a vital role in determining how many times you would require gutter cleaning. For example, if you live in an area that has a lot of construction going on around it, or you have many trees in the surroundings, you will have to clean gutters more than twice a year.
Everything from clogged downspouts to roof gutters, clogged gutters, plastic bags blocking the drain, stormwater and heavy rain blocking the pathway, and other debris needs to be taken care of.
Seasons also reveal when your gutters need maintenance. For example, the spring season has a lot of rain that heavily impacts gutter health and mildew starts to grow. To avoid this, you need to start maintaining the health of your gutters.
How to carry out proper gutter cleaning
Here is a step-by-step guide that can help you achieve the same level of cleaning quality as gutter cleaning professionals. However, if you hire professionals, you can be better off.
- The first order of business is to make sure you have a gloved hand. Wearing them in both is even better since you are going to be grabbing debris. Make sure you wear safety goggles as well to protect your eyes. Get an extension ladder so you can decide the length you need. Don’t do this without a ladder but there are ways that we will discuss where you don’t need one. Make sure the ladder has its feet firmly set in a strong place before you go down.
- Once you are inside, you can easily remove the large pieces of debris. For the slushy material that needs to be taken out, you need to have proper gutter-cleaning tools. Having a trowel and bucket to collect all the debris is going to come in super handy. This can help remove the slushy debris easily.
- Alternatively, you can get a gutter scoop as well. This can help scop out the debris and help you collect it easily. These can be found easily at any convenience store. Make sure you are also moving your ladder sufficiently so you don’t have to overextend your reach.
- Now that you have removed all the bigger debris that was vlogging the drains, you can use a garden hose or a nozzle attachment that creates a fine spray nozzle to clean the smaller debris and wash it away. The garden hose is your friend and you’re going to need its help. You can find a nice garden hose at the departmental store for cheap.
- If the debris does not wash down the drain, it means something is clogging the pipe. Now you need to shove the garden hose down the drain to free up the clogged area with the water pressure. Once that is done, everything will go down easily.
As you can see, it can be easy to clean the gutter once you know everything and have all the things you need, available. Gutter cleaning is not a tricky job especially after reading today’s blog. You can use a power washer as well to make it easier for yourself. Otherwise, of course, you have a lot of gutter cleaning companies that will do it for you.
But now that we have learned how to clean your gutter with a ladder, it is time to learn how to do it without one.
How to clean gutters without a ladder
If you want to clean your gutters without a ladder, you need telescopic gutter cleaning tools with a u-shaped attachment along with a pressure washer to do it. The pressure washer can provide high-pressure water to areas that you cannot get to without a ladder. This means it is easier to clean the gutter without going inside.
Now keep in mind that since you won’t be able to see inside the gutter, you may not get all the small debris. However, doing it with a pressure washer solves this problem. It also means that you can feet firm on the ground as you work and you don’t have to worry about the ladder tipping off.
The power washer is a great tool in this situation to remove debris. Believe it or not, leaf blowers also play a big role in cleaning gutters. You can get a special leaf blower attachment that can easily clean your gutters. A leaf blower is one of the great gutter cleaning tools along with other telescopic gutter cleaning tools that can come in super handy for you.
This way you can not only clean gutters from the ground but also not have to worry about falling.
Here are 6 smart ways to clean your gutters
-
Power Washer
As we have discussed before, if you don’t have a ladder, a power washer is your best friend. However, using a power washer in general can be highly beneficial in a lot of gutter-cleaning scenarios.
-
Wet Dry Vacuum
A wet-dry vacuum is great for cleaning a gutter. This gutter vacuum is commonly referred to as a shop vac. And they are conveniently found in a lot of homes. If you don’t have a gutter vacuum, you can find one in the store. The gutter vacuum can help solve a massive problem in cleaning the gutter. So bust out your gutter vacuum and get to work!
-
Garden hose
We have talked about the garden hose as one of the essentials when cleaning the gutter from the inside with a ladder. The garden hose not only cleans the smaller debris by washing it away but also removes any clogs that may be present.
-
Leaf blower with a gutter attachment
A leaf blower with a gutter attachment can do wonders for you. You may not know this but if you have a leaf blower, it must have come with an attachment which is specifically for cleaning gutters. Use it to get the job done.
-
Telescoping wand
A telescopic wand, as the name suggests, cleans your gutter by allowing you to reach into harder-to-get areas. These tools have long poles that can be manipulated in different ways to clean gutters.
-
hire professionals
Yes, you read it right. What professionals can do is something that we just can’t do at home. They have the proper designed-to-clean equipment that can clean your gutters better than you ever can on your own. So, we highly recommend hiring professional help.
Should you walk on a roof to clean gutters?
Walking on the roof to clean your gutters is something we don’t advise you to do. Let us explain why. Standing on a ladder, or cleaning the gutter from the ground is your best bet when you are doing it yourself.
You may think you have an effective method for cleaning gutters but walking on the roof for it should be left to professionals. There is a high risk of slipping and falling and we don’t want you to hurt yourself.
Roofing shingles are great at hiding the problems that lie underneath and one wrong step can be fatal. The only person who should be allowed to walk on the roof is a certified roofing expert.
Conclusion
Moving towards the end of this blog, you can see that gutter cleaning is not a hard job especially when you know what you are doing. We believe this article teaches you exactly that. If you made it to the end of this blog, we believe you are more than ready to start cleaning your gutters yourself.
We discussed how you can clean your gutters with or without the help of a ladder. We have the easiest method with regular intervals so you can catch your breath. Whether it is ground level or inside, you can do it without a problem. Even the small twigs, it is nothing a hose can’t clean.
Make sure to read further as we will answer some of the most frequently asked questions for you. Thank you for reading. We wish you the best of luck in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I clean rain gutters from the ground?
Cleaning the gutter from the groundworks good and is a reliable process if you just want to get the job done. You’ll have to work slowly and systematically because of the lack of understanding of what you’re doing and yes, this may be more difficult to complete than when you stand in a stairway.
How do you clean high off-the-ground gutters?
Take a leaf-blowing gun. Using a leaf-blowing gun to clean a roof can help you remove dirt. Many leaf guns are fitted with extension or curvature, which makes it easy for them to work. Alternatively, you can purchase these types in a retail store. It will make your life much easier than doing it by hand.
How do you clean out gutters you can’t reach?
You can use extensions to clean hard-to-reach places in the gutter. The leaves that are clogging the drains can be removed easily by scraping them out of the way and then using power washers to drain the smaller debris out into the drains without clogging them.
If you are looking for a precise and to-the-point guide to cleaning gutters, you have come to the right place as we have discussed everything in detail. Give this article a thorough and you are good to go!