Maximize Your Gutter Cleaning Efforts with a Pressure Washer

Can you clean gutters with a pressure washer

Gutter cleaning has always seemed like a pain in the behind for people. A lot of people straight away go for professionals but those who don’t want to spend a lot of money can do it themselves via pressure washing.

That is correct! You can pressure wash your gutters using the proper equipment required for them. A nice pressure washer can be found at an appliance store easily. It is a one-time investment to make gutter cleaning extremely easy and satisfying. Pressure washers take the grime off the gutters, both inside and out, and give you a squeaky clean drain that has no clogs in it.

In this blog today, we are going to learn how you can clean your gutters using pressure washers. From pressure washer gutter cleaner to low-pressure nozzle, we will discuss everything in sufficient detail for you to understand properly.

Make sure you read till the very end as we will go into deep detail and everything included holds tremendous value.

So, without further ado, let’s begin!

Pressure washing gutters and soffits

As we all know, soffits and gutters can be some of the hardest parts of a house to clean. Not everyone has the budget to bring in professionals to take care of business. But here is what you can do to clean the gutters.

Wet the soffits and foliage

We know how hard it can be to knock the stains loose. In order to do this properly, you need to wet the gutters and soffits before you apply any detergent to them. This is because the water will help to dissolve the detergent and will prevent damage to the foliage.

The large accumulated debris can be damaging to the foliage so make sure you are using a low-pressure nozzle first.

The low-pressure nozzle will help knock the stubborn debris without hurting the foliage. This will also prevent the spray dirt problem and it will not end up in soffits.

Apply detergent

This is when the detergent nozzle will come on. You can fill the detergent tank with a detergent solution. Read the instructions on the bottle and dilute it to the appropriate concentration. Once the detergent container is filled up and ready to go, start applying the detergent to the soffits and the outside of the gutter.

Don’t face the soffits directly. Rather aim ahead and to the side, a bit as this will help you blow the detergent water away from you and get all the dirt in the process as well. There is also one more thing you need to keep in mind.

That is to not spray directly up at the soffits either as you will end up with more water in the soffits.

The key is to minimize how much water there is inside the soffits as later on, this can become an issue. Mildew can grow inside the soffits and gutters easily.

Once the detergent is applied, you need to wait for a little bit while the concentrated detergent works the dirt loose. You can take this time to switch spray nozzles and get ready for the next step.

Spray The dirt away

Your pressure washer comes with 3 or more nozzles. It is time to switch to the high-pressure spray pattern nozzle. this will give your soffits and gutter outsides a powerful wash. Switch the detergent tank off and squeeze the trigger pointing towards the sidewalk to release all the detergent that might be in the way.

Now you need to start from the same place and in the same direction you applied the detergent in. Wash your way through the entire surface with high pressure making sure all the detergent on the ground washes away stains and dirt.

Some stains will be harder to get as we all know, so take more time and make sure those get an even clean as well.

Once everything is clean, switch to a low-pressure nozzle and clean the rest. Once you’re done, you will have sparkling clean soffits and gutter on the outside.

Gutter cleaning with pressure washers

In order to clean the insides of your gutter, you may want to climb up a ladder but don’t do it as it can be extremely dangerous. The ladder can slip if it doesn’t have a firm footing. There is a much safer and far easier way of cleaning your gutter without having to climb up a ladder.

We definitely do not recommend using a pressure washer on a ladder.

You can use a pressure washer gutter cleaner as well. The gutter cleaning wand attachment and the water broom attachment can help you clean your gutter from the inside without having to climb a ladder.

Your feet will be safely planted on the ground.

You can start cleaning near a downspout and make sure you aim away from it. Angle your gutter wand attachment so it aims away from the downspout and cleans all the way down the length of the gutter. If the pressure is high enough, the gutter will propel the debris out of it through the exit.

There is one super important thing to keep in mind here. Do not force a lot of debris down the spout as it can get clogged. If you think the debris is a lot and can easily clog the gutter, clean some out by hand. This is where gloves and safety goggles will come in super handy.

Once all of this is done, you will have effectively cleaned your gutter without having to use a ladder and risking your safety. You will be highly impressed with the results however if you are not satisfied, the problem is either with the pressure at which you are cleaning or you need professional help as the problem has progressed and advanced a lot.

The gutter wand, high water pressure, two horizontal nozzles, telescoping wand, cleaning solution, wand attachments, telescopic wands, and more, are all super helpful in making sure your gutter stays healthy and clean throughout the year.

Why clean your gutters with pressure washer?

Cleaning your gutters is just one of those necessary chores you need to carry out inside your house. As a matter of fact, not cleaning them or maintaining them properly can lead to damage to not just them but other parts of the house as well. The sewage can quickly weaken the foundation of the house which isn’t good or safe for you.

For example, your gutters are so clogged up or blocked by leaves that the water starts to overflow. This water will accumulate over top and start to not only weaken the foliage and pavement there but also stink badly.

The sag created from it can lead to the gutter breaking down which is always bad news. The runoffs can definitely harm the fascias, soffits, and walls.

The extra debris, if left unattended can start to freeze and become hard in the winter season. This is added weight that the gutter wasn’t designed to carry and hence it can go down pretty quickly taking other important aspects of the house like pavements with it.

What you need is a pressure washer with a gutter wand attachment that can wash gutters easily. Washing gutters is an important job you need to do one way or the other.

Proper cleaning can lead to the elimination of all the accumulated debris. If you are taking all the right safety precautions and using the right telescoping wand with a nice cleaning solution, your soffits and gutters will be well maintained.

Your gutter system deserves a good clean and what better way to do it than with a pressure washer with your feet planted securely? If you have pine trees nearby, you can expect a lot of leaves to accumulate as well. The pressure washer can take the leaves out easily as well.

When to pressure wash your gutters?

People from all over the world ask this question as it is an important one. And we have the answer right here for you! You should consider pressure washing your gutters at least once a year however we recommend doing it twice. The most appropriate time to clean your gutters would be after the autumn season as all the leaves are collected during that time.

This enables you to clean the gutter and take away all the leaves with it as well.

You also want to clear the leaves before it rains heavily as the water can clog the gutter. Don’t put it so far off that you start cleaning during the winter season as the leaves can freeze on top of the gutter.

While twice a year is recommended, some people like doing it 3 to 4 times a year or once every season. This really depends on your house, how big it is, and how often the gutters are used. Once again, hiring professional help can do wonders if you are not sure about doing it yourself. It can save you time as well.

How much pressure is required to pressure wash gutters?

The golden question! A lot of people after reading articles on how to pressure wash their gutters complain that they did not get the results they desired. This is because the pressure on the washer is not fine-tuned to where it needs to be. A pressure washer with about 1500 psi should do the trick. Most things can be cleaned with 1000 to 2000 psi.

You will come across content suggesting using pressure around 3000 psi. This may or may not work so we do not recommend doing it. It is because the gutters are not very durable as compared to normal concrete floors as they need to be hollow inside for water to flow.

Too much pressure can break them.

The best thing you can do to find the answer is to test the pressure washer out on a surface that is similar to the gutter and check how well it holds up. It can even be the area around the gutter but a smaller one at that.

Once you know if it will work or not, you can use a pressure washer broom or an electric pressure washer to do the trick.

To use a pressure washer is to solve problems that you otherwise may not be able to without it. This high-pressure wash is just what you need.

What kind of attachments should you use to wash gutters?

The first and most important thing you will definitely need is some sort of telescoping wand attachments. A telescopic wand will come in handy as it can reach areas that are hard to get to. The recoil from the pressure washer can throw you off a ladder so using an extension can help you stay firm on the ground while you clean.

There are wand attachments that look like a hook, and you can connect them to the end of the pressure washer to reach far areas. Some attachments come with one nozzle while others come with 2 nozzles.

2 nozzles can be more versatile and can help you better than one nozzle.

Here is a small list of all the things you will need to make sure you get the best pressure washer cleaning experience:

• Pressure washer

• detergent

• wand nozzles

• attachments for horizontal cleaning

• detergent tank

• detergent spraying nozzle

• pressure washer hose

• electric pressure washer

• pressure gauge

• gloves

• goggles

Conclusion

We have discussed everything you need to know about pressure washing your gutters in detail. We believe if you made it to the end of this blog, you are more than ready to take this cleaning adventure on.

The mildew growth, the cement walkway, costly repairs, and other debris can now be taken care of easily.

For further information, please visit the FAQs section below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest way to clean rain gutters?

To clean gutters clogged by rainwater, you need a trowel, a bucket, gloves, and goggles. Start by removing all the clogged leaves and dispose of them in the bucket. Once all the large debris is removed, you can use a normal garden hose or a pressure washer to clear the clogged pipes and all the water will run out.

What is the best thing to clean gutters with?

The use of white vinegar in water helps clean the outside of gutters as the acid is strong enough to knock the tough stains loose. You could also prepare the paste by mixing diluted water or tartar cream with water which acts as an efficient buffing and cleaning product. Make use of this along with pressure washing to get great results.

Can I use a power washer to clean the gutters?

It is possible to wash almost everything from roofs, walls, sidewalks, windows, cars, boats, gutters or roof tiles. The washing of sewer pipes is also possible using power washers and a vacuum system to wash. This can do wonders for you and you will be satisfied with the results.