Gutter cleaning shouldn’t be overlooked; it’s a crucial part of being a responsible homeowner. It’s as important as maintaining a roof or keeping up with yard work.
But, if you’re a new homeowner, you may not know how to properly clean your gutter. To help you, here are five useful gutter cleaning tips to ensure proper gutter maintenance.
1. Follow Proper Safety Guidelines
Safety should always come first if you’re trying to clean your gutter by yourself. Because cleaning gutters require you to be high off the ground, injuries can happen. Each year, there are about 300 deaths in the United States caused by falling off a ladder.
The good news is that a lot of these deaths are preventable. Be sure you’re using a safe and sturdy ladder to clean. It’s best if your ladder has a shelf to hold a bucket of debris as you clean.
You should also always use gloves when cleaning out the debris. This keeps the bacteria away from you and prevents you from getting cut with sharp objects.
Consider using protective eyewear to protect your eyes from possible insects and debris.
And because your ladder is likely to get wet when you unclog your gutters, be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Nonslip shoes are the safest.
2. Correct Your Gutter’s Slope
To function well, your gutters should have a decline of 1/4 inch leading directly to the pipe. If you notice standing water in your gutter, the slope is probably off. Ideally, you want the water to flow freely to prevent more clogging.
3. Use a Garden Hose to Check for Leaks
After removing the debris, use a garden hose to check for leaks. If you let the water run from the hose through the gutter, you can check for any gaps and holes throughout your gutter.
This helps show you where the gutter needs to be repaired.
4. Check Your Drainpipes
Drainpipes are an essential component of your gutter system. All you need are a few small items and your whole system can become clogged. When the water is flowing away from your home, you’ll know the drainpipes are good to go.
If you don’t want to do it yourself, you can always hire gutter cleaning services.
5. Schedule Semiannual Cleanings
To prevent damage to your gutters and high repair costs, you need to schedule semiannual cleanings. It’s best to clean them in the fall and spring because of the increased amount of leaves.
If you don’t clean your gutter system twice a year, it’s likely to be infested with rodents, mold, and debris. If water builds up, it can begin to rot and damage your gutters.
Repairing a damaged gutter system can rack up costs quickly. By cleaning your gutters twice a year, you can prevent this from happening altogether.
If you want to learn about other homeowner tips, there are a ton of other helpful resources online. Feel free to check it out!
Now You Have Some Gutter Cleaning Tips
By following these gutter cleaning tips, you’ll stay safe and ensure that your gutters last longer. Maintaining your gutter system makes all the difference in improving your gutters’ functionality. This prevents costly repairs and damages.
So why procrastinate? Schedule a time to clean those gutters out today!
And if you’re interested in other real estate articles, be sure to check out the rest of our blog! You’ll love our other topics.