Written by: admin

Category: Uncategorized

Published: February 22, 2023

Owning a home comes with its own maintenance list. Some jobs are small and others are ones that we would rather do without. Rain gutter cleaning is one of those chores that is required, but does not rank high on the fun meter.

A home’s gutter system is an intricate network that keeps the foundation safe and intact. Without it there is a myriad of complications that can arise – all of which can lead to costly repairs. That’s why it is vitally important to insure that the gutter system is free of debris.

It is necessary to keep the gutters free of leaves at least once a year.  rain gutters   Late winter or early spring is the best time since you have accumulated all of the leaves from fall. You will certainly want to clean your gutters before the rains start in your area. Try to clean them out any earlier than the last drop of leaves and you will just have to repeat the process. If you happen to have a lot of trees over or next to your home it may be necessary to clean them out twice per year.

To properly complete the rain gutter cleaning task you will need a tall ladder, an old broom or mop handle and some basic tools. A hand broom, similar to one for brushing out a fireplace, will be useful for brushing the leaves together. Use the broom or mop handle to push debris down the gutters towards the bottom. You may have to take a hose with a strong spray nozzle and use the water in a jet stream to finish pushing them all the way down. You should be able to tell when they are clear by looking down inside and seeing daylight from the bottom hole.

Alternatively you could use the scoop method of lifting leaves and debris out of your system. Try pushing it all to one spot with the broom handle or water jet and then use a simple trowel to lift out the leaves. Depending upon the size of your gutters, a small hand spade may do the trick. One benefit of this method is being able to toss the debris and leaves into a catch all that you can easily move to your compost bin or garden as mulch. However, you will have to be careful not to damage your gutters.

The tools are for minor repairs that you find during your rain gutter cleaning efforts. There will undoubtedly be some loose connections here and there that you can tighten. Better to do it while you are up there than to have to make another trip. While doing your rain gutter cleaning do some inspection of the gutters for shingle debris. If there are a lot of flakes that resemble small, black gravel from the shingles then you may want to have a roofing professional come out to check your roof as well.