It’s time to clean your gutters again. Here’s a step-by-step guide

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It’s time to clean your gutters again. Here’s a step-by-step guide

When taking stock of all the home maintenance projects on your agenda this season, your gutters may be out of sight, out of mind. But clearing all the crud out of your home’s gutters at least twice a year — once in fall and once in spring — is essential for preventing water damage and other costly home repairs.

If you rarely give the matter much thought, it’s time to get your mind in the gutters. HomeServe walks through a few effective methods for cleaning your gutters — some of which don’t even involve climbing up a ladder:

Cleaning Your Gutters From the Ground

If your gutters aren’t severely clogged, spraying out your gutters with a garden hose can be a fairly easy way to get the job done. That is, if you have a gutter-cleaning wand attachment for your hose. These specially designed wands attach to your hose and have a long, curved end that allows you to control the water to push the debris out of the gutter. Expect things to get a little messy, as leaves, mud, twigs, critter corpses and other debris will likely get blasted over the edge of the gutter as you work.

If you’ve neglected your gutters for a long while, you may need to use a pressure washer to clean them. The high pressure should clear out any stubborn debris that’s accumulated over time. Just like with the garden hose, you’ll need a special gutter-cleaning wand if you plan to clean from the ground, but the concept is the same: Spray the hose through the gutters until the water flows freely through them.

Cleaning Gutters on a Ladder

Although it’s not as safe as cleaning your gutters from the ground, using a ladder gives you better access and control. When using a ladder to access your gutters, make sure you use an extension ladder, ideally with a ladder stabilizer attached. These attachments help keep the ladder from sliding or tipping over by bracing the ladder against your home's siding. Stabilizers are especially helpful when you’re handling tools and equipment while atop the ladder. Also, enlist the help of a trusted spotter, if someone’s available.

You can use a garden hose or pressure washer to clean your gutters from a ladder, just as you would from the ground. Although you won’t necessarily need a gutter-cleaning attachment, you’ll need to reposition your ladder periodically as you work your way along the roof’s edge.

A surefire method for cleaning clogged gutters is to simply do it by hand. It might take longer, but cleaning by hand ensures a thorough job. To clean gutters manually, you’ll need some work gloves, a bucket or trash bag to place the debris you’ve cleared out, and a gutter scoop — although a garden trowel or plastic children’s shovel will work just fine. After shoveling out debris and placing it in your disposal receptacle, grab your garden hose and flush out the gutters and downspouts. If you detect any clogs in your downspout, you can use a plumber's snake to dislodge the clog, then resume flushing with the hose.

Prevention Is Key

Cleaning your gutters can be a time-consuming project, especially if it’s been a woefully long while since you last did it. To save time and energy, make it a point to clean them at least twice a year, preventing excess debris from building up and making your job quicker and easier.

For added protection, consider installing gutter guards or strainers. While they’ll still require a thorough annual cleaning, gutter guards prevent leaves and other larger debris from accumulating and clogging up your gutter system.

When it comes to gutter cleaning, regular maintenance and prevention are key to making the job as quick and painless as possible — giving you more time to spend knocking out those other home maintenance tasks that are closer to the ground where you can see them.

This story was produced by HomeServe Editorial and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.