Why It’s Important to Clean Your Rain Gutters
Though we haven’t had a lot of rain yet this year, it’s a good idea to clean your rain gutters. Clean rain gutters prevent water damage to your home, protect the side of your house, and also protect the landscape. When your gutters are clogged, it can result in water creeping into the roof. Sometimes it might even penetrate the foundation. The recommendation is to clean rain gutters every year, before the rainy season. If there are overhanging trees, rain gutters should be cleaned more often. You should also contact a professional to trim the trees before the rain comes.
How to Clean Your Rain Gutters
With a leaf blower:
1. Grab a ladder and a leaf blower.
2. Set up a trap at the bottom to catch the falling debris.
3. Carefully climb on the roof and blow the debris from the gutters using your leaf blower. Make sure to use a light leaf blower.
4. Run water through the rain gutter to make sure it’s clear of debris.
5. Make sure to watch your step along the way.
Without a leaf blower:
1. Grab a ladder, a bucket, a small gutter scoop, and a pair of gloves. If you don’t have a gutter scoop, you can use an old kitchen spatula or a child’s sandbox shovel.
2. Climb the ladder and, while wearing gloves, remove the debris with your hands.
2. Discard the debris into your bucket.
3. Once the bigger pieces of debris are cleared away, use your small scoop to get all the gunk stuck to the rain gutter.
4. Use a water hose to run water through the gutters. This will clean out any left over gunk and show you any leaks.
5. Make sure to watch your step along the way.
Note: If all the gunk is removed from your rain gutters but not a lot of water is coming out the downspout, then the downspout is clogged. To unclog it, run the hose up the spout (from the ground toward the roof) and turn the pressure all the way up. That should take care of the problem.
Also, if there are any sections of the gutters hanging over, use a gutter hanger to fix it. This should be very easy to do. Gutter hangers can be purchased at most local hardware stores.
Even though it’s easy to put off cleaning your rain gutters, it is a necessity to protect your property. I promise, once you do it, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment.
