Getting Out The Gunk - Gutter Cleaning Tips

Cleaning out the gutters on your home is something that needs to be done a few times a year if you want to keep your gutter system in good condition. Allowing gook and gunk to accumulate in your gutter can cause it to pull away from your home, crack and break, or let water slip up underneath your shingles. Since most people would like to avoid these incidents, gutter cleaning is the optimal choice. Here are some tips you can use to make sure you are getting your gutters cleaned properly so you avoid costly repair.

Suiting Up

Before you get up on a ladder to look inside your gutter, you will want to be properly dressed so you do not have any unnecessary injuries happen to you in the process. Grab yourself a pair of heavy gloves to protect your hands from sharp objects. Make sure you have on a long-sleeved shirt so your arms are not exposed, as well. Safety goggles is also a great idea because you may be kicking up pollen or dust when reaching inside the gutter area. Lastly, non-skid soles on your shoes will help you stay in place when standing on a ladder to grab the grime.

Getting Help

Have a friend help you with the gutter clean out. You will be going up and down a ladder numerous times. To ease the workload, a friend can take the material you collect and give you an empty container to go back up to continue the job. They will be in charge of disposing of the material and giving you a clean bucket after each haul. They can also spot the ladder to make sure you do not fall when doing the job.

Diving In

Get up on the ladder and peek inside your gutter. Remove all material and plop it into a bucket. There will be sticks, twigs, leaves, moss, dirt and unidentifiable material inside the gutter. All of it needs to go. After you have picked the gutter clean, bring up a garden hose and run it so the water will wash out any residue that may be left behind.

Use a sponge and a mild detergent to scrub any areas where debris is lingering. At this time, watch the water flow to make sure it goes all the way through to the downspout. If there are any breaks in the action, you may need to do some simple gutter repairs to get the water moving properly. (For assistance in gutter cleaning, contact Victoria Window Cleaning)

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