Our Top 6 Gutter Cleaning Hacks

As the seasons change, it’s time to take care of the home and undo the damage of the last season. One task that you may have to do – as much as you don’t want to – is cleaning out the gutters.

Never overlook the importance of clean gutters.

There are a number of reasons that you should keep them clean, including preventing flooding, roof damage, and more. A dirty gutter is also a potent source of mold. Mold thrives in moist conditions like a clogged gutter. It’s important that you get your gutters cleared out regularly, even if you have to do it yourself.

The good news is that keeping utters clean doesn’t have to be as tough as you think it is. There are lots of ways to make the process faster and safer. Here are six of the very best gutter cleaning hacks to help you get through this arduous chore.

1. Rain Gutter Cleaner

The rain gutter cleaner is a great way to keep your gutters clean without having to invest a lot of time or money. What’s so great about the rain gutter is that it is a perfectly safe way to keep gutters clean. Anyone who has climbed up their ladder and tried to hand remove leaves understands how nasty – not to mention dangerous – it can be. The Rain Gutter Cleaner uses water to keep gutters clean. It costs around $10 to set up your own Rain Gutter Cleaner, so consider getting one of your own installed.

2. Extendable Gutter Cleaning Wands

This is a hose attachment that works wonders for keeping gutters clean. It turns your hose into a pressure washer, putting out enough pressure to keep leaves out of a gutter. It also has a number of other uses including cleaning the car. There’s nothing quite like a multi-purpose tool. After all, the more a tool can do, the more likely you are to want to invest in it!

3. Gutter Wedges

While you can invest in a gutter guard system, they tend to cost in the thousands. That’s a lot of money for something like keeping gutters clean. There’s no point in spending that kind of money when you can just invest in a more cost-effective solution like the Gutter Wedge. It features a patented flow-through design that makes leaves and other debris flow up and away from the downspout opening. This keeps the gutter clear to allow rainwater to quickly and efficiently be drained. Best of all, it takes just a few minutes to set up and install.

4. Get Some New Tools

There are lots of other tools out there that are designed to make gutter cleaning easier. One of the best is the “GutterTongs”. They perform pretty much as you would expect with a name like that. They work with any type of gutter, removing the need to climb a ladder by scooping leaves out of a gutter with the same type of tongs that you would use to toss a salad – if salad tongs were 12 feet long. You can also use the GutterTongs to hold your hose and give gutters a thorough cleaning after removing the debris. Another great tool for gutter cleaning is cultivators. These are particularly useful for people who live in single-story homes as they reach up to six feet and are effective for removing leaves from gutters.

5. Blow Them Away

You may already be familiar with leaf blowers. They are great tools for collecting leaves in the garden. Have you ever considered using your leaf blower to clear the leaves out of your gutter? If you haven’t, then you should. There is a trick to it of course; you have to extend the reach of the leaf blower beyond its typical length. You can find an attachment for doing just that at most local home centers. Or you can just get some basic plumbing supplies and put your own together. If you don’t have a leaf blower then you’d be surprised at what a vacuum can do if you turn suction tool into a blower. The downside of these approaches are that while the air could eliminate leaves and twigs, it isn’t able to get rid of any decomposing organic material or dirt that has gotten lodged in. Also keep in mind that you will generally need a ladder to access the gutters in a multi-story home. It can be dangerous for anyone to scale an extension ladder no matter who they are. Doing that while holding a leaf blower? Well, that’s just asking for trouble. So please don’t do it, for your own safety.

6. Old Fashioned Climbing and Cleaning

If all else fails and you find there some backup or clog that could only be eliminated manually, then you should still be smart about it. The first thing to do is ensure that your ladder is safe and sturdy enough for you to climb properly. After climbing up and reaching the clog, you want to use a scoop or other household tool to increase your reach and clear out the clog. A really surprising tool that can help out a lot here is a simple spatula. Just make sure you clean it off before using it in the kitchen again!

Summary

Now you know all about cleaning gutters with all of the best gutter cleaning hacks around, what’s stopping you from making use of them? Your gutters, house foundation, landscaping, and even your health will thank you for keeping your gutters clean. It’s a surprisingly simple piece of home maintenance most people overlook. Don’t be one of those people!