by Dorothy Sander

Created on: August 27, 2007   Last Updated: April 26, 2011

You will know when you need to clean your gutters when the rain pours off your house in sheets rather than in the preferred manner of traveling through your gutters and down the downspout. Of course it is preferable to clean your gutters on a routine basis once or twice a year. The need to clean gutters and the frequency will depend in large part on how many trees you have and how close they are to your home. The more trees, the more debris, the more often you'll need to clean the gutters. Regardless, take a look at them at least once a year or more often. Water can sit in a clogged gutter and cause damaged to your home in addition to the waterfall problem.

The easiest way to clean the gutters is to call a professional! But in lieu of spending the money and you are an able do-it-yourselfer, here are the steps to follow:

1. You will need to reach the gutters via a ladder and if possible from the roof of your home, providing it is not too steep. Note: Do not place your ladder against the gutter as it will damage it. When using ladders make sure they are set firmly in the ground so that they will not slip and at the appropriate angle which in most cases will be marked on the side of the ladder. Also do not hold on to a gutter for support. They are not very strong or firmly attached and will generally not hold a person's weight.

2. Take a garden trowel and a garbage bag with you up the ladder and scoop out the debris with your hands or your trowel and put it in the bag. You might want to wear gloves. As an alternative to the bag you can, of course, toss the debris on the ground but that may require a second clean up effort.

3. To clean your downspouts run water through them with a garden hose. It is not necessary to use a lot of water pressure and too much pressure can damage the spout. If the running water does not clean them, use a long wire such as an coat hanger that has been straightened or a plumber's snake to force the debris out.

4. An alternative method to the hand and bag technique is to use a leaf blower. The downside of this method is that leaf blowers are often big and cumbersome and are difficult to manage from a ladder.

5. When your gutters are clean run water through them with your garden hose to make sure there are no leaks.

6. To avoid cleaning gutters you can purchase gutter guards. They are made of a wire or plastic mesh and placed over the top of your gutters.

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