We all agree that a clean house is a happy house. However, people have a tendency of cleaning the obvious parts like windows, doors, and walls. Gutters are usually neglected and most people forget about them.
Much as cleaning gutters is one of the chores we like to postpone until we have time, you don’t want to ignore them during spring and fall, else they get clogged with leaves.
If other house parts are clean apart from the gutters, your house still gives an impression of being neglected. Note that you need the right ladders, gloves, and other safety equipment Up next you can learn the basics.
Why Do We Clean Gutters?
Avoid Pests
Gutters that are clogged with leaves and other debris are breeding ground for pests like mosquitoes, mice, birds, and squirrels.
When this problem persists, these pests will reproduce and before long your house will feel like an abandoned house that has been taken over by pests.
Moreover clogged and damaged gutters lead to house cracks and these pests can gain entrance to the inside of your house.
Structural Damage to Your House
Clogged gutters don’t only stop on the face value, but also damage the foundation, cause flooding to the basement, causing cracks in your walls and basement, and destroying your garden.
The cost of correcting these damages is higher than it would cost cleaning the gutters.
Damage to the Roof
Dirty gutters damage the roof in incidences of snow and ice. When snow and ice on the roof don’t get a clear passage to melt and slide away, it will make ice dams that lead to snow piling up and refreezing.
If you don’t correct this issue, your roof will demand to be replaced more than you think-which can be costly.
Worsens Allergies and Diseases
Clogged gutters lead to water damage and fissures that produce mold and increased pollen which worsens allergies.
You must look for any signs or things that can cause mold in your home as it predisposes the people staying in that house to allergies and other diseases.
Not Aesthetically Pleasing
If you are a person that prides in a clean and beautiful looking, your gutters should also be cleaned. Have you seen clogged gutters with debris, dry and fresh leaves?
It usually also has dirty windows and a dirty exterior. Such a house is not pleasing to look at, it actually looks neglected.
How to Safely Clean Gutters
Ladder Safety
You will definitely need to use a ladder to climb to the roof and clean your gutters. However, ladders are one of the reasons for falls, injuries, and even deaths.
You will need a sturdy ladder and inform someone that you will be using the ladder to clean gutters.
A four-legged step ladder works for a single-storeyed house while you need an extension ladder for a double-storeyed house. You want to avoid an orchard ladder due to its three legs that can easily lose balance.
Garden Hose
You will want to use a garden hose that has a pistol-grip trigger spray nozzle. With this, you can use just one hand to adjust the water pressure.
Also, it’s easy to hang it on the edge of the gutter as you shift the ladder or using a gutter scoop.
Protect Your Hands
You need to wear gloves so that you don’t directly touch dirty and rotting debris that is ridden with bacteria. Gloves will also protect you from cuts and injuries caused by torn shards of an old rough gutter.
If your gutter is clogged with soggy leaves and dirty water, cotton gloves will soak the dirty water up reducing the exposure of your skin to bacteria.
Protect Your Eyes
Never clean gutters without protecting your eyes because you never know what can fly out of the downspout.
Gutters store a lot of dirt, dust, dirty water, and pollen which can easily gain access to your eyes. Wear protective goggles or a face mask to avoid injury to your eyes.
Bottom Line
Cleaning your gutters doesn’t have to be complicated. Also, if you want to have a clean house, just sticking to walls and floor is not enough, your clogged gutters send out a dirty message.
You’ll need a study and preferably four-legged ladders to climb up the roof and ensure someone knows you are ‘up there’. Also, you need to protect your eyes with a face mask or protective goggles and protect your hands with gloves.
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