If you have made the brave decision to clean your own gutters rather than hire a professional gutter cleaning service, then you might be looking for some advice about what kind of gutter cleaning tools are most important and some gutter cleaning tips that will make the job easier. This article will attempt to introduce some of the more important types of gutter cleaning tools and help you in you in your endeavors.
The first classification of gutter cleaning equipment that you need to assemble is your gutter cleaning safety equipment. You will need the right kind of ladder, some protection for your hands and face, and a partner. Choosing the right variety of ladder will help to prevent accidents. If the ground next to your home is level and you only need to climb one story, an A frame ladder is the best bet. If the ground is uneven or if you need to go higher, then you should use an extension ladder. The mold and mildew that grows in gutters can be toxic so that is why you want a good pair of gloves and a face mask for respiratory protection. The second individual is there mainly to hold the ladder and help in case of an emergency.
After your safety tools are in line, the next classification of gutter cleaning tools is the actual cleaning items. You may use a gutter scoop, a gutter cleaning wand, a gutter brush, or a combination of any of these. Gutter scoops are probably the most common gutter cleaning tool because their purpose is to scoop out the debris that is clogging the gutter parts. There are gutter scoops that you can buy in a hardware store, or you could make your own out of an empty milk or juice container. The only rule is that it must be comfortable to hold and have high sides so that you can hold as much debris as possible in each scoop.
If you want a less labor intensive way of cleaning your gutters then you might choose a gutter wand. A gutter cleaning wand is a tool that you attach to the end of your garden hose. It has an adjustable nozzle that allows you to direct a high pressure stream of water into your gutters in order to spray out the clogs. The telescoping nature of most gutter cleaning wands means that you can clean your gutters from the ground instead of working on a ladder which could be dangerous.
Whether you remove the bulk of the debris with a gutter scoop or a gutter wand, you will still have to scrub the inside of your gutter system to get rid of mold and mildew. That is where a gutter cleaning brush comes in. The round brushes are designed so that you scrub both the floor and the sides of the gutter system at the same time.
The last type of gutter cleaning tool that we will discuss is preventative gutter maintenance products. If you use the right products from this category, you may be able to avoid needing heavy duty cleaning like gutter wands and gutter scoops altogether. The most useful gutter maintenance product is a gutter guard. Gutter guards are ways to prevent debris from ever making its way into your gutter system. The most basic type of gutter guard is a gutter screen. Gutter screens are mesh that covers the opening to your gutters so that rain water and melt water can still get in, but debris is blocked. The main problem with this type of defense is that the holes in the gutter screen can get clogged or covered by debris and then the water will not get into the gutters and the entire point of having gutters goes out the window.
If you have problems with clogging of gutter screens then you might want to try another type of Amerimax gutter guards that works on the principle of water adhesion. The Amerimax gutter guard is not the only one that works this way. The concept is that the water with debris mixed in will run over a gutter cover and at the very edge of the cover there is a small slit on the side leading into the gutter system. The debris is carried off the edge of the house due to its momentum, but the water adheres to the edge for just a fraction longer allowing the water to fall into the slit.
I think that most people have the idea when you say the words gutter cleaning. You need to climb up to your gutter system and scoop out any and all debris that might be clogging them. For this main part of the cleaning process you need to gutter cleaning essentials such as a ladder, a gutter scoop, a trash bag, and personal protective equipment like a mask and gloves. However, there are other areas of gutter the gutter system and cleaning these areas needs some special consideration.
One of the most overlooked gutter parts is the corners. There are actually two different types of corners, inside corners and outside corners. Inside corners are places where the roof line comes to an inward facing point. If you are traveling left down the roof line and then the roof line turns to the left, that is an inside corner. Outside corners are where the house comes to an outside facing point or a corner. If you are traveling left down the roof line and the roof line turns to the right, that is an outside corner. These areas are some of the easiest to clog because the width of the gutter system gets a little smaller. Inside corners are a particular problem because the roof often has a valley at these points and that is a great place for leaves and debris to end up. Then the pile slowly travels down the valley and into the gutters. Your regular gutter scoop might not work here so you should get something small or prepare to use your hands.
Another gutter part to consider is the seams. No gutter system is made of one continuous piece. Each system is made of several pieces and where they come together and are attached to one another is a seam. The seams are places where dirt and grime can get caked on and even work its way under one edge of the seam and start to make the outside of the gutter system look dirty. To clean in these areas you not only need regular gutter cleaning tools to scoop away the debris, but you need to scrub. That is why a gutter brush is important. A gutter brush is a round cylinder shaped brush that looks similar to a very fat test tube brush. It should have a handle that starts out at a ninety degree angle to the brush and then turns another ninety degrees where you hold it so that you hand is not getting stuck in the gutters.
Finally, you need to consider the downspouts. These are the parts of the gutter system that carry the water from the roof line down the side of the house and away from the foundation. You cannot scoop debris out of your downspouts because they are completely enclosed. Instead, you should test them by putting water down the top with the garden hose and making sure a similar amount of water flows out the bottom at a similar speed and in a reasonable amount of time. If you determine there is a clog, then you should try to see where it is with a flashlight. Then, you will have to take apart the downspout at the closest seam so that you can reach the clog.
