It is a relaxing weekend morning. You look up at your roof and feel dread. You see leaves sticking out of the gutters. You know you have to clean them. If you don’t, water might leak and stain your walls or damage your foundation.
But you have a question. Is it better to get a ladder and do it yourself? Or is the best way to clean gutters to hire a professional?
There are many tools that promise to make this job easy. You might see ads for a special gutter scoop or a robot that cleans for you. But usually, these tools are messy. Sometimes, they don’t even work.
Our Evergreen Window Cleaning team clean gutters every day. We know what works and what does not. Here is the truth about the best way to clean rain gutters and why hiring a pro is often smarter (and safer) than doing it yourself.
DIY Methods Are Harder Than They Look
If you are looking online for what’s the best way to clean gutters?, you will find a few different gutter maintenance ways and gutter cleaning tools to try it. Let’s look at them.
1. The Leaf Blower Method
Some people use a leaf blower. If the leaves are dry, you can blow them out. You can even buy a gutter cleaning attachment to reach the gutters while you stand on the ground.
- The Good: It is fast if the leaves are dry.
- The Bad: It is very messy. You will blow dirt and allergens all over your windows, siding, and patio. Also, if the leaves are wet, the air won’t move them.
2. The Pressure Washer
A pressure washer shoots water very fast. It can blast away gunk and moss and may resolve a clogged gutter.
- The Good: It cleans very well.
- The Bad: It makes a huge mess. You might accidentally blast water under your roof shingles. This can rot the wood on your fascia board.
3. The Vacuum Method
You can use a wet/dry vacuum with a long pole to suck up debris.
- The Good: It keeps the mess contained in a tank.
- The Bad: It is heavy and hard to balance also tricky with gutter guards.
It also won’t work well if you have big sticks or packed mud.
4. The Ladder and Bucket
This is the old-fashioned way to clean your gutter system. You climb a ladder, scoop the gunk by hand, and put it in a bucket.
- The Good: You can see what you are doing.
- The Bad: It takes a long time. It is also dangerous.
Why DIY Can Cost You More
You might think doing it yourself saves money. But did you know the average cost to hire a professional gutter cleaning service is often around $162? Compare that to the risk of falling. Cleaning gutters is one of the most dangerous jobs a homeowner can do.
Safety First
If you are uncomfortable on a ladder, stay on the ground. Cleaning gutters safely is the most important thing.
- Ladder Safety: A ladder must be on firm, level ground. If the ground is soft, the ladder can tip.
- Protection: You need a ladder stabilizer. This stops the ladder from crushing your gutters.
Damage to Your Home
If you don’t clean them right, you can hurt your house.
- Ice Dams: If you leave dirt behind, water can get trapped and freeze. This causes ice dams. Heavy ice can pull the gutters right off your roof.
- Mosquitoes: If water stands still in your gutters, it becomes a home for mosquitoes.
- Basement Leaks: Clogged gutters cause water to spill over. This water falls right next to your house and can leak into your basement or windows.
According to government guidelines on historic and residential maintenance, you must inspect gutters often to stop damage. But you should not risk your health to do it.
Why Professionals Get Better Results
There is a difference between “empty” gutters and “clean” gutters. The best way to clean out gutters is to make sure the whole system works perfectly. Here is why pros do it better.
1. We Handle the Messy Stuff
Homeowners usually clean their gutters when they see overflowing water. By then, the leaves are wet and heavy. A leaf blower cannot move this muck.
Professionals use their hands to pull out wet debris. We remove the heavy sludge that causes clogs. We make sure the water can flow freely.
2. We Check the Slope
Did you know your gutters need to be tilted? The ideal slope is about 1/4 inch for every 10 feet. This helps gravity pull the water to the drain. If your gutters are flat, water sits there. Professionals check this for you.
3. We Flush the Downspouts
The most important part of the gutter is the downspout. This is the pipe that carries water to the ground.
If you have clogged downspouts, your gutters will overflow even if they look clean on top. The best way to clean your gutters includes flushing these pipes with water. We check to make sure the water comes out the bottom fast and clear.
4. We Spot Hidden Problems
When we are up there, we look for issues you might miss. We look for:
- Loose brackets.
- Holes or cracks in the seams.
- Roof shingles that are damaged.
- Rot on the wood behind the gutter.
Curb Appeal: The Best Way to Clean Outside of Gutters
Have you seen ugly black stripes on gutters? These are called “tiger stripes.” They happen when dirt and asphalt from the roof stick to the metal.
The best way to clean outside of gutters is not just spraying them with a hose. That usually won’t work. It takes a special cleaner and a soft brush.
Most people who do it themselves only clean the inside. Professionals can clean the outside, too. This makes your home look brand new.
When Should You Clean Your Gutters?
To keep your home safe, you should clean your gutters at least twice a year.
- Spring: Clean them after the seeds and flowers fall.
- Fall: Clean them after the leaves fall.
If you have gutter guards, you still need to check them. Small dirt can get through the mesh. The best way to clean gutters out with guards is to take the guards off, clean the inside, and put them back on. This takes a lot of time and patience.
The EvergreenClean Way
At EvergreenClean, we want to make your life easy. We treat your home like it is our own.
Here is our simple process:
- Safety Check: We use stabilizers to protect your gutters and our team.
- Debris Removal: We scoop out the leaves, twigs, and mud by hand.
- The Flush: We run water through the system to make sure there are no clogs.
- Clean Up: We put the debris in bags. We don’t leave a mess on your lawn.
We can also help with other exterior cleaning needs, like washing your house or cleaning your roof.
Let Us Do It For You
You have a choice. You can spend your weekend balancing on a ladder and getting dirty. Or, you can choose the best way to clean gutters: hire a team that does it right.
Doing it yourself takes time. It is dangerous. And if you miss a clog, you could end up with water damage.
Don’t take the risk. If you want clean gutters without the worry, contact Evergreen Window Cleaning today. We will handle the hard work so you can enjoy your weekend.
