Cleaning Gutters
Along with cleaning windows, cleaning gutters is among the most dangerous tasks in the world of house cleaning. Gutters are often neglected, but serve as a valuable means of protecting your house and lawn from water damage. Most people think cleaning their gutters once per year is sufficient. However, in spring seeds from trees may drop in to your gutters, thus clogging them for the upcoming spring rains. In fall, leaves clog gutters which might cause problems in winter with ice and snow. If ice and snow builds up due to clogs, the gutters might crack and even fall off of your house.
Cleaning your gutters
To clean your gutter, you should start with a ladder. Be careful not to lean the ladder on the gutters themselves, as they might break. It's recommended that you use a ladder stabilizer to clean your gutters. Both of these tools can be either rented or bought for low amounts of money. To clean the gutters, scoop out all the large debris such as leaves by hand. You can also buy a tool called a gutter scoop for no more than a few dollars. You can then put it in a bag, so it doesn't get caught in the lawn mower. Once that's done the odds are good that there will be mud caked on the bottom of your gutters. You can use a regular garden hose to wet the mud and wipe it off with a towel. This whole process might take a while depending on how large your house is. Once completed you should check if your down spouts are clogged. You can do this by shining a flash light down them, or running a steady stream of water down them. An alternative to this labor intensive process is a leaf blower. This is of course not the safest way, but it's the easiest by far. You will still have to wash the mud off the bottom, but it will definitely save a lot of time and energy.
Gutter safety and prevention
There are a lot of things you can do to prevent the amount of debris that enters the gutters. You can buy mesh that goes over them to prevent leaves from falling in, while still allowing water to enter. Such a product will save hours of your time the next time it's your turn to clean the gutters. There are plenty of products at your local hardware store that cover your gutters. It's recommended that you consult with the manufacturer of your gutters before making any decisions. For the winter you can by a heated cord to melt ice and snow in gutters. It simply runs along your gutter and when turned on will melt all ice. You can leave it up all year round, but only turn it on during winter. Leaning against gutters is one of the most common mistakes made. They are not meant to be leaned upon, and could come loose causing you to fall. Remember, your safety is more important than clean gutters.