6 Tools You Need to Clean Your Gutters

Cleaning your gutters is important because it helps extend the life of your roof and it keeps rot and ice dams at bay.

But if you’re doing the job yourself, you want to make sure to stay safe. You’ll also want to have these items on hand before you start to make the work as easy as possible:

Tall, Stable Ladder

You need a ladder long enough to reach your gutters. Use ladder stabilizers, or have someone hold the base of the ladder for you while you work. It’s important to clean your gutters, but it’s more important to stay safe throughout the process.

Garbage Bags or Tarp

There are two ways you could dispose of the leaves and debris you scrape out of the rain gutters. Instead of tossing it onto the ground and creating a time-consuming cleanup job, you could take small garbage bags up the ladder with you, fill them up and drop them on the ground.

If you would rather not try to balance a bag full of debris, spread a tarp on the ground below and toss the leaves there. This also makes it easier to bag at the end.

Durable Gloves

Reaching into your gutters is a dirty, messy job, especially if the leaves are soggy from a recent rain. Make sure you wear a pair of thick, durable gloves to protect your hands and help reduce the chances of injury from sharp sticks.

Hand Trowel

If there’s sludge in the bottom of your rain gutters, you might not be able to fully extract all the debris by hand. A small rake or hand trowel is a useful tool for dislodging debris, especially if it’s jammed in a joint or gutter seam.

Hose Spray Attachment

Once you remove all the leaves and sticks, you should attach a high-powered spray nozzle to your garden hose to finish the job. Make sure your hose reaches to the roof’s edge. Hosing down your gutters also can help you determine if any leaks or blockages need taking care of.

Plumber’s Snake

It’s common knowledge that you should clean your gutters, but what about your downspouts? These water drainage components are just as important. If downspouts are clogged, use a plumber’s snake to open them up.