It’s that time of the year again, Bay Area homeowners–time to get out those ladders, gloves and clean your roof gutters! With the rainy season on its way Yorkshire Roofing, Bay Area roofing and commercial cleaning experts, are advising homeowners to look into gutter cleaning, either by hiring a service to perform the job or by completing the task yourself.

While it is not an exciting experience, the task of gutter cleaning is a job that all professionals in the Bay Area roofing industry recommend to have done at least once a year in order to protect your home from the potential damage caused by clogged gutters during the rainy season.

DIY Gutter Cleaning

So if you are looking to save some money and take the do-it-yourself approach this year with your gutter cleaning, be sure to follow the list of tips below in order to get the safest and most thorough cleaning possible!

  1. First, before you even get out the necessary gutter cleaning tools, make sure you alert your family members to the fact that you will be cleaning your gutters. Likewise, it is always a wise idea to have someone safety spot for you when on a ladder, or at the very least, to have someone check on you periodically.
  2. Use only a ladder that is safe and secure, preferably a fiberglass or aluminum one. The ladder must also be strong enough to hold a 5-gallon bucket to collect debris from the gutter; remember to securely fasten the bucket to the ladder before using it to clean the gutters.
  3. Using a garden hose equipped with a pistol-grip trigger spray nozzle, you can adjust the pressure of the water hose accordingly and guide the clogs down the gutter.
  4. Rake off leaves and other debris off the rooftop prior to actually cleaning out the gutters, otherwise all the rooftop debris will just come down and clog the drains again with the next rainfall.
  5. Invest in rubber soled shoes! Many of the leading experts in Bay Area roofing and commercial cleaning will tell you that most gutter cleaning-related accidents come from losing balance atop the ladder; therefore, wearing a more reliable shoe that grips better in wet conditions is one way to avoid potential accidents.
  6. When performing the task of scooping the debris out of the gutters, make sure to use a plastic scooper fitted with a small enough front edge to get into the narrow crevices. Avoid using a metal scrapping tool as they tend to invite rust into the gutters when they scrape the bottom.
  7. Protect your hands, skin, and eyes with protective eyewear and gloves! The task of gutter cleaning can be very dirty and could expose you to harmful bacteria, so you must prepare by wearing the appropriate gear.
  8. Once you have your gutters cleaned out, you can unclog the downspouts by running the garden hose down the spout at full pressure, and should the water not run through the other side, you may need to detach the downspout to unclog it manually from the bottom.

Now that you know the basics of smart gutter cleaning, be sure to do this regularly! If you have any questions regarding your roof and would prefer to avail commercial cleaning services for gutter cleaning, call Yorkshire Roofing today!