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Gutter Maintenance- Cleaning Your Gutters

Cleaning your gutters is an important and often neglected aspect of home maintenance. This article dicusses gutter maintenance and offers tips on cleaning your gutters.

Cleaning your gutters is an important and often neglected aspect of home maintenance. At minimum, you should clean all gutters at least twice a year. Gutters help protect your house from water run-off. By keeping your gutters clean, you will save your house from potential water damage. Here are some tips to help make gutter maintenance easy.

Use The Proper Equipment

Before getting started, you will need to acquire the proper equipment:

  • A safe, sturdy ladder
  • Protective gloves - rubber gloves work well
  • A garden hose and/or power washer
  • A garden trowel, putty knife or any type of narrow tool that can be used for scooping
  • Gutter sealant

Remove Any Debris in the Gutters

The first step in cleaning your gutters is debris removal. The best place to start is the drain outlet. Begin removing debris with your garden trowel or putty knife. Clean out as much loose debris as you can.

Flush the Gutters

To finish getting out all of the debris, you will want to flush the gutters and the downspouts with your garden hose or power washer. It may take awhile, but you should flush the gutters until the water that comes from the downspouts looks clean and clear.

Check for leaks and cracks while the water is running. Make a diagram of any problems or make a mark on the gutter so you can fix it later.

Seal Cracked Gutters

When cleaning your gutters, you will probably notice leaks or cracks in the gutter system. This is a common occurrence, one that can be fixed with a small amount of gutter sealant.

Before applying the sealant, make sure everything has dried properly. If you apply the sealant to wet gutters it will not seal right. Using your hand (wear gloves) or an applicator, smooth the sealant on the problem areas. After the sealant has dried, flush the gutters once more to make sure the leaks have been properly repaired.

Make Future Cleanings Easier

Gutter maintenance isn't the most enjoyable project. To make it easier, consider installing gutter toppers or screens to your clean gutters.

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