How To Clean Gutters
There are two main areas of a gutter to clean. The interior gutter, where all the debris collects, and the exterior of the gutter. The interior portion of the gutter should be cleaned twice a year, unless you have gutter covers, and the outside of the gutter needs to be cleaned once a year with the rest of the house.
If debris backs up water in your gutters, the water can cause serious long term problems to your house. It can easily rot out the fascia and sophet as well as cause interior wall damage if the water finds a way in to the eaves. The best way to avoid this is with gutter cover installation.
However, if you need to clean your gutters the old fashioned way. Take out a ladder and go section to section and remove all the debris. The biggest draw back to this is the ladder work. It is very easy to fall off of a ladder. Plus, climbing up and down a ladder 50 times may not be your idea of a good time on a Saturday afternoon. Also, Be careful not to crush your gutters with the ladder.
If you live in a single story house, your best bet may be a pressure washer with a special gutter attachment. It is never a good idea to try and use a ladder and a pressure washer at the same time. One problem with this method, is the possibility of blowing water back into the house through the eaves, however this is the preferred method.
Actually getting on the roof and cleaning the gutters is a very bad idea. Especially if you are not use to walking on roofs. I have seen roofers walk up insane angles in order to do their job, but they are trained professionals. All it takes is one slip and your time could be up.
Exterior Gutter Cleaning
It is a good idea to pressure wash your house at least once a year. During this process do not neglect your gutters. Basic mold and grime will build up on your gutters and dirty gutters really detract from the beauty of your home.
Use a strong degreaser and apply it your gutters. Make sure it is approved for use in your pressure washer, if you need something that is not approved you could always use a spray bottle or an acid injector. Put the degreaser on the gutters and let it sit for about five minutes. Do not let it dry. Go back over it with the white nozzle and see if you can get off all of the grime.
If you are not able to remove all of the grime, you may have to use goof off. This is a painstaking process and sometimes it does not get everything off. Especially roof tar, which over the years stains the gutters. If your gutters are really bad, it may be a better idea to simply replace the gutters.
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