How to Clean a Gutter Frederick MD

One of the banes of home ownership are clogged gutters. A gutter system directs rainwater away from your home and out onto your lawn or into a drainage pipe. The goal is to keep the ground near the foundation of your home as dry as possible. When leaves and small sticks get caught in the gutter, water gets blocked and backs up over the gutter edges. It lands right by your foundation, the very spot you don't want it.

Cleaning a gutter is a simple task. It can also be extremely dangerous. Commons sense is the rule.

1. The first consideration when you clean your gutter is safety. You'll have to climb a ladder or else make it to the roof and lean off it, both of which are potentially treacherous. Never go up on a slippery, wet roof, or climb a ladder up to the gutter, on soft, wet ground. You can easily slide off a roof and land on your head or the ladder might fall to one side as a leg sinks into the soft earth.
2. The second step in gutter cleaning is to remove the leaves and sticks. This can be a smelly mess and it would be a good idea to take a heavy pair of dishwashing gloves with you. If you'd prefer, a trowel or other small tool might work equally as well as your fingers.
3. Scoot along the roof's edge to clean a gutter until the job's done. If you leave debris in the gutter it will just move along during the next rain until it either successfully passes down through the gutter or takes the place of the blockage you just removed.
4. Drop the debris and don't worry about where it goes. Picking it up and removing it can be done much more safely while you're standing on the ground than it can be accomplished while you're distracted in the air. Partially-decayed leaves make great compost. Put a very thin layer around outdoor plants. If you stack wet leaves very thick, they'll kill your plants and harbor destructive insects.
5. Be wise. If the job is too dangerous for you due to your health, age, or other physical considerations, hire the job done. Check the yellow pages for someone who will do the job.
6. You can also avoid future gutter cleanings by installing a wire gutter guard. Several are available on the market and do reasonably well in keeping out the leaves and branches.

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