Cleaning your gutters from the ground can be quite intimidating if you’re a first-timer. Luckily, there are several ways to make your gutters squeaky clean without putting yourself at risk of falling off your ladder, including using a power washer, a vacuum, and hose and gutter cleaning tools.
If you’ve attempted cleaning your gutters while on a ladder, you’ll probably share the same fear of falling straight into your rose bushes as I do.
Fortunately for us acrophobic folk, there is plenty of equipment to clean gutters from the ground, and they make life a whole lot easier!
If you’re wondering how to clean gutters from the ground, keep reading because I’ve compiled a list of 5 ways to help you out!
Contents
- 1 How To Clean Your Gutters With A Power Washer
- 2 How To Clean Your Gutters With A Wet/Dry Vacuum
- 3 How To Clean Your Gutters With A Garden Hose
- 4 How To Clean Your Gutters With Telescopic Gutter Cleaning Tools
- 5 How To Clean Your Gutters With A Leaf Blower Gutter Attachment
- 6 FAQs
- 7 Now Do You Know How To Clean Gutters From The Ground!
- 8 About The Author
How To Clean Your Gutters With A Power Washer
One of the most convenient ways to clean your gutters is by using a power washer. These tools use a high-pressure stream of water to blast away dirt. Most power washers are capable of cleaning the toughest build-up of dirt without causing any damage – with your feet planted firmly on the ground.
You will probably need an extension wand to be able to comfortably reach your gutters, but this method is a lot easier and safer than having to use a ladder to help you reach the top.
However, bear in mind that if you live in a bigger, multistory house or duplex, this option might not be feasible for you because you won’t be able to reach your gutters.
While power washers are extremely effective, sometimes their “power” can be a little too powerful and you can end up with a messy situation on your hands. So it’s best to be prepared for a clean-up job of your yard and walls afterward.
As much as this option is far easier and safer than having to use a ladder, you will still need to exercise caution to prevent injury while cleaning your gutters. Protective gear is always a good idea, so try to use safety goggles as well as long-sleeved clothing just in case any stray twigs and stones end up flying toward you when your power washer gets going.
What’s great about this tool is its versatility. You can use power washers to clean several areas of your yard, including driveways, patios and fencing, so buying one will be worth it over time. You also have a variety of options to choose from, such as gas-powered, electric, corded and cordless, to help you find your perfect match.
What You Will Need
- A power washer
- An extension wand
- Safety gear, such as protective goggles and gloves
- Rake or leaf vacuum
- Garbage bags
Steps
- Plug your power washer into your nearest electrical outlet if you’re using a corded electric model.
- Switch your power washer on and direct the tip of it to the area of your gutter you wish to start off with.
- Carefully make your way through all the gutters bordering your house.
- Grab a rake and refuse bag to gather and collect the debris that’s fallen from the gutters or use a leaf vacuum to suck it all up.
- If your walls get messed with mud and dirt, simply hose them away.
How To Clean Your Gutters With A Wet/Dry Vacuum
Commonly known as shop-vacs, these tools are one of the safest options to use to clean your gutters. Also versatile in nature, shop-vacs are a lot more powerful than regular vacuums and can be used to pick up items such as nails or small wood scraps or clean up wet messes and spills.
You will, however, need an extension to be able to reach your gutters. You can buy one, but it’s also quite easy to DIY your own.
This will require some supplies and time to get your vacuum ready. If you already own a shop-vac, this can be an extremely cost-effective option because the supplies you’ll need for the extension won’t cost you an arm and a leg!
The best part about using a wet/dry vacuum is that you won’t have much cleaning up to do after you’ve removed all the dirt from your gutters because you’ll be clearing the dirt and debris as well as sucking it up, all in one motion. This will reduce the amount of time you’ll need to spend on this exercise while saving you from tiring yourself.
What You Will Need
- A wet-dry vacuum
- An extension, or PVC pipes to make your own
- Glue or tape
- Optional: an extension cord
Steps
- Depending on the spacing out of the electric outlets in your home, you might need to plug your wet/dry vacuum into an extension cord to help you move it around easily.
- If you’ve bought an extension for your vacuum, fit it on and make sure it’s secure.
- If you’re making your own, set out your PVC pipes, measure how long it’ll have to be to reach your gutters and cut them accordingly.
- The last piece of PVC pipe that will fit at the end of the extension will need to be curved at an angle so that you can clear your gutters easily. An easy way to do this is to heat the part you need to be curved before bending it.
- Once your final curved PVC pipe is fitted on securely, you can glue them all together or secure the connecting parts with tape.
YouTube user Twin Home Experts does a great job of explaining how to DIY your own gutter cleaning attachment in this video:
- Switch your vacuum on with the tip of the extension aimed into the gutter, and you’re all set!
How To Clean Your Gutters With A Garden Hose
Surprisingly, a garden hose can also be an effective tool to clean your gutters! The only catch with this method is you can only use it on gutters that aren’t completely blocked with dirt.
In order to clean your gutter, your garden hose needs to be equipped with a rigid extension with a curved end. You will need to place the tip of your hose in one corner of your gutter and blast it with water. The idea here is for the pressure of the hose to move the dirt and debris out.
Make sure you wear waterproof clothing or at least something you wouldn’t mind getting a little dirty because, just like the power washer method, using water to clean your gutters will leave you in a bit of a mess!
I’m sure you can already imagine, this method can be quite messy. I mean, you’re basically mixing dirt and debris with water. Needless to say, you’re going to want to dress accordingly.
The success of this method depends on the answers to these two questions: is your gutter clogged with dirt and how powerful is your water pressure (is it strong enough)?
If you’re looking for a new garden hose, check out this article for reviews of the best no kink hose pipes.
What You Will Need
- A garden hose
- An extension attachment
- Rake
- Garbage bags
Steps
- Attach your extension to your garden hose.
- Connect your garden hose to your nearest water outlet.
- Place the tip of your hose pipe attachment inside the gutter and open your faucet wide enough to create a powerful stream of water to move the dirt.
- Turn your garden hose off every couple of seconds to give the water a chance to make its way down your gutters.
- Once all the dirt and debris have been removed from your gutter, you’ll have a bit of cleaning up to do, as it will have either splashed out of the gutter onto your yard or collected at the bottom of your downspout.
- If any of the gunk has messed up your house walls, simply rinse it off with your garden hose.
How To Clean Your Gutters With Telescopic Gutter Cleaning Tools
If you’re in the market for something specifically for your gutter, you should consider investing in a telescopic gutter cleaning tool. While these may not be versatile and will only be used to clean your gutters, they will definitely make your gutter cleaning experience a breeze!
These tools typically are basically long poles that can be maneuvered in several ways to help you get to those hard-to-reach corners of your gutters.
Some of the features you can expect from many of these telescopic gutter cleaning tools include claw arms and cleaning pads for picking up and dislodging debris. Just remember to check how long your tools need to extend so that you’ll be able to easily reach your gutters.
Most telescopic poles have two soft rubber hand grips, making them comfortable to use. Using a compatible hose connector, you can connect the telescopic pole directly to your garden hose. They often come with switches at the bottom so you can control the water flow as you wish.
What You Will Need
- Telescopic gutter attachment
- A compatible hose connector
- A garden hose
- A rake
- Garbage bags
Steps
- Connect your telescopic pole to your hose pipe using the hose connector.
- Make sure you’ve extended the pole as much as you need to to be able to reach your gutter.
- Fit the tip of the pole into your gutter.
- Open your faucet and watch the dirt and debris make their way out!
- Clean up the fallen dirt with your rake and garbage bags.
How To Clean Your Gutters With A Leaf Blower Gutter Attachment
Not only are leaf blowers an excellent choice to keep your yard in shape during the leafy autumn season, but they’re also perfect for cleaning your gutters.
Some leaf blowers come with attachments that can be used for multiple purposes. You’ll often find that one of the attachments resembles a long tube with a curved end – that’s for gutter cleaning. If your leaf blower doesn’t come with attachments, they can usually be bought separately.
Pro tip: Block your downspout with an old towel or a rag so that dirt and debris don’t fall in and clog it up.
What You Will Need
- A leaf blower
- A gutter cleaning attachment
- An old towel or rag
- A rake
- Garbage bags
Steps
- Attach your gutter cleaner attachment to your leaf blower.
- Cover your downspouts with your old towel or rag.
- Blast that debris away!
- You will have to do a little clean-up afterward to clear away the debris that’s fallen onto the ground.
FAQs
Is there a tool to clean gutters from the ground?
There are tools to clean gutters from the ground. Some of the tools you can use include leaf blowers with gutter attachments, gutter cleaning kits, as well as power washers with extensions. These make the process a lot easier while keeping you safe from harm.
How do professionals clean gutters?
Professionals clean gutters by scrubbing them with a mechanical brush, washing them with steam cleaners and polishing them by hand. They can also repair seams or reattach gutters and downspouts. In addition, they also remove any build-up or moss or algae on gutter fronts.
Now Do You Know How To Clean Gutters From The Ground!
Having experienced the drama of clogged gutters, I urge all homeowners to clean their gutters regularly. This is especially important when getting your home and yard ready for the winter season. Now that we also have options to clean them from the ground, the process is a breeze and definitely isn’t as intimidating as I initially thought it to be!
If cleaning gutters from the ground also isn’t your thing, don’t forget that you can always hire a professional to sort it out for you. Many of these companies also offer additional services, such as gutter repairs and installation of gutter guards too!
I hope my 5 methods on how to clean gutters from the ground helped you! Please feel free to leave me a comment below or share this article if you liked it.
About The Author
Last update on 2024-04-24 at 07:42 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API