Storm / Rain Gutter Maintenance

5/10/2022 (Permalink)

In an earlier blog titled ‘Storm Gutters- the Importance of Gutters and How they Work.’, you learned that storm and rain gutters are a vital component to a home.  In this blog, we will go over the maintenance and cleaning of your gutter system.

1. First, be sure you ladder is up to par. It should be extendable, sturdy and safe. Your ladder placement is also important as it should always be on a flat, sturdy surface. (rocks and landscaping items can cause your ladder to teeter.)  Ladder stabilizers are highly suggested as they help with safety measures. Similarly, it is ideal to have a helper on the ground who can pass you tools and also stabilize the ladder if it starts to shift.
2. As they always say in interviews, dress like you already have the job. The same goes for gutter cleaning. We suggest wearing a long sleeve t-shirt, non-slip boots, cargo pants and rubber gloves.  This is a dirty job and your clothing will not come out the same way it went into this project.
3. You will want to remove the gunk from the gutters. This can be done with a small scooper. If you are having a hard time finding a good scoop, you can buy them online (Amazon has literally everything) or even get it from your kids sandbox, that scoop will work fine too. Anything from a rubber kitchen spatula to a hardware store gutter scoop will do the job just fine.  Be sure to use something that is not metal as you do not want to scratch your gutters.
4. For easy clean-up, grab a tarp of some sort and set it under your work space. That way you can simply throw the gunk out onto the area below you.  The tarp can then be washed off easily.
5. After removing the gunk and debris from the gutters and downspout, grab your garden hose, turn it on, and run water along the inside of the gutter system. This does one of two things: cleans the gutters further and lets you know if you have any leaks that need repairing.
6. After you finish cleaning the gutters, you can fix any hanging or sagging sections with gutter hangers. You can buy these online.  Many people use zip ties and other DIY materials. 

Gutter cleaning really is not that bad, once you get the hang of it.  Also, it makes it easier if you do this once a year.  Letting your gutters go years without any type of maintenance can result in damages to your home. If water or mold damage does happen as a result of gutters, give SERVPRO of Fredericksburg a call.  We will fix up your home and make it “Like it never even happened.”