Obtaining and using the proper equipment can make all the difference in any job, but especially for gutter cleaning.
Gutter cleaning is one of those chores that sometimes you wonder if you’re really cut out for. If you’re house is tall, or has a steep roof, gutter cleaning can get kind of scary. Here are suggestions to help you clean your gutters safely even when your roof doesn’t fit that definition.
Use the proper equipment. Obtaining and using the proper equipment can make all the difference in any job, but especially for gutter cleaning. A few things you must have are:
-A tall ladder with stabilizers on it. This will enable you to use your ladder even if your ground isn’t perfectly even and still be safe.
-A gutter cleaning rake on a long pole. A long pole allows you to reach he gutter on one side of the house while only getting up on the ladder one or two times. The less times you have to climb up and down the ladder, the better. Also, the gutter rake is a specially designed tool that works great for everything from sand to pine needles to small rodents (yes sometimes you’ll find them stuck dead in your gutter).
-A professional gutter cleaner will also need a roofers rope kit. This is for roofs that you have to get up onto. Always climb up along the seams, it is the safest place to climb up. If you have a tile or shake roof, remove a shingle right at the peak of the roof and nail your anchor into place. Once its nailed into place, you’re good to go, just hook up your rope to the anchor.
-Some roofing cleats. These are only for shake roofs. Don’t wear them on tile roofs, they will breaks them more readily. Also, they’ll just put holes in composite roofs and cause problems. Anyway, composite roofs should have enough traction just because that is how they are made. However, shake tiles can get really slick when they are wet, or if they have had a chance for moss or mold to grow on them, so it is really important to wear cleats on those roofs.
