Gutter cleaning safety tips.
Tips cleaning aluminum gutters.
Vinyl and painted gutters are harder to clean while painted ones need careful attention to avoid removing the paint.
First and foremost follow these ladder safety tips to ensure you remain safe while cleaning outside of the gutters.
Aluminum readily welcomes a solution of warm water and acetic acid more commonly found in the kitchen as white vinegar after scooping the gunk from your gutters with the trowel mix a bucketful of solvent using 1 cup of vinegar for every 3 gallons of water.
There are a few steps you can take to make yourself safe while tackling this dangerous task.
Allowing a few dry days before cleaning your gutters will allow the debris to dry out making the chore much easier.
Gutters accumulate dirt and debris over time and the most crucial task is to clean them.
Finish cleaning gutters and spouts with a steady rinse from the garden hose.
If painted gutters show wear or bare metal repaint and allow to dry before.
Gutters come in several types including vinyl aluminum and painted surfaces.
However aluminum gutters do require a bit of special care including not scrubbing them with a metal brush and being careful not to crush them with a ladder.
If you re going to be cleaning your gutters there are a few basic safety tips that you can follow to make sure that you are safe and your gutter cleaning expedition doesn t turn into a trip to the hospital with a broken arm.
Start the flush with medium pressure at a point farthest from the downspout and let it run for 10 or 15 minutes.
For those new to buying and using cleaner products tsp pf stands for trisodium phosphate phosphate free which implies that the product possesses the cleaning and degreasing qualities of the component trisodium phosphate but does not cause the harmful effects of phosphates.
Clean your gutters using cleaning agents or solvents which are marketed and sold under the tsp pf label.
The outside of the gutters is also likely to acquire stains over the course of time.
You might want to consider new gutters.
If the gutters are rusting they are very old.
You should clean your gutters at least once every six months in the spring and winter.
Make sure the cleaner you choose is recommended for your gutter type.
Just like cleaning house gutters puts you at risk of ladder falls so does cleaning outside of the gutters.
Start your gutter cleaning task near the downspout and work toward the closed end.
With a ladder and a few supplies your gutters will be clean in just a few hours.
They ve moved to aluminum and vinyl gutters now and they don t rust.
When possible avoid cleaning gutters after a rain.
The real key is to avoid hitting the gutters at too high an angle or you ll blow the shingles off with a high pressure stream of water.
