Use A Leaf Guard To Save Yourself Time Every Time You Clean The Gutters
The invention of the leaf guard was incredible for many homeowners who hate getting up on the ladder every year to get soaked and filthy while cleaning their gutters. People that live in parts of the world that receive lots of rain or have tons of foliage surrounding their home are not new to the idea of cleaning out their gutters. One of those homeowners was so annoyed by this chore that they took it upon themselves to invent a product to prevent it. The leaf relief gutter guards were developed and were met with rave reviews. The simple but effective product does nothing more than prevent large pieces of trash or debris from ever getting into the horizontal part of the gutter. If you keep the stuff from the horizontal part then it will never have the opportunity to make it over to, or clog the vertical downspout portions. The leaf guard is not perfect but it is darn close.
Even if you have gutter guards installed you cannot really eliminate maintenance completely. You can extend the time between cleaning by a lot but never completely get rid of the concept of cleaning. The only way to truly prevent debris or dirt from getting into the gutter is by sealing them off. This is of course silly since sealing them off would defeat their purpose of drainage. You can find gutter covers that range from screens to large mesh. The screens let very little through but the screens tend to clog up pretty fast. On the other end of the spectrum there are larger mesh covers. These prevent large items from making it in but do let in a lot of smaller things. The mesh will not clog so easily but the gutters will fill up faster. The key is to find the right balance for you and there is no right or wrong answer.
When you notice that the efficiency of the gutters has slowed down considerably, it is time to clean them with suitable gutter supplies. Find a sturdy ladder that is tall enough to safely reach the gutters. Remove the gutter guards and spray down the entire inside of the gutter with water. This makes the dusty dirt bind to itself making it easier to remove. Use a tool to scrape as much of the dirt from the gutter as you can. It does not have to be perfect because once you are done scooping you will spray the entire horizontal portion of the gutter with high pressure water. The last part of the cleaning is spraying out or vacuuming out the vertical pipes. When that is complete, reinstall the covers.
Whether you use leaf guard systems or not you will have to get up on a ladder every now and again to clean out the gutters. This can be a dangerous task if you do not practice safe procedures. It is easy to do but if you are in doubt, you should call a professional since this is not worth risking injury.
