We’ve all been there. It’s spring, it rains, and your gutters are full and water is pouring out. It’s like a waterfall all around your house. Walking from the car to the house results in getting more drenched due to the water spilling out from your full gutters.

Sound familiar? It’s happened to us before, too. Today, we want to look at six tips to help you clean out your gutters more effectively. If you need help with this task or if you need new gutters installed, New Look is serving the Louisville area and we’d be glad to help!

Tip #1: Be aware

Clogged gutters can cause ice dams that could potentially push water into your home. The additional weight can also cause your gutters to loosen and possibly detach. A little extra inspection around your gutters can result in a lot of savings! Here are a few other things to look out for:

• Sagging gutters

• Detached gutters

• Overflowing gutters

• Holes in your gutters

• Clogged downspouts during a rain

• Gutter waterfalls

These are just a few signs that there is an issue with your gutter flow.

Tip #2: Be Safe!

Safety is top-priority for us at New Look and we want to ensure it’s top priority for you as well. Goggles, gloves, dust mask, proper cleaning tools, and a secure, stable ladder will go a long way to ensure that you’re properly protected. If you have to get on the roof, be sure to use a harness or a stability system to protect yourself.

Nearly 1/4 fatalities at job sites result from a fall and 97% of roofing accidents are home-owner-based. It’s always a good idea to take extra precaution before jumping straight into a project.

Tip #3: Clean Properly & Regularly

Cleaning gutters isn’t a good time. But it’s a necessary time if you don’t want water entering into your home or a broken gutter system. There are a lot of solutions to cleaning gutters that can be more effective than a ladder and a glove; such as extension polls, vacuums, and spray nozzles. Most people, however, will probably need to get on a ladder in some fashion.

SAFETY TIP: We recommend that if you’re not comfortable getting on a ladder and you have gutters higher than first level, you should call a professional to assist you!

Once you’ve cleaned the gutter, whether you’re putting debris into a bag or blowing the contents of the gutter out with a sprayer, it’s always a good idea to fill the gutter with water to make sure the downspout is functioning properly (and to clean out remaining small debris).

One other good idea is that you can also install leaf strainers at the top of the downspout to limit clogs down the line. Lastly, make sure that when you’re cleaning gutters you avoid getting debris on the siding as that can add additional time to your outdoor efforts.

Summer is almost here friends! It’s always a good idea to get these projects done in the spring so you don’t have to worry about dealing with them in the beautiful summer months!

Take care!

- New Look Roof Team

For any questions or comments, please feel free to email us at jwest@newlookroofs.com, we hope you have a great day and thanks for reading! 

- Julian