Smart Ways to Keep Your Gutters Clean In Winter
When winter is approaching, you will want to stay cosy and warm at the fireplace in your home.While being indoors and going out only when necessary, you may fail to notice your gutters gathering snow, wet debris, and other dust during winter.
As part of gutter maintenance, you should regularly clean them irrespective of season and weather. If not, you cannot imagine the nasties lurking in your gutters like mice and mosquitoes threatening the peaceful atmosphere of your home. It will not only make your home unhygienic but also unpleasant to look at your gutters.
While cleaning may be the first thing you want to do, it can be difficult to do in the icy cold weather. You should know some smart ways that help you clean the gutters that don’t affect your body too much.
Today, in this blog, we will learn about the ways that you can easily clean your gutters in the winter season.
Is It Ok To Clean The Gutters During Winter?
While it’s mandatory to keep your gutters clean, it can be a bit difficult to break the ice and remove the snow. However, you should always remove the blockages so that the condition of the gutters is maintained long. Otherwise, the blocked gutters can cause expensive repairs that take up both your time and money to make them normal again.
Gutters are usually filled with debris, animal faeces, twigs, and other kinds of dust that can reach your gutters. If you don’t clean them before winter approaches, the debris and dust get frozen which increases the weight on your gutters. The increased weight puts a lot of pressure on the gutters making them vulnerable to extensive damage.
Hence, it’s important to clean your gutters regularly so that your gutters are not posing any danger to you.
Read: Why regular gutter cleaning is important to know the benefits that you reap from it.
Smart Tools to Use the Gutters
Gutter scoop: It is like a rounded trowel that you can use to scoop the wet debris, snow, and frozen mud from the gutters. It is a simple tool but is effective to remove the blocked debris
and waste from the gutters. Keep this tool handy so that you can remove waste whenever needed.
Leaf blower: After using the gutter scoop, take a leaf blower that blows air through a nozzle which removes the remaining dust and debris from the gutters.
Water hose: Leaf blower may not prove to be effective during winter as the waste and debris get frozen. Hence, it’s better to use a water hose that blows water into the gutters so that the waste is removed effectively without you putting much effort.
High-pressure water jets: A water hose may not give you a pressurised flow to remove water. Hence, it’s better to use high-pressure water jets that give you a force that can effectively remove debris and waste from the gutters. Remember to use water jets when the climate is warm enough that your water isn’t getting frozen. The best time is during the afternoon when your area receives maximum sunshine.
Gutter vacuums: Perhaps if there is less waste but you are unable to reach the gutters, then you can use gutter vacuums. You can clean the gutters effectively from the ground. It’s also an easy way to clean your gutters if you have to do it often. Do this when the climate is dry and there’s no snow or ice falling onto the ground.
All these techniques are effective and applicable when there’s a minimal amount of waste and there’s no huge blockage. If the blockage is great, then you may have to disassemble the gutters,
clean them, and have to reinstall them again which is highly tedious work. However, it’s the last thing to do when you have to clean gutters in winter.
And if you have to dislocate the gutters, they may not fit again properly and you may have to compromise on their aesthetics and structure.
All these problems can be avoided if you are cleaning the gutters before winter approaches. You can also take it up as a weekend task during spring or summer so that your gutters are clean for the
winter. You may think that you can wait till the last minute to clean the gutters but it can pose a great danger to the integrity and strength of your gutters. In extreme cases, the damage can extend to the house as well like mould infestation, etc.
Know about common gutter cleaning myths so that you are aware of the benefits and also dangers when you are regularly cleaning them.
Final note
Cleaning your gutters may not be an exciting task to do when you are on a weekend or during your free time. However, you can take it up as a fun family activity so that you can clean them effortlessly. Take help from your family or friends and clean the gutters before winter comes. If you have to do it during colder months, then you can do it using the above techniques. Always remember that you can always take help from professionals to remove stubborn waste and frozen debris even though you feel like it’s an investment.
Author Bio:
Erika Rhein, a professional writer and blogger by profession. I write on various niches, however, I prioritise writing on (related to blog you are writing, e.g. home improvement, lifestyle, health etc.). I always strive to provide users with useful and informative articles in a readable format. I aim to achieve a difference through my writing.
