How to clean gutters in 5 easy steps

Maintaining clean rain gutters is essential for preventing water damage to your home’s structure. While the task may not be the most pleasant DIY project, preventing water leaks and damage can pay substantial dividends in the long term by minimizing or avoiding future repair work. The same is true if you spend the money to hire a professional to handle the job.

The primary concern when learning how to clean gutters is keeping yourself safe. Working at heights is inherently dangerous, and cleaning gutters while standing on a ladder or rooftop is no exception. If you do the work yourself, there are several ways to accomplish the task. However, they all break down into five simple steps.

4 ways to clean your gutters

Regardless of how you clean your gutters, the basic principle is the same — remove the debris to keep the water flowing. There are several methods for doing that.

By hand

Cleaning gutters by hand is slower but more precise than the other methods. The task involves working from a step or extension ladder with a stabilizer for safety and physically removing debris using a tool designed for the purpose, like a trowel, or repurposing an old kitchen utensil such as a spatula. Carrying a debris bucket while working will reduce the messiness of tossing the refuse to the ground.

Leaf blower

A good leaf blower, with or without a gutter cleaning attachment, uses fast-moving, directed air to remove debris from the gutters. Gutter cleaning tools for use with a leaf blower allow the user to perform much of the dirty work from the ground. However, for a single-story home, using a leaf blower without any special attachments is possible by working from a ladder.

Power washer

Gutter cleaning with a power washer uses a high-pressure water stream to clear debris and create a clear path for rainwater. Power washer gutter-cleaning attachment kits are available to make it possible to do the work from the ground or a ladder. Power washers can also help clean downspouts after the bulk of the gutter cleaning job is complete.

Wet/dry vacuum

The best wet/dry vacuum cleaners can provide enough suction power to lift debris from gutters. Gutter cleaning attachment kits are available, typically featuring a curved piece at the end for effectively reaching down and into gutters from the ground. Cleaning gutters with a wet/dry vac can be a relatively mess-free method. However, frequently emptying the vacuum cleaner will likely be necessary.

Gutter cleaning safety

Personal safety is the most crucial element when learning how to clean gutters. Two primary dangers to be highly aware of are falling and electrocution. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 100 people die from ladder-related falls each year, and thousands sustain injuries. Cleaning gutters while standing on the roof also isn’t advisable due to the risk of falling.

“The biggest things to avoid are a falling accident and electric shock from any electric wires near your gutters. Avoid areas near electric service lines at all costs and attempt to clean these areas with special tools from the ground level,” said Roman Peysakhovich, the CEO of Cleango, a Chicago-based cleaning company that has cleaned thousands of gutters. Peysakhovich adds that DIYers shouldn’t use aluminum ladders near power lines and warns those with more than one story shouldn’t use a ladder at all. “A fall from that height could be fatal,” he said.

While electrocution is generally avoidable by staying aware of your surroundings and your activity near wires, falling from a ladder or the roof can happen quickly and without warning. If your home’s gutters are higher than the first story, or you simply don’t feel safe working from a ladder, perform gutter cleaning tasks from the ground or hire a gutter cleaning professional to take your place.

How to clean gutters in 5 steps

Skill level: beginner, Average cost: $0 - $185, Estimated time: 2 - 4 hours

Tools and materials

The options for cleaning your gutters depend on factors such as how high they are, the equipment you already own, your comfort level with particular tools and whether you opt to perform the work yourself or hire it out. DIY gutter cleaning will require at least some of the tools and materials below.

1. Make a plan

Having a plan before starting is a good idea not only for safety but also for performing gutter cleaning as efficiently as possible. Consider covering any fragile vegetation in the area below where you’ll work with drop cloths. Gather the tools you’ll need before starting. If you’ll use more than one cleaning method, for example, using a leaf blower and then cleaning by hand, choose the most efficient way to do the work without having to double back.

2. Start at one end

It’s usually best to start at one end of each side of the home’s gutters for simplicity and efficiency. “Begin at the end opposite the drain outlet, scoop out loose debris and then flush the gutter using the hose, working toward the drain outlet. This approach helps avoid blockages,” Dan Dillon, the CEO, chairman and founder of CleanItSupply.com, told us.

3. Remove debris

Whether taking a mechanical approach with machinery or using the hands-on method, the bulk of a gutter cleaning project involves removing whatever is blocking the flow of water. Depending on your method of choice, you need to blow, suck, spray or scoop the debris out of the gutters.

4. Clear the downspouts

Use a garden hose, power washer attachment or plumbing snake if necessary to force out any foreign material trapped in the downspouts. To finish, spray water from the garden hose or power washer to rinse any leftover debris from inside the gutters and downspouts.

5. Clean, inspect and repair

After cleaning the gutters, pick up any discarded material lying on the ground below. Additionally, you may wish to wipe or spray off any debris left on the outside of the gutters. Perform a general inspection to ensure your gutters are in working order and make repairs yourself or hire a professional if necessary.

When should you clean your gutters from the ground?

Cleaning gutters from the ground is safer than working from a ladder. For single-story homes, this is a good idea that can be quite effective. Many adapters and attachments for leaf blowers, wet/dry vacs and power washers exist for this purpose.

Gutters on second or higher stories aren’t good candidates for cleaning from the ground, as the tools would be difficult to control.

For those reasons, consider cleaning your gutter system from the ground whenever possible to eliminate ladder risks. The safest option is to hire a professional for gutters that are unreachable from the ground.

How to clean gutters from the ground

Cleaning gutters from the ground involves the same procedures as cleaning gutters from a ladder. Regardless of the tools and attachments you use, follow the same steps of making a plan, starting at one end, removing debris, clearing the downspouts, cleaning up and inspecting.

A solution Peysakhovich’s crew uses is a specific tool that’s “basically a set of tongs (with an attached rope for control) that we add to an extension pole. You raise it up over your gutter. Lower it in, pull the rope, raise it up and release the rope.”

How do you clean downspouts?

Remove any debris in the downspout that you can reach by hand. Continue cleaning the downspout by spraying water into the top and then into the bottom until the water runs clear and no more debris emerges. This step works best after removing any downspout extensions first. If you’re working only from the ground, consider using a plumbing snake or garden hose to reach high into the downspout to help clear debris.

How do you prevent clogged gutters?

Experts recommend cleaning your home’s gutters at least twice per year to help prevent clogged gutters. Most suggest performing the task in the fall and in the spring. Consider adding the task to your spring cleaning checklist.

Other ways to prevent clogged gutters include performing regular maintenance, adding gutter guards and managing nearby trees by keeping them pruned and healthy.

Should you clean, repair or replace your gutters?

While cleaning your gutters should be a twice-a-year project, knowing when to repair or replace your gutters is a little trickier. In general, gutters are repairable when they exhibit a couple of seam leaks or cracks. If the gutters sag or are broken, or water damage appears on the home below them, it’s likely time to consider replacing them.

DIY gutter cleaning vs. calling in a professional

Cleaning first-story gutters is a reasonable DIY task, provided you take the necessary safety precautions. Doing the work yourself can save money and allow you to monitor your gutter system’s performance. However, gutter cleaning on a second-story (or higher) is more dangerous. Only DIYers with experience or those who are comfortable working at heights should consider it.

Dillon advised, “If the task seems too daunting or dangerous, consider hiring professionals. They have protective equipment and expertise to handle this efficiently and safely.”

Hiring a pro for the job costs between $100 and $290, depending primarily on the height and length of the gutters.

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