How To Clean Your Gutters Without A Ladder

Closeup of a rain gutter on the side of a house clogged with leaves.

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Many homeowners face a conundrum when it comes to gutter maintenance. On the one hand, they recognize the importance of keeping their gutters clean. They know that allowing precipitation runoff to flow through their gutters freely will prevent water from pooling around their home and damaging their foundation.

But, on the other hand, these people may not be very motivated to climb up a ladder and/or onto their roof to clean out their gutters. Perhaps they don't trust the quality of the ladder they own. Or maybe they are not fond of heights. Or perhaps they dislike the incessant nagging they get from their spouses to "Be careful! Don't fall! You'll hurt yourself!" (As if this hasn't occurred to them already.)

Thankfully, there are several tools on the market today that allow homeowners to clean their gutters without every setting foot on a ladder. Here are five of them:

1. Gutter Cleaning Applicator

Gutter maintenance starts with the exterior of the gutters. This specially-shaped applicator with a lambswool pad fits perfectly onto the end of any painter's pole. It's an easy method of wiping away the grime and dirt that accumulates over time on the outside of gutters.

2. Gutter Vacuum Accessories

Gutter cleaning tools — Photo credit: amazon

If the gutters are filled mostly with dry leaves, twigs, or pine needles, they can be vacuumed out easily without getting on a ladder. These attachments will fit on the end of a standard Shop-Vac or leaf blower. The curved portion can curl over the edge of the gutter to suck the debris into a bag or vacuum chamber.

3. Gutter Cleaning "Tongs"

Sometimes, the material found inside gutters is too wet and heavy to be vacuumed out. In these cases, this tool provides a simple way to grasp the debris and lift it out of the gutters. The convenient "tongs" are operated by a rope attached to a metal pole, which can even be extended to reach second-story roofs.

4. Gutter Flusher and Cleaner

Many homeowners prefer to just blast away gutter clogs using a power sprayer. For them, this extendable metal pole makes gutter cleaning practically effortless. The pole, which attaches to any garden hose, has three spray settings and an ergonomically-friendly trigger; plus a detachable mirror to view the insides of the gutters from the ground.

5. Rotary Gutter Cleaning System

This revolutionary new gutter cleaning system combines the force of power spraying with the handiness of a rotating brush. The lightweight, extendable pole sections can be hooked up to either a garden hose (for power washing) or a cordless drill (for operating the brushes). It even comes with a mountable bracket that holds a digital camera, so the insides of gutters can be inspected with ease.

Gutters are designed to catch runoff water from your roof and channel it to the downspouts. But if debris builds up in the gutters a clog can form, and that can force water to overflow. When that happens the debris must be removed. This is a dirty and dangerous job.

Gutter guards can keep debris from accumulating in your gutters and eliminate the need for cleaning. The guards cover the gutters so solid debris is repelled and only water flows through.

With Gutter Helmet, you'll never have to clean your gutters again.