If you’re wondering how to clean your gutters, you’re not alone.

Gutters are an integral part of keeping our homes free from rain damage and flooding so it’s important you keep them in tip top shape to get the most performance out of them.

With that in mind, we’re going to give you a few methods you can use to ensure your guttering remains as efficient as possible.

Method 1: Using a gutter vacuum

One of the easiest and safest methods to clean your gutters is by using a gutter vacuum. Gutter vacuums are designed to work just like a regular home vacuum but, you guessed it, works outdoors on dry and wet debris.

They usually come in easily adjustable sizes to allow you to work from the ground and some (admittedly very expensive) models even come with an attachable camera to allow you to see what you’re doing.

Cleaning is very simple. All you have to do is:

1. Set the vacuum up to your preferred size
2. Switch it on (some vacuums will come with 3 motors which you’ll have to individually switch on, depending on how much suction you need)
3. Position the vacuum into your gutters
4. Clean by paying close attention to all areas of the gutters and going over them multiple times
5. Safely dispose of the debris your vacuum collected

It’s really that easy. Gutter vacuums are definitely our favourite gutter cleaning tool.

Method 2: Using a pressure washer

Another ultra effective way to clean your gutters is by using a pressure washer with an appropriate attachment that’s specifically angled to point the pressure washer nozzle into your gutters.

Whilst pressure washing is highly effective, it can be a bit of a messy job so bear in mind that you’re likely going to be creating a bit more work for yourself.

Tip: if you’re cleaning a gutter on a two-storey home, invest in a decent telescopic extension pole.

Here’s the steps involved in cleaning your gutters with a pressure washer:

1. Attach a suitably angled gutter cleaning nozzle to your pressure washer
2. If you don’t want to use a ladder, attach your washer to a telescopic extension pole
3. Set your pressure to somewhere in the 1000 – 2000 PSI range
4. With a slight sideways angle, blast the debris out of your gutters, steadily moving from one end to the other
5. As you’ll likely make a bit of a mess on the ground, clear any debris that was dislodged from your gutters

The act of cleaning your gutters with a pressure washer is very safe and quick. The only issue is the mess caused on the ground.

Method 3: Using a gutter scoop or scraper

If you want to clean your gutters in the cheap, old fashioned way then method 3 is for you.

A simple gutter scoop or scraper will cost you a tenner but it does add some extra labour and also means you’ll need to get up the ladder.

If you’re undeterred, here’s the steps you need to follow:

1. Set up your ladder to the desired height and place it according to the 4 to 1 rule. Using a ladder standoff attachment will add extra safety to the job.
2. Use the scooper or scraper tool to either pick up any debris or push it along the gutters
3. Covering as much area as safely possible, repeat step 2
4. Once you can no longer reach any more debris, pop down the ladder and move it across

As you can probably tell, this method is going to take you a lot longer to complete and will end up causing as much mess as the second method anyway.