Step One – Get the Right Ladder for the Job (and Know How to Use It!)

Unless you live in a dwarf house or you are a giant, you are likely going to need a ladder.

Adhere to the many (and many crucial) rules of ladder safety. Avoid wearing inappropriate footwear (e.g. flip flops, sandals, easy slipping shoes, et cetera) follow all safety instructions on the ladder itself. Avoid putting too much weight on ladder, standing too high (creates an imbalance), placing the ladder on a dirty surface, or getting up on a ladder in the middle of a rainstorm – particularly a thunder and lightning storm.

Hidden Risks, Surprising Resources  

Your gutters might just be full of fluffy leaves or pine needles or other soft materials. But you never know. The edges of gutters can be sharp, and they could cut your hands. Nails and other sharp debris blown onto the roof can accumulate in gutters and pose other hazards. You could even discover – horror of horrors – a dead bird or animal in the gutters. So wear gloves and use tools, like garden shovels, to scoop out the debris.

To avoid the whole “risking your neck on a ladder and combing through gunky mulch with your bare hands” thing – what we just talked about – you can utilize homemade ad-hoc tools or even purchase special gutter cleaning solutions at your local hardware store.

One intrepid blogger described a contraption that he built that turns a leaf blower into a gutter cleaner by attaching vacuum tubing to the blower to blast air through the gutter and knock out the leaves and debris. This is a nice fix to reduce ladder work or possibly eliminate it completely.

Watch That Back!

Lastly, pay attention to your own physical needs. Avoid straining your back (particularly the lower back); maintaining an awkward posture for an extended amount of time; working in extreme weather conditions (very hot, rainy, cold, etcetera); and doing extensive ladder work without a spotter nearby to help you if you get into trouble.

To avoid the hassle of cleaning your own gutters, connect with the Bay Area roofing professionals at Century Roof and Solar. For over 15 years, our team has won a reputation as the most trusted name in roofing, and we are proud to be the Bay Area’s leader in lightweight roof systems and gutters.

Call our team at 888-233-748 to get a free roofing quote – we serve the entire East Bay Area –