Gutter Cleaning: By Hand or Cleaning Aids?
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Cleaning gutters is messy, difficult and time consuming. No wonder there will always be cases of neglected gutters or added expenses because of the gutter cleaning service that you pay for. There are two ways of cleaning the gutters – manually by hand (getting the ladder and scooping them up) and using tools such as the pressure washer and a gutter cleaning wand. Read on to learn how we recommend keeping your gutters clean and performing at their best.
Using Cleaning Aids
Over the past several years, companies have invented a lot of tools to make every task as easy as possible. Who knows – there will come a time that even heavy equipment will have portable versions of it! On a serious note, there has been a lot of inventions brought out. A good example is on the part of home maintenance. Cleaning the house is a lot easier through some tools or gadgets such as the washing machine and the vacuum cleaner. It's the same with cleaning gutters, in the case of gutter cleaning wands and pressure washers. We all love the feeling of just pressing our fingers against the water hose and just letting the dirt get flushed away, right? A pressure washer is a good invention. With the proper add-on, it can remove even grease and muck from places such as driveways, walls, and along your gutter. Wind blowers also do the trick in terms of taking off the debris along your gutters, and the fun the comes with it is an added perk. A gutter cleaning wand is perfect for people who don't want to go through the pain of using a ladder. They'll be enjoying the feeling of doing the cleaning without leaving the ground. It's a good attachment for pressure washers or wind blowers.
Traditional Method
A proven and tested method. Tools needed: ladder, work clothes, work gloves, hand shovel and a bucket. Just get the best tools and you're good to go. For others, they believe that they can clean their gutters better if they do it manually. Aside from cleaning, they can check for parts that will need potential repair and get it done at the same time. As mentioned in the previous articles, “getting up and getting dirty” is sometimes the way to go. Imagine the money saved from buying equipment when you can just clean your gutters for more than half the price.
Bottom Line
Throughout every forum, discussion boards, sites and blogs... Neither wins. It really depends on the preference of the home owner or the professional. It also depends on the place and the surrounding area – for example, you can't just use a blower on a neighborhood where houses are close to each other. Neighbors will complain about the clutter that's scattered and will reach their property. Sometimes, having a pressure washer isn't economical – especially with the water consumption, plus the noise on some models have. Having devices like that is fine when houses are a bit apart. There are models too that generate lower and tolerable noise. Doing by hand is also not recommended for owners that aren't comfortable in using the ladder, especially with older people. People new to DIY stuff are also advised not to try that yet, unless they have a companion that can hold the ladder for them or keep an eye on them just in case they need help. Some houses are near to power lines, so it's best for them to also use cleaning aids.
What can be tried to lessen the hassle? Hallett Gutter Covers provides The Ultimate in Leaf Control. Their gutter covers can be a big help in lessening the hard work you'll do in terms of maintaining the cleanliness of your gutters system, keeping it as “clutter free” as possible.