How to Clean Rain Gutters and Downspouts

Lowe's home improvement expert, Mike Kraft, gives helpful tips on cleaning gutters and downspouts. Learn what tools you will need, how to remove leaves and branches, as well as other gutter maintenance tips. To find how to install gutter screens to keep out debris, visit http://www.Lowes.com/Videos

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• cleaning gutters
• clean rain gutters
• cleaning rain gutters
• gutter cleaning
• gutter cleaning tools
• gutter downspout cleaning
• how to clean gutters
• gutter maintenance
• lowes
• lowe's

[Gutterman33]

@spinkyspankyful this can force debris into the downspout , not to mention make a big mess, nothing beats hands and a hose in my opinion.

[Gutterman33]

a garden hose can be used to ream out a clogged downspout, turn on the hose and slowly push the hose down into the spout, the water pressure will force the clog to break away,another real good tip... always tap on the gutter before reaching into it, wasp & bees like to nest in them, good luck be careful! always look up for powerlines and attach a ladder stabilizer.

[Gutterman33]

couple of things you should know, when using an extension ladder use a stabilizer for safety they are available for around $40 bucks and easily attach to the ladder, no need tools, a good pair of gloves is all we use, also to clean the downspouts buy an 20 foot peice of flexible tubing , ream the spout from top to bottom, use gravity to your advantage, if you have in ground drains, install the hose into the top of the downspout and flush the spout and inground drain, visit 4mygutterdotcom.

[cyberwaffles]

i had a cat named downspout.

[livinituppp]

out of all those unnecessary tools you forgot the most important one.... Particulate filter mask... Americans eh!!!

[orlendo100]

Don't clean your gutter anymore just buy a gutter clean system

[spinkyspankyful]

More. When you put the hook end with the nozzle stream in the gutter, you can feel the blockage, and you can judge if you have cleaned the gutter by the amount of water and leaves discharged out the downspout Start with a clean downspout, then clean the gutter starting at the downspout and washing sections of leaves down the gutter to the downspout. Make severals passes along the gutter. 10' of pipe with a 45 ell will keep you back and dry. Threads at nozzle to reverse stream direction.

[spinkyspankyful]

One more comment. I would not use a leaf guard strainer on top of the gutter. They will eventually collapse in a few spots, and this will cause the leaves to block the gutter. Then, you are back to a worse situation of cleaning the gutter by hand and fixing the leaf guard, on a ladder. Look at the Lowes video and there is a video of the gutter washing device. You can build a better one cheaper by going to the plumbing department. But it won't work if you have a leaf guard over the gutter.

[spinkyspankyful]

To clear a clogged downspout, stick your hand and a hose into the bottom and wash out the blockage as far as you can reach. To tell where it is still blocked, tap on the sides. If it is blocked where you can't wash the leaves out, use a 1-1/4" hole saw and cut a pretty hole in the side. The most important thing is to cut the hole at the bottom of the blockage because you can only clean it out from the bottom. Stick a hose in the hole and wash up. Keep the hole and use as an inspection port.

[spinkyspankyful]

This is a recurring chore and should be made as easy as possible. Get rid of the ladder and hand work. Go to Lowes and buy the pieces to build a PVC pipe extension to wash the gutter. Major pieces are: hose/pipe connector, 1"valve, 10' of 1" pipe, 45&90 ells for guttter hook, 1x1/2 reducer, 1/2" pipe for nozzle. The idea is to build a device that you can connect a hose to that will hook over the gutter and direct the water stream down the gutter. No ladder work, not even to check gutter.