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The short version
Clogged gutters are the most dreaded job on the fall list, and the one that costs the most when you skip it. Leaves pile up, water backs up under the shingles, freezes, and now you’ve got ice dams and water in the walls. An afternoon now saves a roof repair later. Do it before the first hard freeze.
Get the leaves out
Flush it
Keep them clean
Get the leaves out
Start with the scoop
Work from the ladder, a few feet at a time, and pull the wet leaves and grit out by hand or with a scoop. Don’t push it down the downspout — you’ll just move the clog. Drop it in a bucket or on a tarp below.
Amerimax Home Products Getter Gutter Scoop, Red — about $4–$7
The cheap classic. Shaped to fit the gutter profile, pulls out wet leaves and grit by hand. Under ten bucks, and you’ll use it every fall.
Stay off the ladder
If you’d rather keep your feet on the ground, this is the tool. Tongs on a pole that grab the leaves out of the gutter from below.
Gutter Sense Gutter Cleaning Tool — about $20
Grab the leaves, pull the cord, drop them on the ground. You still need the ladder for the corners, but it cuts the climbing way down.
TIP — Never lean the ladder against the gutter itself — lean it on the house, and have someone foot it.
Flush it
Run the hose
Once the leaves are out, run a hose into the gutter and watch the downspouts. Water should run free. If it backs up, the downspout is clogged — a plumber’s snake or a blast from the hose usually clears it. If it doesn’t, take the downspout apart at the elbow. That’s where the clog lives.
Keep them clean
Clean them once, then never again
If you’re tired of doing this every year, gutter guards are the answer. Micro-mesh keeps the leaves out and lets the water through, and this kit screws on — no special tools, and it carries a 25-year warranty.
Raptor Gutter Guard — 48 ft. Contractor Grade Stainless Steel Micro-Mesh Kit, fits 5 in. gutters — about $140 for 48 ft
The upsell that turns a chore into a project. Do the math on your gutter length first — measure before you order.
…Quick and to the point. Subscribe to this express blog for more tips.