Do spring cleaning easily: Use these tools to clean the gutter

Annoying leaves
If the downpipe is blocked: How to clean a gutter

House builders and allotment gardeners don’t have it easy in spring. Blossoms and flying debris constantly clog the gutter downpipe. But there are practical tools for quickly clearing pipes and gutters.

There are certainly better gardening jobs than standing on a rickety ladder with a shovel, brush and bucket to scrape dirt out of the gutter. Especially when the leaves, flowers, etc. are soaking wet and already half decomposed. But a functioning rain gutter and downpipe is more important than many people think. If leaves and dirt block the water’s “official” route to the rain barrel or into the ground, it will find its own way. And it often leads along the wall of the house or garden arbor. Everyone can imagine that this does not contribute to the longer durability of the plaster and facade. Not to mention the masonry and insulation. In plain language: the rain gutter and downpipe must be free of foreign bodies so that the water ends up where it belongs. Now you can fumble the leaves and mud out of the gutter with your bare hands. But depending on the height of the gutter, this can not only be dangerous, but also costs a lot of time due to the lack of reach. So helpers are needed. These are tools that are as flexible as possible and, in the best case scenario, even make a ladder obsolete. But which gutter cleaners can do that? And what else should you take into account when cleaning the gutter? Here are the answers.

Anyone who wants to clean their gutter or clogged downpipe is usually faced with at least two problems: First: The gutter hangs so high that normal-sized people cannot reach it without tools. Secondly: If you don’t want to use a ladder, you won’t be able to see exactly where the leaves are and the gutter needs to be cleared of leaves accordingly.

For the former, there are so-called telescopic handles, which can be used to reach gutters three meters high. They have several advantages. As a rule, you can attach the tool you need and start working in no time. So they can be used flexibly. But it is more important that you have a firm footing while working and can move freely. It doesn’t work that way with a ladder. Now you just have to decide how clean you want the gutter to be. If you only want to remove the leaves and coarse dirt, it is best to use a gutter cleaner that does not require any water supply (Here is a set with a shovel and scraper). Handling is simple. Place a cleaner such as a rake or something similar on a compatible telescopic pole and off you go. Devices like this Gutter cleaner from Gardena are usually T-shaped, with one arm being angled slightly so that the cleaning brush can reach over the edge of the gutter into the gutter. The other arm is more responsible for the rough stuff. The scraper can be used to loosen and scrape out stubborn leaves and other debris.

Tip: Anyone who is now for the Toom hardware store Advantage card decides, receives one Toom voucher with a Starting credit of 250 euros.

For anyone who would like to clean their gutters even more thoroughly, there are tools that can also be connected to a high-pressure cleaner. This also includes the gutter cleaning set “PDRS 10 A1” from Lidl’s own brand Parkside. Here, a gutter cleaning carriage is placed in the gutter and connected to a hose using an adapter. Water march! You only need a ladder to place the cleaning sled in the gutter. Tip: Remove the worst dirt from the gutter before using the high-pressure cleaner to blast water through the pipe.

How often should a gutter be cleaned?

Spring and fall are the best seasons to clean your gutters. If you can’t make it twice a year, you should focus on autumn. In September and October, a lot of leaves can collect in the gutters and should be removed before the first nights of frost. Depending on the location of the house or garden, you should regularly take a look at the gutter and, if in doubt, remove moss and dirt from time to time. Enough for that a pair of simple gardening gloves, a hand brush (with a long handle), a shovel and a bucket. If you don’t want to climb the ladder again next spring or fall or laboriously fumble the leaves out of the gutter, you should Leaf guard or attach a gutter screen. They are placed or placed on the gutter from above and prevent the gutter from being filled with colorful leaves.

You might also be interested in:

This article contains so-called affiliate links. Further information are available here.