It’s a tough and dirty job, but somebody has to do it. If you don’t clean your eavestroughs you are putting your home at risk of having leaks around the foundation and even into the basement. Rainwater needs to be able to run freely through eavestroughs so it has a place to go. Otherwise it will collect on your roof and leak through the roof. Leaks will lead to more serious problems such as black mould, bad smells, water damage, and even flooding in some cases.

It is very easy to overlook cleaning your eavestroughs because they aren’t something you look at every day. Even when you look at them from your driveway you can’t really see how clogged they are – unless it’s really bad. Cleaning your eavestroughs is an essential part of good hygiene and crisis prevention for your home. You might be thinking, how to eavestroughs get to clogged in the first place? Doesn’t the rain-water just flush it all out anyway? Well, let’s start with the first question.

Before you clean your eavestroughs, check the weather forecast. This is something the professionals will always do for two reasons. First, no one likes to clean gutters on a cold, rainy day. Second, if you clean your gutters after a few dry and sunny days the debris that is caught inside won’t be as heavy as it is when wet. It also won’t stick to the sides of your eavestroughs as stubbornly which will make your job a lot easier and faster.

Once you have checked the weather and you are ready to begin cleaning your eavestroughs, follow these simple steps:

1. Put on your work gloves, a mask, and safety goggles to protect yourself from getting cut or scratched with debris. Unscrew the metal grating around your eavestroughs. Not all eavestroughs have this metal grating around it, so if yours doesn’t just ignore this step.
2. Use muriatic acid – with the appropriate acid to water ratio – and pour it over the clogged area. After about 10 minutes the acid will work to degrade the debris and you will be able to push it out with water. Be careful not to get any of the acid solution into your eyes or on your skin. If you feel a burning sensation on your skin or in your eyes seek medical help immediately.
3. Thoroughly rinse the eavestroughs using your garden hose. The pressure from the water will push all of the debris through the clogged area and down the vertical portion of your eavestroughs.

We hope this step-by-step guide was useful to you and good luck on cleaning your eavestroughs. If you read this guide and though to yourself: this sounds too complicated, I don’t think I want to do this – don’t worry! You can always hire a professional to clean your eavestroughs for you. Check out our locations page on our website to find one of our locations that is nearest to you.

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