Safety Tips When Cleaning Gutters

The Ladder Is the Whole Game

Almost every gutter-cleaning injury is a ladder injury. Get the ladder part right and you've eliminated most of the risk:

• The 4-to-1 rule: for every 4 feet of height, the ladder base sits 1 foot from the wall. Steeper than that and it tips backward; shallower and the feet kick out.
• Firm, level ground only. Wet grass and bark beds shift under load. We carry plywood pads for soft ground. A scrap of plywood under the feet works at home too.
• Never lean past your belt buckle. Climb down and move the ladder. Yes, it's tedious. Reaching that extra two feet is how people go over sideways.
• Three points of contact at all times, meaning two feet and a hand. Which means debris goes in a bucket on a hook, not in your hands.
• A standoff stabilizer (~$40 at any hardware store) rests the ladder against the roof instead of crushing the gutter. Steadier for you, and it won't bend the aluminum.

Pick Your Day

We reschedule jobs for weather, and we do this professionally. That should tell you something. Don't clean gutters in rain, wind, or frost. In a Seattle fall that can mean waiting a few days for a dry window. Wait. Wet aluminum, wet shoes, and wet ladder rungs are a bad combination, and frozen gutters won't clean out properly anyway.

Stay Off the Roof

Cleaning gutters from the roof, leaning over the edge, is how the worst falls happen. We do it with fall-protection gear and anchor points; without that equipment there is no safe version of standing at a roof edge looking down. If your gutter line can't be reached from a ladder, that's the line where DIY should stop.

The Stuff Nobody Warns You About

• Power lines. Know where your service drop connects to the house before you set up, and keep the ladder well clear. Aluminum ladders and power lines are a fatal combination.
• Wasps. Gutters and eaves are prime nest territory, especially late summer and fall. Getting swarmed 12 feet up is a fall risk more than a sting problem.
• Rotted fascia. If the wood behind the gutter is soft, the gutter can pull loose under any weight or pressure. If a gutter moves when you touch it, stop and inspect before continuing.
• The gunk itself. A season of composted needles and leaf muck is heavier than it looks and full of bacteria. Gloves aren't optional, and a scratch from a rusty fastener is a real thing to avoid.

Where We'd Draw the DIY Line

One-story rambler, walkable yard, decent ladder, dry day? Clean your own gutters and save the money. We mean that.

Two or more stories, steep terrain around the house, gutters over a sunroom or deck roof, or any spot you can't comfortably reach from a ladder? Hire it out. A professional crew has the stabilizers, the fall protection, and the insurance. Our gutter cleaning starts at $350, includes the downspout flush and a roof blow-off, and takes about an hour or two. That's cheap compared to any version of falling off a ladder.