Since we gave you a few tips and pointers on how to unblock a drain indoors we decided to move outdoors and help you out with how to tackle and clean your house gutters. This again isn"t the nicest job but since it is summer it would be a great time and chance to give them a clean. What you"ll need;
- Ladder, ... Gloves - preferably heavy duty gloves, Stiff brush, Garden trowel, A bucket / bin / bin liners, A hose, Wire Coat hanger
So where so start?
- First off you will have to remove all debris and dirt from the gutter. Use the garden trowel to scoop out silt, grit, dirt etc then use a the stiff brush to loosen and gather debris. To minimize cleanup later scoop the debris into a bucket of even a rubbish bag / bin liner. Tip: It is best to work away from the drain outlet / downpipes i.e. do not sweep dirt down the drain pipe as this might / possible would cause
- When all the dirt has been removed from the gutter you then wash out the length of the gutter using a hose. At this stage if there is any remaining dirt stuck to the gutter now is the time to try and scrub it off with the help of the water, your brush & some elbow grease. Tip: This part can be messy i.e. dirt and water = possible splashing! Be conscious that you don"t madly splash and ruin the paint work of your house!
- Last but not least - the downpipe! From time to time the downpipe can block up. You can use a wire coat hanger to to pull any dirt out, but if it is unreachable try using a high pressure hose to flush out the dirt!
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