Cleaning your gutters regularly is an important step in maintaining your gutters and your home as a whole. Even if you’ve recently gotten new gutters in Lakewood, WA, they still need to be cleaned to prevent the build-up of debris. As important as this process is, even more important is that it is completed safely. To ensure you finish your gutter cleaning in one piece, here are a few important safety tips.
Use Gloves
A narrow gutter is no place for an unprotected hand. As you move your hand along the gutter, you are likely to encounter many hazards that will rip your skin to shreds. Among these hazards include overhanging shingles, gutter straps and nails, sharp debris, and the edges of the gutters in Lakewood, WA, themselves. Any of these, without gloves, can cause cuts that can then become infected as you remove the debris. What’s worse is that you may not realize you have these cuts if you’re working with wet debris, as the moisture can hide the pain from the cut until it’s too late.
Use A Ladder Safely
One of the biggest risks when cleaning out your gutters is the height involved with the task. To remain safe on the job, it’s crucial that you respect and follow ladder safety rules at all times. This means maintaining three points of contact on the ladder, not climbing to the very top rung of the ladder, and ensuring the ladder is on a steady and even surface. Another tip is that if you can clean out your gutters without venturing onto your roof, then stay on your ladder, as you are generally less likely to fall off of a ladder than you are an uneven roof.
