By Susan M. Keenan ©2010

Home ownership involves several home maintenance tasks if you want your home to look nice and if you want to avoid major home repairs. After all, if you don't take care of your home, eventually, it is going to start to fall down around you. Cleaning out your gutters and downspouts is one of these tasks. Not only does this task help to keep your home safe from harm, but it also assists in maintaining the nice appearance of the outside of your home.

Cleaning out your gutters and downspouts is especially important if you have lots of trees near your home. Leaves and other debris from the trees can clog your gutters and downspouts increasing the potential for damage due to water leaking in through the roof, flashing, or foundation. If you clean your downspouts and gutters out several times a year, this eliminates that possibility.

The most important times of the year to clean out your gutters and downspouts is late fall and late spring since this is the time of year when the bulk of debris may have fallen into the gutters. However, if you do not live in an all-season climate, you might have to adjust this maintenance schedule to include more cleanings.

Once you make the decision to clean out your gutters and downspouts, you should gather up the supplies that you are going to need. The following is a list of the most common tools used for this task: work gloves, plumber's snake, extension ladder, hand spade or trowel, bucket or refuse bag to put the debris in, and a garden hose with a sprayer attachment.

Gather all your tools together at a convenient spot before you begin your work. Since you don't want to accidentally push any more dirt, leaves, or debris into the downspout, you should start your work away from the downspout. Ideally, you can start a few inches from the location of the downspout and clean the gutter in the opposite direction.

Set up the extension ladder, making sure that you place it on a level area. If possible, have someone else available to hold the ladder when you go up or down. Keep the refuse bag or bucket nearby so you have a handy place to put the debris when you clean up.

It is important to wear work gloves to protect your hands. It is possible for roofing nails to become loose and roll into the gutter. If a nail or other sharp object does accidentally stick you, check to see if your tetanus shot is up to date. The work gloves also help to keep your hands clean.

Now that you are ready to begin, you can use the garden trowel or hand spade to scoop the debris out of the gutter. Place the debris into the refuse bag or bucket. If necessary, remove the debris by hand. Continue until you have cleaned out all of the gutters.

Check each of your downspouts to see if they are clogged. If they are not, you can skip this next part and move on to the spraying of the gutters with the hose. If the downspout is clogged, you can use the plumber's snake to break the dirt loose and clear the downspout out. Use the hose to spray the downspout completely clean.

At this point, you are probably going to notice that some dirt and grimy residue remain in the gutter. Use the hose to spray the gutters clean. Point the spray in the direction of the downspout so that the dirty water channels down the spouts.

Now that your gutters and downspouts are clean, you should take the time to look for signs of damage. You are looking for holes, cracks, or dents that can weaken the downspouts and lead to further damage. Make a note of what needs to be repaired and either do it yourself or arrange to have someone else do it for you.

If you don't enjoy this necessary task of cleaning out your gutters and downspouts, you can look into gutter protectors. Leaves and other debris are blocked from getting into your gutters by the presence of the gutter protectors.

Intro: Cleaning out your gutters and downspouts should be a bi-annual chore. Leaves and other debris can clog your gutters causing you problems while damaging your home. Find out what you can do about it.