How to clean your gutters
The one gutter job most homeowners genuinely should do themselves. Twice a year, about two hours, and it prevents most of the expensive problems further down this list.
- Doing it yourself
- $0–$60
- Typical contractor price
- $150–$350
This job puts you on a ladder
- Set the base one foot out for every four feet of height. Steeper than that and it slides out from under you; shallower and it tips backwards.
- Extend the ladder at least three rungs above the gutter and tie it off, or have someone foot it. Never rest a ladder on the gutter itself — aluminium will fold.
- Keep your hips between the rails. Reaching sideways past the rails is what puts people on the ground; move the ladder instead, however tedious that gets.
- Stay off it in wind, rain, or on wet grass. A ladder on soft ground sinks unevenly as you climb.
- Standing on the top two rungs is how most ladder falls happen. If you cannot reach from the third rung down, the ladder is too short.
Tools
- •Extension ladder rated for your weight plus what you carry
- •Work gloves (screws and torn seams cut badly)
- •Gutter scoop or a stiff plastic spatula
- •Bucket with a hook, or a tarp on the ground
- •Garden hose with a spray nozzle
- •Safety glasses
Materials
- •Nothing, unless you find a leak to seal
Step by step
Pick the right day
Late autumn once the leaves are down, and again in spring after the seeds and blossom drop. Debris should be damp, not soaked — sodden leaves weigh several times more and sling everywhere.
Watch out: Cleaning before the trees have finished dropping means doing it twice. Wait for the branches to be bare.
Set the ladder properly and start at a downspout
Working away from a downspout means you push debris toward an outlet that is already blocked. Start at the downspout and work away from it so what you loosen has somewhere to go.
Watch out: Never lean the ladder against the gutter. Use a stand-off bracket, or rest it on the fascia.
Scoop the bulk out by hand
Lift the debris out into a bucket rather than flicking it over the edge. Scraping the trough clean is not the goal — you want the loose material gone, not the protective oxide layer off the aluminium.
Watch out: A metal trowel gouges the seam sealant. Use plastic, and go gently over the joints.
Flush with the hose, watching the joints
Run water from the far end toward the downspout. This is the only reliable way to find the leaks — every drip you see now is a joint that needs sealing, and you will not spot them any other way.
Watch out: Water spilling over the front edge usually means the gutter is sagging or pitched wrong, not that it is still blocked.
Clear the downspout if it backs up
Tap down its length to find the blockage. If tapping and a hose do not shift it, feed a plumber's auger from the bottom up, so you push the clog out rather than compact it further down.
Watch out: Feeding the auger from the top jams the blockage into the elbow, which is the hardest part to reach.
Check where the water ends up
Extensions should carry water at least six feet from the foundation, onto ground that slopes away. A perfectly clean gutter emptying against the wall is still a wet basement.
Stop and call someone if
- Your roof is two full storeys or higher — the ladder work stops being reasonable.
- The roof is steep or metal, and reaching the gutter means standing on it.
- You find rot in the fascia board behind the gutter.
- The gutter moves when you touch it, or you can see daylight at the joints.
Or read more about gutter cleaning.
Common questions
- How often should I do this?
- Twice a year for most Canadian homes: late autumn and mid-spring. Under mature maples or pines, three or four times — pine needles in particular mat into a solid plug that water runs straight over.
- Can I just blow them out with a leaf blower?
- For bone-dry debris on a single-storey house, yes, and it is much quicker. It does nothing for wet or compacted material, and it will not tell you whether the joints leak — you still need the hose test.
- Is a gutter-cleaning attachment on a pole worth it?
- It keeps you off the ladder, which is the main risk, so it is worth trying. It works poorly on anything matted, and you are cleaning blind, so inspect what you can from the ground afterwards.
Last reviewed September 19, 2026. General guidance only — your house, your roof and your local building code are what actually govern the work.