Keep yourself safe when cleaning your gutters

At Busy Bees Window Cleaning, we always make sure to take extra care when working at heights. If you are looking to do gutter cleaning yourself, we would advise taking some extra steps to ensure your safety as falling from a height can cause serious harm or worse. Keeping your gutters clear is vital in protecting your home, but by taking extra steps you can keep yourself safe.

Ladder Safety

Check your ladder for any damage or defects before using
Make sure any screws and bolts are fastened tightly
Rest if you start to feel fatigued on the ladder
Avoid wooden ladders or orchard ladders as they can be often be less stable
Either use a fiberglass or aluminium ladder for strength and stability
Make sure someone else knows you are working on your guttering
Use a sturdy ladder, ideally one with a small shelf that can hold gutter debris in a bucket using a lanyard
If using a step ladder, make sure the arms are fully extended and locked correctly into place
For single-storey builds, a four-legged step ladder can work, whereas for taller buildings an extension ladder would be the best choice

Use Gloves to Protect Hands

Gloves can help protect against debris in your gutters, including animal droppings filled with bacteria, and from cuts from sharp edges of your gutter
Ideally use thick suede gloves to clear your gutters
Avoid cotton gloves as they can still leave your skin exposed to bacteria
Leather gloves can work but can often reduce dexterity and can be damaged during cleaning
Avoid rubber gloves as sharp edges of your guttering can easily pierce through the gloves

Eye Protection

When debris within your gutter can contain animal droppings filled with bacteria, it is essential you don’t get anything in your eye; therefore, using eye protection can be vital in preventing an eye injury.

Use Suitable Footwear

If you need to walk on your roof to get to your gutters, we would advise using rubber-soled shoes as they tend to offer better grip. Also, we would advise going on the roof when it is dry to reduce the chance of slipping.

Take care around power lines

If you have overhead power lines attached to your property, it is vital extra care is taken if you are working anywhere near the lines when gutter cleaning. We would advise you speak to experts before carrying out the works to make sure you are not putting your safety at risk.