Is there a more dreaded chore during this spring cleaning season than gutter cleaning and repair? This dirty job is not only a huge physical effort that eats up an entire day, but it’s also potentially dangerous. Those with a fear of heights should probably pick another job, as you will need to put the top rungs of your ladder to use to access hard-to-reach places during your gutter cleaning attempt. As strenuous, frustrating, and time-consuming as this job may be, it is an important one. Clogged and malfunctioning gutters are some of the leading causes of flooding and water leaks in the home, which can damage your property’s foundation, contribute to dangerous mold growth, and put your high-end electronics at risk.
What are inexperienced homeowners to do about gutter cleaning if they are unfamiliar with ladder safety? Professional gutter cleaning companies like Window Genie give homeowners the chance to enjoy clean gutters without risking their lives.
Gutter cleaning and repair is really a job best left to the experts. When you choose Window Genie, you are choosing a guaranteed and fully insured service. Impossible to miss and easy to identify, our royal purple GenieMobiles will arrive on scene stocked with the most modern and efficient equipment so that we can guarantee you clean and functioning gutters in any kind of weather. All Window Genie experts are highly trained, making sure to practice ladder safety protocol refined through years of service and industry innovation so that nobody is hurt and nothing is damaged.
Though you may be disappointed by the results of a long day’s work, those who insist on trying their gutter cleaning chore on their own should at least follow some basic ladder safety tips. Window Genie’s here to help the DIY crowd, too – if we cannot grant you clean gutters, let us at least get you through the chore in one piece! Read on to learn some ladder safety tips from Window Genie, America’s gutter cleaning and repair authority!
Stay alert and keep safety in mind – even on a step ladder
Most people become a little less cautious when they are only a few steps from the ground. This is unfortunate, since most injuries actually occur on step ladders that stand only 3-6 feet tall. Don’t lose focus on your safety, even at these manageable heights. Though the chance of fatal injury is lessened, you can still suffer a nasty sprain or fracture from these heights.
Keep 3 points of contact at all times
This simple rule is one of the most important things we teach in our industry-leading training program, and is vital to ensuring ladder safety. As the name implies, this rule states that you must keep 3 of your 4 “points of contact” on the ladder at all times. This refers to your 2 hands and 2 feet. When using a ladder, you should always have both feet grounded, and one hand gripping the ladder. Most falls occur when over-ambitious DIYers take both hands off of the ladder, sometimes even gripping the gutter they are cleaning. Not only could you come tumbling down, but you’ll bring your gutters with you. Replacing your gutters along with the shingles, siding and landscaping you damaged on the way down will cost you!
Use leg levers and stabilizer bars when needed
Leg levers allow you to make any surface level. This device attaches to the bottom of your extension ladder, serving as the “feet” when you need to perch your ladder’s legs on different tiers of a curb, step, or slope. Unfortunately, most homeowners do not have this attachment, and end up trying to create level ladder conditions with bricks or stone slabs. Don’t put yourself in danger with this makeshift leg lever, and don’t waste money on leg levers that you will only use once a year.
Using a stabilizer bar not only keeps the ladder from sliding side to side, but it also keeps the ladder from scratching or denting your gutters.
A few more tips from your Window Genie
Never set up a ladder on:
- Thinly layered areas of pebbles, rocks or sand
- Wet grass on an incline
- Edging stones around mulch/flower beds
- Snow or ice
- Floor area rugs
- Newly stained decks (the oily residue is very slick!)
The topic of ladder safety is truly beyond the scope of a single online article. Proper set up, angling, spotter assistance, and equipment is quite detailed. Though these basic tips will help get you started and eliminate the most obvious risks of injury, your best bet is to contact Window Genie. Not only are you eliminating your risk of injury, but you are also eliminating the risk of wasting a day on a sub-par cleaning result.
