Gutter Cleaning Tools: What You Actually Need
Updated
Short answer
A sturdy extension ladder with a standoff, gloves, a plastic scoop, a bucket with a hook, paper yard waste bags, a hose with a nozzle, and a plumber's snake for downspouts. Rockford takes leaves only in paper bags or X-marked cans.
The essentials
- Extension ladder rated for your weight, and a standoff stabilizer.
- Work gloves (gutter edges and screws cut).
- Plastic gutter scoop shaped to the gutter.
- Bucket with a ladder hook.
- 2-ply paper yard waste bags.
- Garden hose and spray nozzle.
- Small plumber's snake.
- Screwdriver or nut driver for downspout elbows.
Nice to have
- Telescoping wand for flushing from the ground.
- Blower extension kit for dry leaves.
Skip
- Pressure washer for the inside of gutters.
- Plastic bags for yard waste.
With the tools, the risk is the ladder: more than 500,000 people are treated for ladder injuries a year. See ladder safety.
Quick answers
What tool is best for cleaning gutters?
A plastic gutter scoop and gloves from a properly set ladder, then a garden hose to flush.
Rather have someone else do it?
Tell us the address, how tall the house is and what you need. A local crew calls back with a price before anything is booked.