Cleaning your own gutters is a fair do-it-yourself job on a single-story house with a sound ladder, level ground and someone nearby to spot you. On a two-story house, a hillside lot, or a roofline above a deck, stairs or a steep bed, hiring it out is the safer call.
Here is how common ladder injuries are, the rules to follow if you do it yourself, and when to hand it off.
How common ladder injuries are
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons lists cleaning gutters among the everyday chores that put people on ladders, and cites U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission figures: in 2018, more than 580,000 ladder-related injuries needed medical treatment. The most common are cuts, bruises and broken bones, and some are more severe.
Fall is when a lot of those gutter climbs happen. The leaves come down, the gutters fill, and a lot of homeowners pull the extension ladder out of the garage for the first time since spring.
If you clean your own gutters
These rules come from the AAOS ladder safety guide:
- Use the right ladder. Pick one long enough for the job, rated for your weight plus your tools, and never one that is bent, cracked or missing parts.
- Set it on firm, level ground. Soft or muddy soil, or ground left bumpy by freezing and thawing, makes a ladder unstable. Never put it on boxes or other surfaces to gain height.
- Use the 4-to-1 rule. For every 4 feet the ladder rises, set the base 1 foot out from the wall. A ladder touching the house at 16 feet needs its feet 4 feet out.
- Stay low enough. On an extension ladder, never stand above the third rung from the top. If you are stepping onto the roof, the ladder should extend 3 feet past the edge.
- Move the ladder instead of reaching. Keep your belly button between the rails.
- Keep clear of wires and branches. Look up before you raise the ladder.
- Have someone nearby. The AAOS says never to climb without a spotter.
- Skip windy days. Wear lace-up shoes with clean soles.
Two habits from our own work help too. Scoop into a bucket or bag on the ladder instead of dropping wet leaves on the lawn, and finish by running a hose into each downspout to make sure water comes out the bottom. A clean gutter does not help much if the downspout is still packed.
When to hire it out
Bellevue has plenty of the houses that make gutter work harder: two-story homes, sloped lots, and rooflines under the big oaks, maples and cottonwoods near Fontenelle Forest, Haworth Park and the bluffs along the Missouri River. Hire a pro if any of these fit your house:
- Two stories, or a walkout lot where the back gutters sit higher than the front
- A hillside yard where the ladder cannot stand level
- A roofline over a deck, stairs, window wells or rock beds with no safe place for the ladder feet
- Power lines or branches near the roof edge
- Gutters packed solid with wet leaves, which are heavy and slow to scoop from a ladder
- No one around to hold the ladder or call for help
What a pro visit includes
Our gutter cleaning in Bellevue follows three steps, with professional ladders and safety gear:
- Scoop. Wet leaves, mud and sticks are scooped by hand and bagged on the ladder, so the mess never hits your lawn.
- Blow. Blowers clear the fine grit and shingle dust that is hard to reach by hand.
- Ensure flow. We flush every downspout and check that water moves away from the house.
You do not need to be home. Leave the gates unlocked and we can finish while you are at work. Height is part of your quote, so the price you get is the price you pay.
When to book in Bellevue
Book the fall cleaning for mid to late November, after the oaks drop. If your yard backs up to the forest or big oaks hang over the roof, plan on an extra visit in late October. Our pre-winter checklist for Bellevue homes covers what else to look at before December, and gutter guards vs gutter cleaning covers whether guards would cut down the climbs.
What it costs
Most Bellevue homes run $200 to $500 for a gutter cleaning, based on feet of gutter, height and how full the gutters are. A single-story ranch with clear downspouts lands near $200. A two-story under mature oaks that has not been cleaned in a couple of years lands near $500. Add a window cleaning to the same trip, and members of our membership program save 15% to 30% on every visit.
Getting a quote
If the ladder setup at your house makes you think twice, request a free quote with your address and we will text you a price, usually within the hour.
Want the crew to handle it?
Fontenelle Window Cleaning serves Omaha, Bellevue, Papillion and the whole metro. Free quotes by text, usually within the hour.
