Category Archives: Gutter Cleaning

Gutter Cleaning: How to tips and tricks

August 22, 2013 William

Gutter Cleaning How-To Tips + Tricks

When cleaning gutters, there are 2 sides to the coin. The inside clean and the outside wash.

Here is a list of basic tools and equipment you will need to get the job done effectively. After the list of tools are the how-to steps for vacuuming and washing gutters and eaves trough inside + out.

Tools for inside cleaning:

Ladder
Ladder stabilizer
Bucket (with a hook on the handle to hang it from the gutter)
A gutter scoop (thin enough to scrape the inside bottom of the gutter)
A rag
An extension pole
A powerful wet/dry vacuum is recommended (6+ HP)
50-75 feet of vacuum hose to reach from the ground to the roof of most homes
Roofer’s safety harness
Insurance is always recommended when going on roofs (check local laws)

How to clean inside gutters:

*** Make sure you are harnessed when climbing any ladder or accessing roofs. Always comply with safety laws and keep your disability/accident insurance up to date. ***

Set up your ladder so the stabilizers are resting above the gutter on the roof (start near a downspout).
Place your rag and scoop inside bucket and hang it from the gutter.
Turn on the vacuum and bring the hose up to your work area.
If gutters are full of debris, scoop out the excess into your bucket first (especially large debris that can clog your vacuum hose).
Next vacuum any remaining loose debris(You can usually slide the hose quite far).
If the vacuum misses anything, place a damp rag inside and slide it down the gutter using your pole to push it. (It will wipe it clean as it slides)
Work from the higher ones to the lower ones, repeat steps 1-6 until you’re done.

Tools for outside washing:

100 feet of garden hose
Water tap
Liquid mixer sprayer
Water fed brush extension pole (30 feet minimum)
Industrial cleaning solution (get the strongest liquid cleaning agent you can find at your local hardware store or cleaning supplier)

How to wash the exteriors:

Pour industrial cleaning solution into liquid mixer sprayer.
Connect liquid mixer sprayer to your garden hose.
Connect garden hose to water tap and turn it on.
Spray the cleaning solution onto the exterior gutters. (adjust sprayer accordingly)
Saturate all exterior areas with cleaning solution.
Connect water fed brush extension pole to water hose and tap.
Extend pole to reach.
Turn on water tap.
Scrub and rinse all outside gutters.

The tools and methods used for outside gutter washing can be applied to siding washing as well. If you liked this article, please click the ‘like’ button and/or click the social share buttons below. Anything you would like to add to this post? What tools and methods do you utilize for cleaning gutters? We would love to hear your comments. Please share your comments with us below this post. Thank you for visiting. William 🙂

Exterior Maintenance, Gutter Cleaning, Home Maintenance, Window Cleaning

House Washing

June 12, 2013 William

When it comes to house washing, there are many methods and techniques to clean the exterior of your home. Whether you have vinyl siding, gutters, windows and/or a deck with railing that is dirty, typically we can get it clean again.

When you decide to hire us to beautify your house and/or business, our qualified, experienced professional will methodically start at the top and work their way down. On a typical house exterior cleaning job where our client’s order gutters (in and out), siding washing, window/screens cleaned, and deck/patio/walk/driveway power washing this is how we do it.

1. Gutters (In):

We begin with a good vacuuming and rinsing of the inside of your gutters.

2. Gutters (out):

We apply a solution to the outside of your gutters to loosen any dirt and algae. Then we gently scrub the exterior of the gutter with a long water fed pole and brush system. (See our YouTube Channel for a demonstration)

3. Vinyl siding, decks and railings:

Next, we apply a cleaning solution to all of the siding, railings and decks to be cleaned to loosen any dirt and algae. We follow that with a gentle brush scrub with the water fed pole system for higher, hard to reach areas. On the lower level areas, we carefully power wash the siding to the ground. In some cases, our client’s request a brush wash from top to bottom.

4. Window cleaning:

When it comes to high windows 4-5 floors above ground, our qualified and experienced professional will utilize our water fed pole and brush system to safely scrub and rinse not only the window glass, but also the frames and tracks as best he can.

If you desire to have your windows hand scrubbed and dried by squeegee, we can safely reach most windows up to 3 floors above ground.

5. Walkways and driveways:

The finishing touch to having the exterior of your home beautified is to have your concrete walks and driveway pressure washed by a qualified professional.

If you live in lower mainland British Columbia and require any of the above services, you can request a free quote here. A representative will be in touch as soon as reasonably possible.

Gutter Cleaning

Gutter Cleaning Season in Lower Mainland British Columbia

October 28, 2012 William

It’s Gutter Cleaning Season in Vancouver, BC

It is gutter cleaning season once again in the Fraser Valley, BC. As the rain begins to fall you may find your gutters beginning to overflow. This is typically the result of a build up of debris in your gutters (or eaves). The debris usually causes the drain hole to become plugged and then when it rains the gutters fill, overflow and deposit dirt on the outside of the gutter. This cycle will continue as it continues to rain until a professional is hired to remove the debris and restore the flow of the drain hole.

Occasionally, there may not be a lot of debris in the gutter and the drain hole may just be plugged. Not all gutter cleaning businesses will tell you this. You may see your gutters overflowing on rainy days and assume the gutter is full of debris and it may simply be the drain hole is plugged.

Not everyone has a ladder or the desire to climb up to the roof to get a closer look, so people choose to hire a professional to clean their gutters out for them. When the person from the company arrives, they will calculate a value for cleaning your gutters out.

Buyer Beware!

This is where it is important for you to observe before making your decision to hire someone. Did the technician have a look inside the gutters to estimate whether they actually need a clean or if the drain hole is simply plugged? Did they grab a ladder and physically get above the gutter and maybe even taking a few pictures so you can see how dirty the gutters really are? Or, did they just look from the ground, took some estimated measurements and give you a quote?

You must be cautious and carefully observe who you choose to hire. There are many qualified, reputable companies that service, repair and clean gutters in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia. If the technician they send out doesn’t have a lot of experience in this field, you may not get an accurate representation of what is actually required.

Most people can sense when someone is trying to pull a fast one including you, so when people call a company for a gutter cleaning quote, most people go with your gut when they can sense a person is up front, communicates clearly, honestly, and professionally.

Hiring a Qualified Professional

When you call us, you get a mature, responsible business owner who you feel totally at ease with knowing that you are in good hands. Since my business relies primarily on referrals through this website, your friends, family, neighbors and associates, I vow to always give high value in my service, communication, reliability. My goal is to fill your needs and find reasonable and realistic cleaning solutions for your home and business needs.

This article mainly discusses what to look for in a qualified gutter cleaning technician, yet many other services are available and more are coming in the future. You are very welcome to explore the different pages of this website. If you find you have enjoyed this article, please help out my local small business by ‘liking’ our Facebook page and by clicking on as many of the ‘like’ and share buttons on this website.

Whomever you decide to call to clean your gutters, I hope my insights and experience in the industry have helped you in some way and added value to you today. When you contact us for a quote, we will do my best to provide you with high value of service from your initial call to the completion of your freshly cleaned gutters and windows.

Langley Window Cleaning