When cleaning your gutters, one of the most basic pieces of equipment needed is a ladder. Unless you plan to use some sort of apparatus to reach the eavestroughs while you’re still on the ground, you’ll need a ladder to climb.
But as you might imagine, using a ladder comes with certain hazards. If the ladder is not stabilized, you could be putting yourself in harm’s way. Given this, you may want to lean the ladder on a stable surface so it doesn’t move.
More specifically, you might be wondering if you can safely lean the ladder against the eavestroughs, since this is precisely what you want to reach. But can you lean your ladder against the gutters? Is it safe?
Can You Lean the Ladder Against the Gutters?
The short answer to this question is, no. For starters, doing so will likely damage the gutters and cause them to dent. When this happens, they can rust over time, which can completely compromise the entire eavestrough system.
Instead of leaning your ladder against the eavestroughs, you should be using stabilizers to access the roof. Not only will this keep your gutters safe from damage, but it will also be safer for you when climbing the ladder.
Follow Safety Guidelines
When cleaning your gutters or performing any other type of home maintenance task, it’s important that you follow health and safety guidelines when it comes to ladder use. These guidelines are designed specifically to ensure your safety when doing work on your home.
When it comes to leaning a ladder against a surface to stabilize it for you to climb, it should be secured and have a sturdy resting point. For instance, you should never rest the ladder against a weak upper surface, such as gutters or other unstable material.
If you lean the ladder against the gutters, the material could break under the heavy weight of the ladder. In turn, the ladder won’t be able to remain upright, and you could risk falling from lack of balance.
When you’re ready to clean your eavestroughs and you set up your ladder, make sure to lean it against a strong surface such as a brick wall, and use stabilizers to keep the ladder immoveable while you’re up there cleaning out the debris.
Call the Experts in Eavestrough Cleaning
To save yourself time, effort, and potential risks, perhaps you may want to leave the gutter cleaning job to the experts. They have the equipment, skill-set, and experience to get your gutters cleaned quickly and efficiently without you having to worry about things like ladder safety.
At Tip Top Trough, we’ve got a long track record of thorough gutter cleaning jobs and have the manpower and tools to get the job done right. If your eavestroughs are in need of cleaning, get in touch with Tip Top Trough today!