The thing about the gutters in your office is that there’s a very good chance you won’t give them a second thought – until of course they cause you a pretty serious headache. Regardless of how passive these functional installations appear to be on the surface, they carry out a hugely important role for the safety and integrity of your office as a whole. Without adequate drainage as provided by gutters, water would collect across various parts of the office rooms and on the ground around the walls, leading to leaks, structural damage and even catastrophic subsidence.
As such, it really is important to give more than a second thought to your gutters, as opposed to just waiting for something disastrous to occur further down the line.
The good news is that cleaning gutters really doesn’t have to be the most difficult task in the world – or the most dangerous, for that matter. If you can get into the habit of carrying out a few simple routine checks every now and again, as well as following any severe weather, there’s no reason why your gutters should ever let you down.
So in the spirit of the proverbial ‘stitch in time’ saving nine, here’s a look at five top tips from the experts on how to clean your gutters safely:
1 – Maintenance
The thing to remember above all else is that when it comes to gutters that do their job, maintenance really is everything. Even if there don’t seem to be any problems anywhere across the outside of your office, it’s still crucial to give your gutters a full clean twice a year – you might get away with once every eight months, depending on the property and its location. Things go from running perfectly clearly to being dangerously blocked pretty much in the blink of an eye, so save yourself a great deal of time, effort and money by cleaning your gutters regularly.
2 – Suitable Ladders
Do not under any circumstance try to clean out your gutters using an old and rickety wooden ladder that looks like it’s due to collapse any minute. You’ll be up there for quite a while and might be up pretty high too, so for the love of all that’s Holy be sure to invest in a decent ladder. In addition, don’t ever think about tackling the job alone unless you are a trained professional – you might just need a second pair of hands to secure the ladder or help you if you take a tumble.
3 – Protective Gear
You have no idea what’s hiding in the leaves and dirt in your gutters, so don’t take any chances. It could be filled with razor-sharp glass fragments, nails, screws, dead animals or anything else for that matter – hence why heavy, thick and protective gloves are essential. You’re also much better off wearing safety glasses too – you don’t want any of this stuff in your eyes.
4 – Footwear
Your office roof is made for keeping you safe – NOT for walking all over without a care in the world. As such, when you get up to clean your gutters make sure you wear heavy-duties shoes or boots fit for the job with non-slip soles.
5 – Know When to Fold
And finally, if you encounter any difficulties whatsoever, call in the pros. This means that should you find yourself struggling to reach a certain area, unable to remove a blockage or in any way feel like you’re getting out of your depth, it’s important to climb down and let those who do it best have a go instead. Not only is it not worth it for the sake of your office, but you could also end up seriously hurting yourself in the process.
When in doubt, make a call-out…simple!