Can I clean my own gutters? How to do it safely, and when to call someone

Which gutters are a DIY job?

What you'll need

• Thick gloves. Gutters hold sharp bits of tile, glass and wire, as well as bird droppings.
• A plastic gutter scoop, or a small trowel.
• A bucket you can hang securely, or a bag, so you're not climbing up and down with every handful.
• A watering can or a hose to test the flow at the end.
• A ladder that's long enough, in good condition, and ideally fitted with a stand-off, so it rests against the wall rather than the gutter.
• Someone to stay at the bottom with you.

The ladder rules that matter

Safety guidance from the Ladder Association, published with the Health and Safety Executive, has a few rules that are easy to break on a gutter job:

• Angle: set the ladder at 75 degrees, using "the 1-in-4 rule".
• Contact: "maintain three points of contact when climbing and wherever possible at the work position". That's hard with a scoop in one hand and a bucket in the other, which is why the bucket has to hang.
• Reach: keep your belt buckle "within the stiles". Climb down and move the ladder instead of stretching to the next metre of gutter.
• Resting point: never against "weak upper surfaces such as glazing or plastic gutters".
• Time: for work lasting "more than 30 minutes at a time", the guide recommends other equipment.
• Ground: firm and level, with a quick check of the ladder before you start.

How to clear a gutter

• Start next to the outlet and scoop away from it, so you're not pushing debris into the downpipe.
• Put everything in the bucket or bag. Don't drop it onto a conservatory roof, flower beds or a neighbour's path.
• Look at the brackets and joints as you go. A sag, a cracked bracket or a joint stained with drips is worth noting.
• When the run is clear, pour water in at the far end and watch it run to the outlet and out at the bottom of the downpipe. The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland advises always checking that "water is running freely in gutters and pipes" before looking for any other problem.
• If the water backs up, the downpipe is blocked.

Leaves and moss from a gutter compost well, so they don't have to go in the bin.

On an older house, check what the gutters are made of

HSE lists "gutters and asbestos cement downpipes" among the places asbestos can be found in houses built or refurbished before 2000. If your gutters or downpipes look like grey cement rather than plastic or metal, don't scrape, drill or break them, and get advice before anyone works on them. Old cast iron gutters can be badly rusted where you can't see, so don't lean a ladder against those either.

Clearing gutters from the ground

There are tools for this: gutter vacuums with long rigid poles, and scoops or brushes on telescopic handles. They avoid the ladder altogether, which is their big advantage. Check the reach against the height of your gutters before you buy or hire one, and use a phone on a pole afterwards to check you've got it all.

When it's worth calling someone

• The gutters are two storeys up or higher, or over glass.
• There are valleys, back gutters or parapet gutters.
• The downpipes are blocked, cracked or might be asbestos cement.
• The gutters are full of plants, which usually means years of sludge.
• You'd simply rather not be up a ladder in November.

Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service, puts it simply: "If your gutters are high or difficult to reach, a local handyman should be able to help you." We'd add: make sure whoever you choose is insured.

How we clear gutters

We clear every gutter by hand from ladders, including valleys and back gutters, test every downpipe, and send you before and after photos of each run. While we're up there, we photograph your roof slopes too.

Written by Hawkes Roofing, roofers based in St Albans who clear gutters by hand across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and north-west London. Last reviewed 26 October 2026.