Easily Clean Your Gutters With A Kitchen Tool You Already Have On Hand

Unless your gutters have guards, leaves will inevitably fall into them at some point, especially if you have a tree nearby. This may not seem like a major problem at first, but over time, clogged gutters can cause ice dams, water damage, foundation cracks, and other issues. You can pay someone to clean your gutters and have them emptied out within a day. Or, you can save money and do it yourself with a tool in your kitchen: a spatula.

The standard width of home gutters is 5 inches, which is wider than most standard spatulas. That means the one in your kitchen can probably fit right into the gutters and be used to dig and scrape leaves and any other gunk out of them. If you're worried about scratching your gutters, use a plastic spatula. If using a durable tool is your primary focus, use metal, but be careful as you scoop up the debris.

Spatulas are designed to scoop and lift items like pancakes, burgers, and sunny-side-up eggs, and yes, they can also be used to remove all those leaves. If the leaves are dry and not compacted, however, you should be able to easily remove most of them without a specific tool. On the other hand, if they're saturated from rain, or worse, if there's water accumulating around them, this is where a spatula can come in handy.

Wet or dry, remove as many leaves as possible with your hands, using gloves if you prefer. However, you can also use another kitchen tool for this step: a pair of tongs. Then use the spatula to gently dig into the gutters, scoop the debris up, and scrape it out. Repeat these steps as often as necessary, until you've removed all the leaves.

Keep in mind that spatulas and tongs will obviously get dirty or even damaged during the removal process, so choose your tools wisely. If you have multiple spatulas and tongs, use the oldest ones and limit them to gutter-cleaning. Or, you can buy a new set from your nearest dollar store.