Cleaning your gutters is a tough job. Typically, you’ll need to hop on a ladder, scoop out some leaves, climb down, move your ladder, and repeat the process around the entire perimeter of your home. You could get on the roof and clean on your hands and knees, but that’s dangerous (and the process gets even more dangerous if you have a two-story house).
At HY-C, we manufacture and sell GutterSweep under our Gardus brand. It’s a drill-powered, extendable rotary cleaning tool to help you clean your gutters without a ladder.
But what’s included with a GutterSweep purchase? What are the pros of the tool — and what are the cons?
In this guide, we’re going to provide an honest, in-depth look at GutterSweep, where it excels, and even where you may run into some difficulties with it (and how to overcome them).
By the time you’re done here, you’ll know how GutterSweep works, what’s included in the kit, and how to get the best use out of one to keep your gutters nice and clean.
What is GutterSweep?
GutterSweep is an extendable rotary cleaning tool. It consists of two poles, an attachable handle, a curved tube, and a pair of rotating rubber paddles at the end. Attach a cordless drill to the device, reach up and set the rubber paddles in the gutter, and pull the drill’s trigger to sweep debris out of your gutters.
The kit can also attach to your hose, allowing you to run water through your gutters to spray out any small debris you may have missed in your initial cleaning. GutterSweep allows you to avoid climbing a ladder to clean out your gutters (and all the hazards that come along with doing so).
What Does GutterSweep Come With?
GutterSweep isn’t just a tool; it’s an entire kit that comes with all the bells and whistles you need to clean your gutters as thoroughly as possible. Here’s a look at what the kit comes with:
- Extension poles
- Rotary paddle brush
- Curved tube
- Grip handle
- Button release tool
- Right-angle gear drive
- Drill adapter
- Camera mount
- Hose attachment
- Gutter brush (with water jet nozzle)
- Threaded tool attachment
How to Use GutterSweep
To use GutterSweep, start by attaching the two extension poles together. Add the curved tube to the end of the extension poles. On the end of the extension poles opposite the curved tube, attach the drill bit adapter. Then attach the right-angle gear drive to the curved tube, and attach the rotary paddle brush to the right-angle gear drive. Finally, attach the grip handle to the same extension pole that has the drill adapter attached to it.
From there, attach your drill to the drill adapter. Reach up toward your gutters and set the rotary paddle brush in the gutters. Now, power on the drill — the rotary paddle brush will spin, sweeping debris out of your gutters.
After you’ve thoroughly cleaned the gutters of large debris, you can swap out the rotary paddle brush with the gutter brush to sweep out anything you may have missed. Be sure also to take off the drill adapter and replace it with the hose attachment, and instead of attaching a drill to the GutterSweep, attach a garden hose. This will let you run water up into your gutters to rinse out smaller debris.
The GutterSweep also comes with a camera mount tool so you can take a video recording of your gutters to see if you missed any spots that need cleaning. It’s vital not to attach a camera while using the rotary paddle brush or the gutter brush as you could ruin your camera.
Also, be sure not to lose the button release tool. It’s specifically designed to disassemble your GutterSweep. You will still be able to take everything apart without it, but the process will be much more difficult.
Three Pros of GutterSweep
1. It Allows You to Clean Your Gutters without a Ladder
We’ve mentioned this already, but perhaps the biggest benefit of GutterSweep is that it saves you the trouble of getting up on a ladder to clean your gutters. Climbing a ladder or getting on your roof can be dangerous; GutterSweep offers a safer alternative.
2. It Tackles Large and Small Debris
All kinds of junk can end up in your gutters — everything as big as sticks and leaves down to stuff as small as acorns and shingle granules. Within the full scope of the pieces available in the kit, GutterSweep is designed to help homeowners tackle it all.
Starting with the rotary paddle brush allows you to sweep out large debris like leaves and sticks. Following up with the gutter brush allows you to take care of smaller obstructions, and using the hose attachment to rinse your gutters especially helps.
3. It Can Clean Two-Story Houses, Too
GutterSweep comes standard with two three-foot extension poles. These poles, coupled with the curved tube attachment on the end, allow you to reach up and clean out the gutters on a single-story house.
We didn’t forget about two-story homeowners, though; we also offer a GutterSweep extension kit that allows for six feet of additional reach. The kit operates the same way with these additional poles. All they do is give the GutterSweep some additional range.
Three Cons of GutterSweep
1. You’ll Be Cleaning Blind
Say what you want about the dangers of being up on a ladder or a roof, but at least you can see what you’re doing while you’re up there. This isn’t true with GutterSweep. You’ll be on the ground while you clean, so you won’t visually be able to make sure you clean every nook and cranny.
We tried to solve this issue with the camera mount attachment, and it certainly helps. But it may take some time to inspect your gutters with your camera, and even if you can spot some additional debris on film, you’ll still be guessing by the time you get your GutterSweep back up there.
Another point of frustration to prepare for is the gutter hangers. These anchors help to connect the gutters to your house, and they’re usually located inside the gutters every few feet. You may have trouble maneuvering a GutterSweep around them; in fact, when you run into one, you’ll have to lift the paddle brush (or gutter brush) up and over the hangers to avoid them.
2. It May Have Trouble with Shingle Granules
Shingle granules are tiny, crushed pieces of stone that are glued to your shingles. They help to protect shingles from the elements (specifically solar radiation), and if you’ve ever cleaned gutters before, you know that these granules will inevitably accumulate in gutters over time.
The gutter brush attachment of the GutterSweep — with its accompanying water jet nozzle — was designed to help clear out tiny debris just like this. Still, they’re hard enough to get out by hand, and it may prove difficult to get them out with a GutterSweep, too.
3. The Debris Gets Everywhere
If you clean gutters by hand, you at least have some control over where the debris winds up when you drop it from the top of the roof. GutterSweep, on the other hand, proves to be a little wild, flinging debris in every direction.
On the bright side, the debris will be out of your gutters. On the downside, though, it could take a while to clean it all out of your yard, and it may even end up landing directly on you. We’d suggest wearing a pair of protective goggles when using a GutterSweep (just in case).
Should You Get a GutterSweep?
It can be intimidating to have to get up on your roof to clean your gutters. Some people hate it, and their fear of heights makes the job exponentially more difficult. It can be frustrating to overcome that fear to keep your gutters clean.
By now, though, you should understand how GutterSweep helps you to clean your gutters without the need to climb a ladder and get up on your roof. You know what the kit comes with, and you know some of the caveats and how to overcome them.
But should you get a GutterSweep?
If you’re comfortable on your roof and you’ve cleaned gutters before, it may simply be quicker and more convenient just to stick with what you know.
But if you have a fear of heights, if you’re getting a little older and less spry, or you just want to try something new, GutterSweep is a useful and powerful tool for keeping your gutters clean without the need to ascend your roof. If it sounds like it could help you, we’d encourage you to give it a try.
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