RAKE & BENCH
REFERENCE · VOL. 1
VOL01 ISS03 REV2026-05-01 PG041
RULE 018

Clean gutters without the ladder thing.

EST. TIME
60-90 min
EST. COST
$30-$80
DIFFICULTY
■■□□□
PARTS / TOOLS
4 / 3

Wet-and-dry shop-vac with a curved gutter wand attachment. From the ground. Twice a year if you have one mature deciduous tree within 30 ft of the house - three times if more. Down a ladder is the second-leading cause of homeowner ER visits.


Parts & Tools

PARTS / STOCK

SKU QTY SPEC NOTE
WND-GUT 1 Curved gutter-cleaning wand, 2.5 in. inlet Cen-Tec Quick Click or equivalent
EXT-2.5 3-5 2.5 in. extension wand, 4 ft each Buy one extra - single-story needs 12 ft, two-story needs 16-20
BAG-SH 1 box Shop-vac collection bags Wet leaves break vac filters fast - use bags
FILTER-W 1 Wet/dry shop-vac filter (cartridge) Spare; you will swap mid-job

TOOLS

SKU QTY SPEC NOTE
GEN-001 1 Wet/dry shop-vac, 5+ gal, 2.5 in. hose -
GEN-002 1 Garden hose, ground-level -
GEN-003 1 Safety glasses -

Procedure

PROCEDURE TYPE
SEQUENTIAL

SAFETY
EYE PROT.

REFER
RULE-033
1.0

Plan the route. Walk the perimeter; map every downspout and elbow. Start at the section farthest from the downspout so debris flows toward your exit point, not against it.

Key spec
2.0

Assemble the wand from extensions. Lock joints firmly - a wand that disconnects in the gutter forces the ladder you bought it to avoid.

3.0

Vac dry, top to bottom. Hold the hook end inside the gutter, sweep along 6 ft at a time. Twigs lift, leaves vacuum.

4.0

Hose-flush the gutter from the high end after vacuuming, not before. Wet leaves stick - water alone makes the job worse before it makes it better.

5.0

Confirm downspout flow. Hose at the high end of each downspout for 30 seconds. Visible flow at the kick-out elbow on the ground means the run is clear.


Gotchas


Recommended hardware

STOCK MATCHING RULE-018

No stocked items match this rule's filter - see Section listings.


Related rules