Cleaning Downspouts

Now that it's springtime, you might be faced with the daunting task of cleaning up your house, which doesn't mean just the interior, but the exterior as well. Such an in depth cleaning of your home may seem quite daunting, but if you go about it in the right way, you can get it done in not too much time, and have everything looking great. One of the things that may be on your "Outdoor To-Do List" is cleaning the downspouts. After a winter of storms and bad weather, your downspouts may be in need of some care, and that's your job. If you can successfully clean out your downspouts, then you'll be preventing flooding and gutter blockage when the next spring storm rolls in.

Cleaning your downspouts actually has a lot to do and a lot in common with cleaning gutters. The two are very closely related, and so the techniques are quite similar. You need to slowly and deliberately scrape out any blockages that are in your downspouts, allowing water to flow freely from the gutter to the downspout. Unlike gutters however, thoroughly cleaning out downspouts isn't as simple. Downspouts are longer and may or may not detach into smaller parts. If your downspouts do separate into smaller parts, then just take the downspout apart and, with a rag, wipe out the interior of the downspout. (You will probably want to have some long gloves on, or a long sleeved shirt, so you don't get yourself covered in downspout muck).

If your downspout doesn't separate, however, then you'll need to go about using a different tactic. You want to remove any gunk from the interior of the downspout, and if that gunk is more in the middle of the spout, then you have a problem. To solve this dilemma, you just need to take a long pole or rod, stick it down the downspout, and target the problem gunk clogs. Using the long pole or rod, dislodge the blockage, and push it right out. Flush the downspout out with water when you're finished, to make sure that any loose particles are washed out.

Other things to keep in mind as you go about cleaning your downspout, is that you want to wear appropriate clothing. Don't wear anything that you would mind if it got ruined; preferably, you should wear more grubby, already ruined clothing. Cleaning the exterior (or interior for that matter) of your house is in no way going to be dirt free, and you'll want to make sure that you're wearing the appropriate garb. You'll also want to keep gloves handy, to keep your hands relatively gunk-free.

Something else to remember about downspouts, is that if your gutters are clean, your downspouts most likely will be too. It's easier to clean your gutters than your downspouts, so if you keep your gutters clean, you won't have to clean out your downspouts nearly as often!