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White is the color of calm, soothe, and has a rich vibe to it. White gutters can perfectly complement the vibrant walls and roof of the home. But it can ruin the whole exterior appearance of your house if the white gutter gets stained.
The gutters collect a lot of leaves and debris over time. The wind brings with a lot of dirt and you might see disgusting black streaks on the outside. So it’s inevitable for them to get dirty and grimy if you don’t clean them up regularly.
Apart from ruining the appearance, they can also clog water clogging. So it’s no use procrastinating and delaying the cleaning process. You don’t need to buy expensive and sometimes ineffective gutter cleaning agents from the market. We have listed a range of homemade remedies you’ll already have in your home.
Let’s get into it!
Outline
How To Clean Stained White Gutters
You need to clean your white gutter a few times a year to keep it looking well-maintained. You’ll need:
- A ladder
- A water hose
- A scrub brush
- An all-purpose cleaner
- Bleach
Here’s how you can do this:
Step 1:
Wear rubber gloves and climb up the ladder to reach the gutter. Begin by removing the fallen leaves and debris. Use a small towel to scrap out the thick trash.
Step 2:
After scraping out the solid residue, use the water hose to push out the dust and dirt. You’ll be able to see the stains clearly after this. If you have any plants under the gutter, cover them up with tarpaulin or plastic wrap to protect them from harmful cleaners.
Step 3:
Now apply the all-purpose cleaner directly to the stains. Scrub the stains with a scrub brush. Reapply the cleaner and scrub vigorously to remove stubborn stains.
For thicker stains, you can make a strong solution by mixing 1-quart water and 1 teaspoon dish soap with a cup of bleach. Dip the brush well into the solution and scrub thoroughly. It is also effective in killing any mold growing in your gutter.
Homemade Gutter Cleaning Solutions
If your all-purpose cleaner bottle is finished or you don’t want to risk your money on ineffective cleaners, you can try these highly effective homemade gutter cleaners. Yes, that’s really a thing. You’ll be able to find these products easily in your home and they can quickly remove the grime and stains.
1. Using TSP-PF to Clean Gutter
If you can’t find your all-purpose cleaner in the kitchen, look for a phosphate-free cleaner in your garage. It is the one you use to clean your decks and siding. It would be labeled TSP-PF. Apart from cleaning the decks, it rarely comes to use so most people have it. Why not bring it into cleaning something more disgusting?
TSP-PF stands for trisodium phosphate-phosphate free. Well, it looks redundant to spell out. But what matters is that it has the powerful cleaning and degreasing abilities of trisodium phosphate without the environmental hazards that come with phosphate.
You would also need some bleach and hot water to make this method effective. Mix a quart of fresh bleach and a quart of hot water with a cup of TSP-PF. You can pour the solution into the interiors of the gutter to dissolve the stains. Use the scrub brush to scrap the exteriors after applying the solution.
2. Cream of Tartar
Spices surely make the food alive. You can just change the flavor of any food through a change in the combination of spices. But you can’t have ever thought that your spice rack could have a cleaning agent for your gutter!
Also called potassium hydrogen tartrate, cream of tartar has strong cleansing properties. Surprise everyone in your house by using the cream of tartar to make the gutter sparkling again.
Mix the cream of tartar with a little water to make a paste. Use a brush to apply it on the outsides of your gutter. Use a water hose to rinse off the paste along with the greasy stains. Apply more paste and more pressure from the hose if some stains are still sticking.
3. White Vinegar
The magic cleaning solution! White vinegar should surely be termed as the homemade all-purpose cleaner. White vinegar can dissolve the toughest of stains on utensils, help descale coffee makers and even clean up the gutter!
Mix white vinegar with lukewarm water. The solution is more effective in cleaning up the interiors of the gutter than the exterior. Enclose the gutter by capping it and plug the openings. You need to let the vinegar sit for half an hour. Pour the solution into the gutter and wait.
Once you drain it, you’ll see most of the sticky, greasy dirt is gone. If some dirt is still left, you can now remove it easily with the scrub brush or even the garden towel. It basically breaks or weakens the bond of the dirt which makes it an effective cleaning agent.
Cleaning Vinyl Gutters
If you have vinyl gutters instead of the regular aluminum ones, the above solutions may not work for it. Make a customized gutter solution by mixing dawn liquid detergent with half a cup of bleach and 2 gallons of warm water.
Apply the solution to the interior and exteriors. Let it sit for 10 minutes and then use a scrub brush to scrub the exterior. Rinse both sides with a water hose to reveal a sparkling white gutter.
FAQs
Is it possible to clean the gutter without a ladder?
Most of us avoid cleaning gutters because climbing the ladder is a tiring chore or we have a fear of heights. In such cases, you can use equipment such as a gutter flusher, gutter vacuum, or a gutter cleaning applicator and clean your gutter while standing on the ground.
One major drawback of this, obviously, is that you won’t be able to see what exactly is happening above and this will prevent thorough cleaning.
How often should you clean the gutter?
Experts advise that you should clean the gutter at least 2 times a year. But if you have thick foliage, wind, and rain in your region, then you should clean it every 1-3 months.
When is it time to realign your gutter?
Sometimes you will find stagnant pools of water in your gutters. Then it’s time to realign the gutters either by yourself or by calling a professional. This usually happens because their alignment was shifted during heavy rains and winds.
Having clean gutters is not just to enhance the appearance of your home but also to protect your house from rain damage. It helps avoid clogging and blockages which can cause serious damage to your walls in terms of leakage.
With a little bit of effort and some homemade cleaning agents, you can maintain clean gutters.
