We are a gutter cleaning company, so take this with the appropriate grain of salt — but the honest answer is that some people should absolutely do this themselves, and some people absolutely should not. Here is how to tell which you are.

What it actually costs to do it properly

Doing it right, not just hanging off a ladder with a garden trowel:

  • 24 ft fibreglass extension ladder: $300–$600
  • Ladder stabilizer (so you do not crush the gutter): $40–$80
  • Ladder levelers for sloped ground: $60–$120
  • Scoop, bucket with hook, gloves, safety glasses: $60–$100
  • Tarps and contractor bags: $40
  • Hose nozzle and downspout auger: $60

Roughly $560 to $1,000 up front, plus somewhere to store a 24-foot ladder. That is four to six professional cleans before you break even — call it two to three years on a twice-a-year schedule.

What it costs in time

An average single-storey home with 150 ft of gutter takes an experienced person about 1.5 to 2 hours including a proper flush and cleanup. First time, without the rhythm of ladder moves, expect three to four hours. Two storeys roughly doubles it and materially increases the risk.

The risk, stated plainly

Falls from ladders are a leading cause of serious home injury, and gutter cleaning is one of the most common reasons people are up one. The specific hazards are not exotic:

  • Overreaching. The big one. It is tempting to stretch a bit further rather than climb down and move the ladder. That is how ladders kick out.
  • Uneven or soft ground. Lawn, flowerbeds and slopes are not stable footings.
  • Power and service lines. Never use an aluminum ladder near them. Fibreglass only.
  • Wasp nests. Late summer, in a sheltered gutter, is exactly where they build. Getting stung at the top of a ladder is how people fall.
  • Working alone. If it goes wrong with nobody home, it goes very wrong.

Do it yourself if

  • Single storey, ground is reasonably level, and you are comfortable and steady on a ladder.
  • You own or will buy proper equipment, including a stabilizer.
  • Someone else is home, or at least knows what you are doing and when.
  • You will actually do it twice a year rather than intending to.

Hire it out if

  • Two or more storeys, a steep yard, or awkward access over decks and landscaping.
  • You are not confident on a ladder — and that is an entirely sensible thing to admit.
  • Any balance, joint, medication or mobility issue whatsoever.
  • You are on your own at home.
  • You want the inspection and the photo record, not just the debris gone.
  • Honestly: the last two years it did not get done.

Safety rules if you are doing it yourself

  1. Fibreglass ladder. Check for power lines before it goes up.
  2. Set at 4:1 — one foot out for every four feet of height. Extend three feet past the roof edge.
  3. Level footings. Use levelers on any slope.
  4. Three points of contact at all times.
  5. Never lean past your belt buckle. Climb down and move it.
  6. Never stand on the top rung.
  7. Scan for wasp nests from the ground before you climb.
  8. Nothing in wind, ice, or wet conditions.
  9. Phone in your pocket, charged. Tell someone.
  10. Do not walk the roof. It is not worth it, ever.

The middle option nobody mentions

Do the easy single-storey runs yourself in spring, and hire out the two-storey work and the important fall clean. You keep some of the saving without being on a tall ladder in October. Plenty of our customers do exactly this and it is a perfectly sensible plan.