The best ladder for cleaning gutters would have to be a lightweight aluminium extension ladder that is the right height for your home, is rated to carry 150kg and is equipped with ladder stabilisers and a standoff bracket…
This would also be the safest ladder for cleaning gutters…
Now, which extension ladder you choose would depend on the type of roof and gutters you have and how high they are…
You know, because a single story home would need a different ladder to reach the gutters than a double story home would need, right??
Ok so we’re in agreement…
Great, so let’s dig in and discover the best gutter cleaning ladder for you…
An extension ladder is better than a step ladder for cleaning gutters…
The best type of ladder for cleaning gutters would have to be an extension ladder…
A Lot of people think an “A” Frame Step ladder would be better to clean gutters but it isn’t…
The step ladder is great if you set it on a stable surface and you don’t need to move it around…
But when you clean gutters from a ladder, you have to clean one section then move the ladder…
This is where the step ladder becomes a problem…
It can be tricky to try and stabilise the feet on a step ladder on uneven ground…
But with the extension ladder, you can get these ladder levellers like this…
You connect them on the bottom of your extension ladder and you can adjust them so your ladder will sit level…
And even better than this, you can actually buy an extension ladder with these stabilisers already installed…
That’s why, the best option would be an extension ladder over a step ladder to clean gutters…
So the rest of this article will focus on finding the best extension ladder for the job…
Aluminium vs Fibreglass Ladders For Gutter Cleaning…
When you start looking at extension ladders, you’ll find that you’ll either have the option for an aluminium ladder or a fibreglass ladder…
This can make this a little confusing so I thought I’d highlight the differences and then tell you which one is better for gutter cleaning…
Sound good?
Ok, let’s get into it…
Fibreglass Ladders…
- Fibreglass is stronger
- Fibreglass is safer for electrical work
- Fibreglass can irritate skin
- These ladders are more expensive
- They are heavier to move around
Aluminium Ladders…
- Aluminium is lighter and easier to move around
- Aluminium isn’t as strong as fibreglass
- Aluminium ladders are cheaper than fibreglass
- Aluminium ladders aren’t safe for electrical work
Which Ladder Should You Choose?
Now we aren’t doing any electrical work and we’ll be moving the ladder around a fair bit so the best ladder for gutter cleaning would have to be an aluminium ladder over the fibreglass ladder…
We’ll be going up one or two stories so the aluminium ladders are strong enough at these heights but are still light enough to be moved around without breaking your back…
I worked in the plumbing industry for 10 years and we used both types of ladders…
After about 5 years, the fibreglass ladders became worn and the fibreglass would irritate your skin as we tried to carry them and move them around…
This alone is enough for me to never want to use a fibreglass ladder…
I’ve had my aluminium extension ladder for around 20 years and it’s still going strong…
I clean around 4 gutters a day with this ladder and it’s light and easy to use…
So I would definitely recommend an aluminium extension ladder over the fibreglass ladder when it comes to cleaning gutters…
Now that we know we’re going to use an aluminium extension ladder, we next need to work out which size ladder you need…
Choose the right ladder size to clean your gutters…
Now this is a vitally important topic…
You must have the right ladder size if you want to safely climb up a ladder and reach your gutters…
And of course, if you don’t want to fall…
If your ladder just reaches the gutter or sits under the gutter, this could be a dangerous situation for you…
The right size ladder will allow you to climb up on a nice even angle and reach at least a minimum of 1 metre past your gutter…
It looks like this…
And as a rule of thumb, “a nice even angle” would be 1 metre out from your wall for every 4 metres you extend up…
So to clean your gutters safely, you’ll want to get a ladder that allows you to get this “safe angle” and extend at least 1 metre past your gutters…
This brings us to our next problem of choosing the right ladder size to reach your gutters…
The right ladder size to reach the gutter on a single story…
The height of an average single story home is around 3 metres…
So to reach the gutters safely, we’ll need to get a ladder that is at least 4 metres long…
A ladder at this size will allow you to get your safe angle and extend at least 1 metre past your gutter…
The ladder I recommend for a single story home would be this 5 metre ladder…
You only need a 4 metre ladder but if you have any type of slope in your yard, there could be sections that you won’t be able to reach…
That’s why I play it safe and get a little extra height with a 5 metre ladder just to make sure you can get the job done safely…
I’ve also done the research and found that the Indalex ladder is the best for quality and value for money…
And it’s definitely one of the safest ladders for cleaning gutters…
The great thing with the Indalex ladder is that it comes equipped with the ladder stabiliser…
This is what you need to get that stable footing on uneven ground…
If you buy a cheaper ladder like this one…
You’ll still need to purchase the ladder stabilisers separately…
It’s cheaper to buy the Indalex ladder with the stabilisers built in…
This ladder is also rated at 150 kg which is the minimum you want and it has a lifetime warranty…
This is definitely the best ladder when it comes to cleaning single story gutters…
But if you have a double story home, you’ll need something more like this one…
The right ladder to reach the gutter on a double story…
In all honesty, the best ladder for cleaning gutters on a double story home would be the same ladder I recommended for the single story but obviously longer…
Two story homes usually have gutters that are around 6 metres from the ground…
So I recommend getting this 9 metre extension ladder…
At this size, you really want to stick with aluminium…
These ladders can get heavy so you don’t want to be lugging around a fibreglass ladder at 9 metres…
It would be way too heavy…
The 9m Indalex Extension ladder is rated at 150 kg and also comes with a lifetime warranty…
Plus you get the stabilisers built into the ladder so you won’t need to fork out the extra $300 for a pair of stabilisers…
The one thing you have to take into consideration when buying a ladder online is the shipping costs…
The shipping costs are around $100 per ladder.
I looked into it and this is still your best option, even with the delivery fee…
But you don’t have to buy it just because I said it’s the best option…
If you can get a better deal at your local hardware store, then do that…
Just use this as a guide so you know what your ladder needs to get the job done safely…
Speaking of safety…
If you already have a ladder, or you pick up a great bargain from your local hardware store, here’s a couple of extras you should consider adding to your ladder…
The accessories to make sure your ladder is safe for cleaning gutters…
Well my friend…
If you already have yourself an extension ladder and it’s at the right length that you need but it doesn’t have the leg stabilisers built in, then this is what you need…
This is the lndalex ladder leveller…
It’s a fancy little contraption that fixes to the bottom of your extension ladder so you can set up on uneven surfaces…
Don’t even consider using a ladder without having these stabilisers…
It’s just not worth it…
There will always be that one spot where you’re trying to get up to your gutters but the ground is a little uneven…
Don’t do what the masses do…
You know, the dodgy wedge under the ladder trick?
Do I need to tell you about the horrors of falling off a ladder??
Just buy the ladder leveller…
And while you’re at it, make sure you pick yourself up this ladder stabiliser as well…
You see, this not only protects your gutters and home from damage, but it also stops your ladder from sliding…
See, these have rubber on the ends which will grip into your roof so your ladder won’t slide around…
As you climb up and down your ladder, it won’t slide around…
Now this one is more expensive than the others on the market, it’s actually about double the price but I don’t recommend skimping when it comes to your ladder safety…
But if you’re on a bit more of a budget, you still need to be safe up there, so you should get a pair of stabilisers like this…
These are a fraction of the price but will make any ladder, the safest ladder for gutter cleaning…
The last thing you want is to be up the top of a ladder and then it starts to slide as you’re trying to climb down…
What do you do?
JUMP??
Or do you ride the ladder down to the ground and hope for the best??
You only have a second to decide…
Oh, I know…
Get the ladder stabiliser so the ladder doesn’t slide!
Don’t even risk it…
So there you have it…
The Best Ladder For Cleaning Gutters Wrap Up…
Well there you have it…
The ladder is still one of the best gutter cleaning tools out there without a doubt…
And, the best and safest ladder to clean gutters would have to be a ladder that is equipped with ladder levellers, a ladder stabiliser and is long enough to reach 1 metre past the top of your gutter…
But just know that if you don’t feel safe on a ladder, don’t get up there…
There are other, better ways to clean gutters that you may like more…
Either way, I hope you’ve found some value in this guide…
Just know that if you don’t live in my local area, and unless you need gutter cleaning in Mornington then I have nothing to sell you…
So if you did get value from my guide, then all I ask is that you share it on Facebook or leave a comment below to help me reach more people like you who might need this information…
I thank you for trusting in my advice, I never take your trust for granted…
Good luck with your gutter cleaning…
Peace,
Jason