In short, yes you can put a ladder against the gutter… It’s better if you can avoid it but sometimes it’s your only option. If you are going to put a ladder against the gutter, then there’s a couple of things you need to know so you don’t damage your gutter or fall and damage yourself…
Let’s get to it…
Putting a Ladder Against the Gutter Safety Rule 1.
Call a professional to do it for you…
Yeah I know but I have to put this one in there…
We have all the safety gear, all the working at heights training and the insurance in case something goes wrong…
For safety reasons, I don’t recommend getting up on a ladder yourself but I know and you know that you’ll probably do it anyway…
So with that said, these are some of the ladder safety techniques that I use in my gutter cleaning business…
Avoid Leaning on The Gutter if You Can… Rule 2.
If you can avoid leaning your ladder against the gutter, that would be your best option…
And the best way to do that is by using a ladder stand off like this…
While you can put a ladder against a gutter, they can buckle and get damaged in the process.
That’s why using a ladder standoff will allow you to work on the side of your home…
Or get up to your roof and gutters like this without touching the gutter…
This is a great option but it’s not your only one…
Putting a Ladder Against the Gutter Safety Rule 3.
Use a Ladders Little Helper so your ladder doesn’t slide off the gutter…
See this little thingamabob here…
It sits on the face of your gutter and it acts as a brace and holds your ladder in place so it won’t slide around while you’re trying to climb up…
All you need is a broom stick so you can put it in one end and then slide it over the edge of the gutter…
It’s amazing how steady your ladder will feel when you have this ladder mate in place.
I use one of these with every gutter clean that I do.
The other great thing about the ladder mate is that it protects your gutter from being all scratched up from the ladder sliding against the gutter.
This is definitely the best way I recommend using a ladder against your gutters…
The only thing is, sometimes these are no good because you have gutter guards in place or you have a double story and your broom can’t reach that high…
In that case you should try this…
Putting a Ladder Against the Gutter Safety Rule 4.
In the case that you can’t use the Ladder Mate, you can use a rubber grip tape along the back of your ladder like this…
This will grip onto the face of your gutter and stop your ladder from slipping off the gutter. It’ll even protect your gutter from getting all scuffed up as well…
It’s not as good as the Ladder Mate but it’s a really great option…
And sometimes, it’s your only option…
Here’s the thing though…
Once you get up to the top of the ladder, I would recommend clamping the edge of your ladder to your gutter or tying the ladder off to the roof…
The grip tape will hold the ladder but it’s better to be safe than sorry…
You can get yourself a roll of rubber tape from amazon…
You could also try a product like The Ladder Frog
It’s similar to the rubber tape option..
Moving on…
Putting a Ladder Against the Gutter Safety Rule 5.
Use a heavy duty hand clamp to hold your ladder in place against the gutter…
Make sure you get a clamp with plastic jaws or you’ll leave clamp marks in your gutters. And you know they’ll rust out…
Also, when you clamp your ladder against your gutter, make sure you don’t have it clamped too tight…
You want it just tight enough to hold the ladder in place but not so tight that you’ll damage your gutter…
The idea is to start off loose and tighten a little at a time until you’re happy with how stable your ladder is…
The hand clamp in the picture above looks like a great one for ladder clamping…
It’s heavy duty and has plastic jaws…
Be careful with this option though…
The clamp could easily become a trip hazard if you’re climbing on and off from the roof…
So be careful…
Moving on…
Putting a Ladder Against the Gutter Safety Rule 6.
Make sure your ladder is placed on even ground…
All the guards and clamps will do you no good if you place your ladder on an unstable surface…
If you can’t set your ladder on an even and stable surface, you should try a ladder leveller like this…
You attach the leveller to the bottom of your ladder and it allows you to lengthen each leg to suit the uneven surface…
To be honest, these are probably the most important tool to have for your ladder…
If you could only have one tool for your ladder, it would be the ladder leveller for me…
The Wrap Up
That’s about all you need to know about putting a ladder against your gutter…
I would say, definitely call a professional to get up the ladder for you, but if you really want to get up there, start with the ladder leveller and then choose which method you think is best to protect yourself and your gutters…
Remember, I clean gutters for a living and I do this every day…
If you use any of the techniques mentioned above and you still don’t feel safe up there, call a professional…