WLIIA – Whose Line Is It Anyway?

There are two kinds of people in this world, those who see leaves poking out of the guttering and get the ladders out, and those who book a professional before the first ladder has even been bought for the shed.

Both approaches can work – one just involves fewer soggy socks leaving footprints on the hallway carpet and slightly less swearing.

Here’s a friendly, down-to-earth look at DIY gutter cleaning versus hiring a professional company, with a few cautionary tales from the frontline of British do-it-myself energy.

The quick take

DIY gutter cleaning can be cheap and oddly satisfying, if you’ve got safe access, the right kit, and a calm day.

Professional gutter cleaning is faster, safer, and thorough – ideal when you’ve got awkward roofs, tall properties, or better things to do than play buckaroo with a wobbly ladder.

What DIY actually involves (a.k.a. the mucky bit)

• A sturdy ladder (preferably with a stabiliser/stand-off)
• Gloves, bucket, scoop, and a hose for rinsing
• A calm, dry spell (rare, we know)
• A willingness to meet your neighbour while wearing half a compost heap on your head

If access is straightforward – single storey, clear ground, no glass roofs or conservatories – you can often clear debris in an afternoon. It’s a decent workout and you’ll feel like a domestic hero when the next downpour races away instead of cascading over the front door.

When DIY can make sense

• Bungalows and low, easy access where a short ladder reaches comfortably
• Light maintenance a couple of times a year before things get swampy
• You already own the kit and know how to use it safely

Comedy of (avoidable) errors – what goes wrong with DIY

We’re not saying these have all happened to us. We’re also not not saying that.

• The Over-Reach
  One more handful of gunk… cue the slow-motion windmill arms and a quick introduction to the shrubbery.
• Pressure-Washer Carnage
  Yes, it’s powerful. No, your fascia boards didn’t appreciate the facial.
• Downpipe Disasters
  You’ve cleared the gutter run, but the blockage is in the downpipe elbow. Cue confident thumbs-up… followed by water erupting like Old Faithful.
• Mysterious Leaks
  A cheeky lean snaps a brittle bracket. Everything looks fine – until the next storm, when the whole run tilts like a budget theme park ride.
• Wildlife Encounters
  Birds’ nests, curious spiders, and that one frog who’s been living rent-free since April.
• The Surprise Shower
  The hose you left on the roof slithers free and baptises you in front of an audience of amused neighbours.

If you’re chuckling and wincing, that’s the DIY experience in a nutshell.

Why people bring in the pros

A good gutter-cleaning company turns up with the kit, the knack, and the insurance. Typical perks:

• Proper access equipment
  Ladders with stand-offs, safety gear, or even ground-based vacuum systems for high runs over conservatories and extensions.
• Speed and thoroughness
  They’ll clear, flush, and spot issues you’d miss – loose unions, perished seals, sagging brackets.
• No drama with height or angles
  Three storeys? Valley gutters? Awkward courtyards? Tuesday afternoon sorted.
• Photos and peace of mind
  Many firms provide before/after pics and can do minor fixes there and then.

If your gutters are overflowing, you’re seeing damp patches, or there’s a persistent drip at a joint, professionals are brilliant at nipping problems in the bud before “minor nuisance” turns into “hello, plasterer”.

Money, time, and the value of a dry hallway

DIY looks free, but factor in: buying or hiring kit, a chunk of your weekend, and the “what if” cost if something goes wrong (cracked tiles, bent brackets, or – perish the thought – a trip to A&E).

Professional gutter cleaning, on the other hand, is surprisingly reasonable for the time you save and the faff you avoid. You’re essentially trading a modest fee for safety, speed, and a clean that actually lasts through the next monsoon-level downpour.

Red flags that mean “get a professional”

• You need to reach second storey or higher
• There’s complicated access (over glass, extensions, or sloped ground)
• You’ve got persistent overflows or mystery damp inside
• The guttering looks warped, cracked, or misaligned
• You’d rather keep both feet on the ground and your Saturday for nicer things

A sensible, cup-of-tea friendly conclusion

If your setup is simple and you’re steady on a short ladder, DIY gutter cleaning can be a decent little project – pop a brew on, scoop the gunk, rinse, and bask in the rain-ready glow.

But for many homes, professional help from a campany like Cardiff Guttering is the safer, smarter, and – once you count your time – not too expensive option. You’ll get a thorough clean, a quick health-check of the system, and best of all, you won’t spend your Sunday afternoon arguing with a downpipe.

Your future self (and your hallway carpet) will thank you.

To have a tidy and organised wardrobe, you’ll need to have everything that’s going into it ready and clean so that you can properly know what you’re dealing with.

For many of us, clutter and untidiness comes down to the sheer volume of stuff we’ve got in our homes, and that’s almost always the case with clothing. I always remember being told as a child to have ‘a place for everything, and everything in its place’.

Still, to this day, I shudder when I hear that phrase, as it was essentially a way of having the news delivered that it was time to tidy up my bedroom. I’ve always been untidy, whether that’s dumping stuff wherever I am when I no longer need it, or fully intending to come back and sort things out later (which rarely happens).

To get that organisation with clothes, as we said, the laundry needs completing first. Otherwise, you put everything away, and once it’s been done, you realise there’s not enough space where it needs to go.

Shirts need hanging, underwear neatly placed into the drawer in it’s own unique filing system, and so on.

If you’ve got everything to hand, you can be more honest with yourself about how much you really need. Rather than trying to cram that last pair of socks into the drawer, it’s then more about being honest and asking yourself whether you really need 35 pairs. Probably not!

So, getting the laundry done fast before the motivation and momentum of cleaning up the chaos is the name of the game. There’s not a huge amount you can do about the washing machine – a two hour cycle is always going to take two hours, although sometimes a quick thirty minute daily cycle will do the job. It’s not advisable to use them too often though, as you can end up with sub-par washing performance if you use the quick wash too often, or when a proper wash is needed on the kids footie kit.

Drying though is a different ball game. There’s a huge difference between the ways to dry washing in terms of time. Did you know for example that drying washing outdoors on a hot summers day will almost always be faster than a tumble dryer?

Very few people seem to realise that, and what’s more, the washing line doesn’t swell the electricity bill either, so you’re saving money too (and the environment to boot!).

It’s not quite as simple in the bleak mid winter, but washing will still dry outside on the line (as long as it’s not raining and filling up the guttering). For that reason, if you’ve got multiple loads to do, why not put the first on the line and the second in the dryer – that way the first load will be at least partially dry by the time the tumble dryer finishes, and can go in to finish off. Again, its cheaper on the bills and faster to get the job done overall!

Which washing line you choose is an entirely different subject if you need to buy a new one. Perhaps that’s a good subject to tackle next time, but for now, get yourself sorted out and ready to de-clutter that closet we talked about earlier!

A clear family chores schedule is essential to maintain order and to make sure that everything is clean. Start with an overall master chores list and then subdivide it into specific lists for each family member. That way, each member of the household is responsible for doing chores and there’s no one left over to complain about having to do housework. Here are some chores you can assign to your kids this Christmas.

Most parents get caught up in the holiday cheer and run out to buy Christmas presents when their children have little or nothing to do. Make this a short-term goal by putting aside time on Christmas day to prepare and clean the house. You can also use this time to talk to your children about the value of staying on top of their daily chores. A regular chore list will show them that you care about them and that you aren’t just sitting around waiting to be asked to help.

Most families do the weekly chores and cleaning tasks together. It doesn’t matter if you have two incomes or only one, making this a ritual that’s shared throughout the week will make it easier for everyone to follow. When you divide up the weekly chores, you’ll see that cleaning isn’t the most difficult task of all. In fact, many families say that they don’t even realize that they’re doing any chores at all.

The same principle applies to dishes. Have an individual lists of what needs to be done around the house so that there’s no confusion about what needs to be done when. For example, don’t put in the chore list for putting the tablecloth on the dinette set when you have dishes to be washed. As you put in the tasks for each dish, you’ll also cross-reference what needs to be done with what.

Another good way to motivate household chores and clean up is to learn skills for preparing meals. If you’re the only cook in the family, find ways to incorporate your family’s favourite dishes into your cooking. If everyone cooks learn how to make a meal that’s healthier and friendlier for everyone. That way you won’t feel so overwhelmed when the dishes are done and you can just relax and enjoy your evening.

As you stay on top of your daily chores like dishes, laundry, and hoovering, teach your kids the importance of keeping their homes clean and organized. They’ll learn that if they do their share of the chores and they don’t poop in the sink, someone is going to get hurt. This will also build their self-esteem as they learn new things for themselves and their friends. And that will strengthen the bonds between them and their parents.

Use an individualized household chore list. Make a master list of all of your household chores that need to be done each week. Make a second list of things that are more challenging than normal chores and put them on the individual lists. Don’t use these two lists at the same time. Separate the lists by week so you can see which ones are easier than others and make your weekly housekeeping more effective.

If you want your children to learn the value of putting away their dishes, make a daily or weekly chore list that includes putting away their plates, dishes, silverware, toys, and papers. For younger children, you might suggest putting away bath time and brushing their teeth, which they learn while doing their daily tasks. The idea is to take a little time out for learning and enjoying your household chores, while teaching them the value of putting away their own things.

Getting those regular tasks done on schedule frees you up a lot more for enjoying yourself, or god forbid, those bigger DIY jobs like getting the gutters cleaned or clearing out the clutter from the attic!