2024’s Best Gutter Cleaners, Tested and Reviewed
If you don’t have gutter guards to prevent clogs from fallen leaves, cleaning your gutters is a necessary (and messy) job. Leaves and debris that pile up in your gutters can cause water to spill over the brim, creating foundation and drainage issues. Melted snow can also freeze and create ice dams that will cause leaks inside the home.
To avoid these issues, you need the best gutter cleaners to ensure your gutters are clear from debris. I tested every gutter cleaner on this list, including one tool that surpassed all my tests and made it to the top of my recommendations, to provide firsthand experience and advice on choosing the best gutter cleaner for your needs.
- BEST OVERALL: The Gutter Tool
Jump to Review - RUNNER-UP: Orbit 58543 Telescoping Gutter Cleaning Wand
Jump to Review - BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Amerimax Home Products 8300 Gutter Getter Scoop
Jump to Review - BEST VACUUM ATTACHMENT: Craftsman Wet/Dry Vacuum Gutter Cleaning Kit
Jump to Review - BEST FOR PRESSURE WASHER: Sun Joe SPX-SRL9 Universal Pressure Washer Sky Lance
Jump to Review - BEST FOR LEAF BLOWER: Worx WA4096 Leafjet Blower GutterPro Attachment
Jump to Review - ALSO CONSIDER: AgiiMan Pressure Washer Gutter Cleaning Tool Kit
Jump to Review
How We Tested the Best Gutter Cleaners
There’s only one good way to test gutter cleaners: Clean some gutters. I used each of these tools to clean sections of gutters on my own home. I hooked up each tool to its appropriate power source (garden hose, pressure washer, or vacuum) or used the manual tools from atop a ladder. While testing each tool, I recorded scores using a scoring rubric to make the comparisons as fair as possible. Scores included categories such as how well the tool cleared debris, how easy it was to use, and whether it was a good value for the price.
| Testing Stats | |
| Products tested | 9 |
| Time spent testing | 10 hours |
| Tests performed | 5 to 6 |
| Price range | $3 to $100 |
Our Top Picks
With all those factors in mind, I set out to test some of the best gutter-cleaning tools on the market. The following tools all passed my test while also excelling in one particular area or another.
Best Overall
The Gutter Tool
This Bob Vila Approved product carries our brand’s highest level of recommendation.
Bob Vila Approved recognizes the household and DIY products that impressed us most in our real-world testing and that exemplify core values of the Bob Vila brand, including craftsmanship, innovation, and value for the dollar. Winners of this designation come recommended by our professional review team and are personally approved by Bob Vila.
My Ratings: Ease of Use 5/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Durability 5/5; Value 5/5
Product Specs
- Type: Scoop
- Length: 16 inches
- Ease of use: Easy
What We Like
- Simple and effective manual tool; ideal for most gutters and effective at gathering debris
- Easy to use and easy to install on most extension poles to limit ladder time
- Lightweight design to prevent overly heavy end on extension pole, but durable if dropped
What We Don’t Like
- It doesn’t come with an extension pole, so users will have to buy or supply their own
Anyone who plans to remove their gutter clutter with a manual leaf remover will want to give the Gutter Tool a look. This plastic device screws onto the end of an extension pole or broomstick and allows you to drag the debris to one central location for removal.
I found the Gutter Tool to be one of the easiest gutter cleaner tools to set up and use. It’s lightweight but durable, making it easy to manipulate, yet hardy. I felt the spoon did a good job of pulling the debris to where my ladder was located. Whenever I reached a bracket, I found it easy to flip the tool over to use the scoop and push it under the bracket.
The only downsides I found were that it doesn’t come with an extension pole and that it doesn’t actually remove the debris; it collects it in one spot, so I had to remove it myself. However, it’s sturdy and ensures that you’re able to reach and gather nearly anything in the gutter, which potentially means less time moving a ladder. I’d suggest an extension pole to go with it, however.
Get The Gutter Tool gutter cleaner at Amazon.
Runner-Up
Orbit 58543 Telescoping Gutter Cleaning Wand
My Ratings: Ease of Use 4.5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Durability 4/5; Value 5/5
Product Specs
- Type: Telescopic hose wand
- Length: 40 to 70 inches
- Ease of use: Easy
What We Like
- Pressure is easy to control with the built-in nozzle; great for most cleaning jobs
- Telescopic pole helps with reaching 1- and 1.5-story gutters
- Adjustable head snaps into position and can spray at any angle
- Versatile enough to wash cars and RVs, and even to water gardens
What We Don’t Like
- Not ideal for higher gutters; can reach only 70 inches from end of garden hose
- Requires decent water pressure to produce enough pounds per square inch (psi) to clean gutters
Orbit’s telescoping gutter cleaning wand is quite possibly the simplest approach to gutter cleaning, requiring nothing more than a garden hose. This wand has a telescoping section that extends from 40 to 70 inches, allowing you to reach lower gutters, like those on ranch or Cape-style homes, from the ground. It also features a built-in nozzle and an adjustable arm, both of which you can set to the correct angle.
When testing the Orbit, I found it to be the simplest gutter-cleaning tool. Cleaning the gutters on my Cape-style home required simply extending the pole and hooking up a garden hose. Adjusting the head and nozzle were both very easy, and the shut-off valve does a good job of controlling the pressure. My only concerns were that it’s not useful for higher gutters and that its effectiveness will rely on the home’s water pressure.
I’ve used the Orbit telescoping gutter cleaning wand for other purposes since writing this review—for washing my cars and trucks as well as an RV roof. It can even be used for watering plants if the pressure remains low enough. It’s extremely handy to have around.
Get the Orbit gutter cleaner at Amazon or Ace Hardware.
Best Bang for the Buck
Amerimax Home Products 8300 Gutter Getter Scoop
My Ratings: Ease of Use 3/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Durability 2/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- Type: Scoop
- Length: 16.5 inches
- Ease of use: Easy
What We Like
- Scoops lots of debris at a time; useful for cleaning quickly anywhere within reach
- Likely the most affordable gutter-cleaning option available for DIY gutter cleaners
- It’s flexible, so it fits nicely into most standard gutters, providing a thorough cleaning
What We Don’t Like
- Not built to last several years as it’s made from somewhat flimsy plastic
The Amerimax Home Products 8300 Gutter Getter scoop offers a budget-friendly option for cleaning out gutters without cleaning out your bank account. This plastic scoop features a flexible tip that improves its fit in the gutter as well as a high handle to keep hands out.
The Gutter Getter scoop is easy to use. It can hold a lot of debris at one time, and I found that pinching the sides of the scoop together helped minimize spilling when removing it from the gutter. I liked that the tip conformed to fit the gutter but was also sturdy enough to chip away some of the buildup. It can be a little awkward to use at first, and it definitely requires a ladder, but I found it to be an excellent value for the price.
Note: This is another tool that I’ve found quite handy to keep around. I’ve used it for spreading salt on the walkway in the winter, removing debris from crevices around the house, and cleaning up peaches that fell from the tree in my front yard and were rotting on the ground. And, if the scoop should break, it’s cheap enough to replace.
Get the Amerimax Home Products gutter cleaner at Amazon, Lowe’s, or The Home Depot.
Best Vacuum Attachment
Craftsman Wet/Dry Vacuum Gutter Cleaning Kit
My Ratings: Ease of Use 3.5/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Durability 4/5; Value 5/5
Product Specs
- Type: Vacuum attachment
- Length: 47 inches total reach
- Ease of use: Medium
What We Like
- Highly effective at clearing leaves and debris by blowing or suctioning
- Diameter is compatible with most shop vac extension outlets
- Cleans gutters quickly with less physical work when using a vacuum alone
What We Don’t Like
- Not suitable for working while standing on a ladder
- Sections can come apart easily during use, especially in the blower function
DIYers can make the most of their wet/dry vacuum with this gutter-cleaning kit from Craftsman. This four-piece kit comes with two 18-inch extension wands, a hooked gutter nozzle, and a blower nozzle for concentrating the shop vac’s blower volume. It will fit a wet/dry vac with a 2.5-inch outlet, so it’s compatible with most shop vac extensions to reach a bit higher than the kit alone allows.
This kit from Craftsman was one of my favorite surprises in testing. I hooked it up to a 5.5-horsepower wet/dry vac’s exhaust and found that it was incredibly effective at blowing leaves and debris out of the gutter, especially with the restrictive nozzle that comes in the kit. It was a little clumsy to use, and it might not be suitable for use on a ladder (not with a powerful vacuum, at least), but it was very easy to set up. It also felt like it could serve other purposes, such as vacuuming in vents or other nooks where a standard vacuum won’t reach.
One note to add: While it’s designed to work on the exhaust port of the vacuum, technically, this attachment can work with the vacuum port as well. It can suck up all of the leaves and debris, helping keep the mess to a minimum. I’ve found this to actually be the more practical use, and the sections are far less likely to come apart.
Get the Craftsman gutter cleaner at Amazon or Ace Hardware.
Best for Pressure Washer
Sun Joe SPX-SRL9 Universal Pressure Washer Sky Lance
My Ratings: Ease of Use 4/5; Effectiveness 5/5; Durability 5/5; Value 4.5/5
Product Specs
- Type: Pressure washer attachment
- Length: 9 feet total reach
- Ease of use: Advanced
What We Like
- Comes with 3 customizable lengths for 3-foot, 6-foot, and 9-foot reach options
- Fits most pressure washers with outputs between 1,800 and 4,000 psi
- Heavy-duty construction—it doesn’t wobble and it won’t leak during use
What We Don’t Like
- It’s quite heavy and can be unwieldy at the 9-foot length
The Sun Joe SPX-SRL9 Sky Lance has everything necessary to turn almost any pressure washer into a gutter-cleaning machine. This kit comes with three wands that attach to each other with double O-rings and male and female threads. It also comes with its own trigger gun as well as a shoulder strap, a 30-degree nozzle, and two angled adapters. It can operate as a 3-foot wand, 6-foot wand, or 9-foot wand—whichever height you require.
The Sun Joe is rated for use with pressure washer outputs between 1,800 and 4,000 psi. The user just has to remove the pressure washer’s existing gun from its hose and attach the Sun Joe in its place.
I’ve tested quite a few gutter cleaners, and the Sun Joe is certainly the highest quality. The wands have a heavy-duty build and the threaded attachments are a rarity (most just use quarter-inch quick connects). While the design makes this pressure washer attachment sturdy, it also leads to quite a heavy tool that might be unwieldy for some users (mainly when all three sections of the wand are connected). However, it comes with a shoulder strap and does a great job of cleaning the gutters thanks to the 30-degree nozzle and angle adapters.
Get the Sun Joe gutter cleaner at Amazon, Lowe’s, The Home Depot, or Walmart.
Best for Leaf Blower
Worx WA4096 Leafjet Blower GutterPro Attachment
My Ratings: Ease of Use 3/5; Effectiveness 4/5; Durability 3/5; Value 4/5
Product Specs
- Type: Leaf blower attachment
- Length: 11 feet
- Ease of use: Medium
What We Like
- Extension tubes and nozzle screw together to prevent them from popping off under pressure
- Universal boot to attach to leaf blowers with nozzles up to 5 inches in diameter
- Allows for up to 11 feet of reach, which is plenty for most 1- and 1.5-story homes
What We Don’t Like
- Users must hold the leaf blower with 1 hand and direct extension tubes with the other