If you had to ask people what tasks around the house they hate to do more than anything, chances are you are going to hear a lot of people say cleaning the gutters. While gutter cleaning may be an unpleasant job, it's also a necessary one. Clogged clutters can cause many serious problems around the house, including pooling water that can damage the foundation, the sidewalk, or the driveway. The gutters can also increase the risk of leaking roofs. If the gutters become too full, they can even break and come loose from the house.

You can save yourself from a lot of expensive repair work, simply by keeping your gutters cleaned. Just follow these easy steps to make that happen.

Step 1: Clean out Debris

For this step, you'll need two main ingredients: a garden trowel and a ladder you trust. Climb onto the ladder and begin removing the debris from the gutters. You should always start at the lowest end of the gutter for best results. In general, you'll have an easier time removing the debris when it's damp so consider doing this chore the day after a good rain. If you want to minimize the clean up later, bring along a trash bag and scoop the debris directly into the bag.

Step 2: Rinse out the Gutters

While the scooping can remove the biggest chunks of the debris, you also want to remove everything else, too. To make this happen, bring up the garden hose with a high powered nozzle attached and use the water to wash out the gutters. Make sure the water and the debris it's carrying is being moved towards the drain outlet.

Those are the only two steps it takes to clean your gutters, but those steps can create quite a mess, can take a long time, and require spending a lot of time perched precariously on a ladder. Here are a few tips to possibly make the job easier.

• Always wear sturdy, protective gloves to protect your hands from anything sharp in the debris, as well as the sharp parts of the gutters themselves
• Plan on cleaning the gutters at least twice a year – doing this will prevent it from becoming so clogged that the task is even harder
• Clean out the drain if necessary. Sometimes as the debris starts coming down the drain it can become clogged, too. When that happens, you can break it free with a plumber's auger or with a shot from the hose.

Consider Prevention

If you really hate gutter cleaning, consider purchasing and installing a gutter guard. These guards stop debris from getting into your gutters but still allow the rainwater to pour into them from your roof. In this way, the water can still be safely diverted away from your house - which is the whole purpose for the gutters. While the guards may represent an investment, getting them installed is usually cheaper than paying for damage caused by standing water. Plus, you won't have to clean out those gutters. There are various styles and you'll need to shop around to see which fits your needs. Most are available in the more popular colors, so matching your gutter color shouldn't be a problem.