4 Useful Ryobi Tools To Clear Your Rain Gutters And Downspouts

Cleaning out a gutter or downspout can be an annoying task, but it's a necessary one. Having a blockage, whether it's leaves or other sorts of debris, can lead to a lot of problems down the road. You'll want to clear out your gutters as often as possible to avoid this. Ryobi offers a variety of tools that can help speed up the process, and it doesn't have to be daunting if you don't want it to be.

Ryobi tools are only sold at Home Depot, so you'll want to double-check and make sure you have a location near you or go online. If you have one nearby, Ryobi is a perfect brand to target, thanks to the nice blend of affordability and reliability. Ryobi is largely known for its wide array of power tools, and there are a few you can go after that'll make cleaning out your gutters a breeze. To make things even better, you're rewarded for double dipping into the Ryobi pool, as their ONE+ line of tools can use the same batteries as each other. You'll notice that many of the items on the list have that compatibility, so you can save some cash by skipping the battery. All the products on this list are backed up by strong user reviews, ensuring you're getting a well-liked product.

Although this Ryobi blower is meant to be used in the workshop, nothing is stopping you from breaking it out and using it on your gutters. You can pick up the blower for $59 from Home Depot if you omit the battery and charger that'll be needed to operate it. This is part of the aforementioned ONE+ line, so you can reuse your 18V Ryobi batteries if you have an extra. A blower like this will excel at clearing out a bunch of leaves at once. The downside is the fact you'll need to use a ladder to get up to your gutter, but the job will be easy from there.

Perhaps the best thing about this blower is the fact it weighs just 2.5 pounds. This means there won't be a ton of stress in climbing up a ladder and getting to work with it. This is a very well-reviewed product from Ryobi, as evidenced by the 4.7 out of five average rating on Home Depot's website. Given that it's a workshop blower at its core, you can get a lot of use out of this tool outside of just cleaning out your gutter. 

If you're looking to ditch the ladder and stay on the ground, you have that option, too. If you have a tool from the Ryobi Expand-It line, you can add an attachment to it, essentially making it another tool. One such attachment is a blower that can be used to clear out gutters without having to get up on the roof or a ladder yourself. The blower attachment will cost you $119 from Home Depot, and you'll need to make sure you pair it with an existing Expand-It Ryobi tool you have. From there, it's as simple as getting it attached to your tool and going to work. You can use this for various things, whether cleaning out your gutter or blowing leaves out of your driveway.

This blower attachment has a 4.7 out of five rating on Home Depot's website, so you're getting something that many people love if you do decide to go down this path. While it's not exactly meant to be used for gutters, many buyers do note in their reviews that they used the blower for this purpose with no issues. Ryobi is releasing a dedicated gutter cleaner in their Expand-It line, so keep an eye out for that.

A power washer is typically used to clean off your car, driveway, and the siding of your house — but they are also quite useful on gutters. The cordless Ryobi power cleaner allows you to climb the ladder and spray out your gutter easily. You're getting up to 600 PSI of power, which would be more than enough to blast away leaves. You can pick up the washer for $119 from Home Depot, but keep in mind the price is just for the tool.

As for how it holds up among buyers, this cordless power washer has a four out of five average rating on Home Depot's website. The lower power output is one of the big concerns, but as long as you know what you're getting into, it should work just fine. For example, it just might not have enough juice to get a stain out of your driveway. It is, however, compatible with the other 18V Ryobi tools in the ONE+ line. This means you can use the same batteries with those tools that you can with this. You can connect this to a hose or use a standalone 2-liter bottle to make it fully portable.

If you already have a Ryobi power washer and don't want to spend extra to go cordless, you can snag an extension pole that will attach to it. Home Depot sells an 18-foot extension pole for $185, allowing you to reach your gutter easily. This will be able to output up to 4,200 PSI, so it packs much more punch than the cordless Ryobi washer. For that reason, it should be able to knock out tough stains the cordless one can't, and that means it offers a bit more versatility. Of course, if you're grabbing it just to clean your gutters, it'll do that job as well.

This extension pole has a 4.1 out of five rating on Home Depot's website. Some buyers note it can be awkward to clean out a gutter with the extension, but cleaning the exterior of it is a breeze. You can certainly make it work just fine, but the trouble might not be worth it for some people. If you're buying this extension pole with the intention of using it for more than gutters, like cleaning the side of your house, then you'll get a lot more bang for your buck.