Pine needles can be a real problem. Unlike leaves, pine needles are small enough to get into the smallest crevices, including certain types of gutter covers. Gutter Helmet® of Minnesota shares the ways to remove pine needles, and how gutter covers with the best gutter guards reviews can help reduce the amount of clean-up work you need to do.
On the Ground
If pine needles have started accumulating on your garden beds, you can gently remove them using a rake. You will need to use your hands around plants to avoid harming them. Use gardening gloves to protect your hands from sharp points. You might also need to use your hands to clean intricate landscaping components such as rock gardens and stone walls.
You can use a push broom on areas with hard surfaces such as patios and pavement, as it can push of large amounts of pine needles in one go. Remember not to let pine needles accumulate on the ground, especially during the dry season, as dry pine needles are flammable like tinder. Pine needles are best used as mulch, but you can also consign them to your compost pile.
Pools and Ponds
If your home happens to have standing water features such as a pool or a pond, pine needles can form a thick layer over these areas. You should be able to collect floating pine needles using a pool net. There are long-handled tools that are especially designed for this purpose.
Gutters
Many types of gutter protection systems, including the kind that features perforated sheets of metal, are not very effective when it comes to filtering out pine needles. If your gutter system has such a cover, you will need to remove it to fully clean the gutters. Foam or brush gutter inserts are even worse, since they can’t stop pine needles from getting into the corners and other tight spaces.
In either case, you will need to scoop everything out of the gutters and clean the system thoroughly before reinstalling or replacing the gutter covers or inserts. To avoid this issue, consider investing in the gutter protection system that consistently receives good gutter guards reviews: Gutter Helmet. Instead of filtering rainwater, it blocks all manner of solid material—including pine needles—and lets rainwater through by way of surface tension.
Gutter Helmet of Minnesota is your number one provider of Gutter Helmet and Helmet Heat®. Give us a call at (866) 200-5339 or fill out our contact form. We serve clients in Monticello, MN, and surrounding areas.
