How to hang Christmas lights on gutters

What you need

• Lights: C9, C7 or mini strings sized to your run. Use the calculator.
• Gutter clips: snap-on clips that hook the gutter lip, about one per foot for C9 and one every 8 inches (1.5 per foot) for mini lights. Buy them sized for your gutter (standard K-style is common). Pack of 100 clips is typical.
• A stable ladder: an extension or step ladder with a stabilizer or standoff so it does not rest on the gutter.
• Outdoor extension cords, a timer or smart plug and spare bulbs.
• A helper: one person on the ground to hand up lights and check spacing.

Step by step

1. Measure and plan. Walk the run and find the nearest outdoor outlet. The first bulb should be near the outlet so the plug end does not need a long cord run.
2. Test every string on the ground. Plug each one in and replace dead bulbs or fuses before you climb.
3. Set the ladder. Level, firm ground, base one foot out for every four feet of ladder length (the table below has the numbers). Keep your belt buckle between the rails and do not overreach. If the run is higher than one ladder reaches safely, stop and see hiring an installer.
4. Attach the first clips. Snap clips onto the gutter lip and clip the first bulb in. Clip C9 bulbs one per foot. Mini strings about every 8 inches so they do not droop.
5. Work along the gutter. Keep the cord on top of the clips, bulbs facing out. Move the ladder rather than stretching.
6. Turn the corners. At a corner, leave a little slack and clip on both sides of the bend. At a gable, run the lights up the roof edge with shingle clips.
7. Connect and power. Check the box for the most sets you can join, then plug into a GFCI-protected outlet on a timer. How many strings can you plug together has the limits.
8. Check from the street. Look from across the road at night and fix spacing and gaps the next day.

Ladder safety and weather

• Do not work in rain, ice, snow or wind. Wet gutters and wet ladders slip.
• Keep three points of contact: two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand.
• Do not lean the ladder on the gutter. A gutter is not a structural support and bends or pulls off.
• Never work near overhead power lines.
• If your gutter is above one story, or if the ground is sloped, use a pro.

Do not nail, staple or screw lights to the house. Fasteners damage siding and fascia and can cut the cord. Use clips.

Ladder setup in numbers

Falls were 41 percent of the holiday decorating injuries CPSC counted, and ladder falls caused 3 deaths. The main cause of falls from straight and extension ladders is the base sliding out (CPWR), which is why the angle and a level footing matter more than anything else on this page. OSHA's rules for an extension ladder: base a quarter of the working length from the wall, all locks engaged, never stand on the top three rungs, and keep ladders at least 10 ft from live overhead power lines (OSHA, CPWR).

Taking them down

Take lights down in January on a dry, mild day. Coil each string around a piece of cardboard or a reel, put the clips in a bag, and label the box with the run length. Next year you will not need to measure again. For siding, brick and shingle surfaces see how to hang lights without damaging siding, brick or shingles.

Preview the finished roofline on your house before climbing a ladder. Preview it on my house, free