Frozen gutters are a massive problem for multiple areas of your home: your roof, your downspouts, your foundation, and the gutters themselves. Any build-up of ice around the tops of gutters (along your roofline), around the elbows of your downspouts, the mouth of your downspout can cause serious issues, ranging from ice dams on your roof to leakage into your basement.

You didn’t clean out your gutters. It is no time to point fingers. You’ll have to take care of those icy gutters ASAP.

Here’s what you need to do:

If icicles have formed on your gutters, then you want to confront that head-on. Sweeping a sturdy broom handle across them will break off the spikes. A hockey stick would also work great. Just be sure to stand as far back as you can. If you’re breaking icicles over a porch or steps, sweep them off so folks won’t slip.

The wrong approach to icicle removal involves anything electric. That means using a blow dryer on a long extension cord is out. You should also avoid using tools like axes or ice picks to chop at the ice. It requires a lot of leverage — which is difficult to produce when you’re on a ladder and bundled up in the cold.

Once the icicles are down, the rain gutters could still be clogged with ice. It would help if you got that ice out, or more icicles will form. A thermos of hot water carefully poured on the offending ice will loosen things up. You have to take extra caution with this, especially if you’re climbing a ladder. Keep safe and go slow. Melting that ice will probably reveal the location of the clog.

As long as you’re up by the gutters melting that ice, you’ll want to clear them of any leaves or debris. It is what caused the icicles in the first place. The goal is to get the water flowing once again. Getting the snow off your roof will also help with this.

The passive option might also be the safest. You could wait it out. But, sooner or later, that ice is going to melt. So, again, removing icicles that present a clear danger is vital. However, if those icicles are hanging from parts of the house that no one walks under, then you might be better off waiting.

The best way to clean icy gutters is never to have frozen gutters. That will require adopting preventive measures on your part. Start with your attic insulation. Oddly enough, you don’t want things to get too hot up there. It could melt the snow and cause refreezing when you turn the inside temps down at night.