How To Clean Solar Lights | Solar Lights Cleaning Guide
Due to the rise of an eco-friendly environment, solar lights like shed lights, indoor lights, driveway lights, etc. have replaced electric-powered lights. Few people know about solar lights to maintain this concept and a new product in the market.
In this article, we will list out multiple ways to clean your solar light whether it is solar spot light or solar tikki light appropriately to gain maximum performance and output. All outdoor lighting needs some maintenance to ensure proper functioning. Solar lights are a great addition to your property, but they can sometimes get dirty or fade.
How To Clean Solar Lights Panels And Bulbs
1. Wipe The Solar Panels With a Damp Cloth
This is one of the easiest ways to clean your solar panel, bulb, or solar panel. Generally, these panels and bulbs have a smooth exterior which makes it very easy to clean them.
All you need to do is to take a cloth and water and make it damp by soaking it in water. Now use this damp cloth and wipe the surface of your solar light panels and bulbs and make sure you don’t put extra pressure as it is delicate.
2. Clean The Solar Panels With Dish Soap
If you are not satisfied after cleaning the panel with water and you find any chrome on the solar panels. You can take a cloth and soak it with dish soap. Now gently wipe off the solar light surface with that cloth soaked in dish soap.
3. Wipe The Solar Panel With a Dry Clean Cloth
After cleaning your panel, you must wipe it with a dry cloth. This step is necessary to remove all the residue of water or dish soap that might’ve been left out on the panel. Wiping the panel with a dry cloth will prevent any water or dish soap from entering the internal system that might cause damage to the system if crept inside.
4. Repeat The Same Steps a Few Times For Excellent Performance
This is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to clean your solar panel and bulbs to keep them dirt and dust free. Sometimes you might have to repeat these steps a couple of times at once if you are cleaning your solar device after a long time.
Repeating this procedure twice a month will help you get complete performance and 100% efficiency from your solar panel and bulbs.
How To Clean Cloudy Solar Lights
1. Cover The Plastic Of The Solar Panel With Painting Tape
Covering the plastic part of the light with tape will help prevent your panel or bulb from any damage or staining. Painting tapes are easily available at hardware stores; avoid using sticky tape as it will leave behind stickiness and marks when removed. Take painting tape and mark off the border of the panel. Then tape over the rest of the plastic part.
2. Clean The Panels With Soap And Water
Cleaning the panel with soap and water is important as it will prevent any leftover debris or dust that might get under your light and damage it. As a result it could affect solar panel efficiency. Thus it would help if you made sure that the panel is clean. Use a sponge and put a drop of dish soap, and now use this to clean the panel. After doing so, don’t forget to wipe it off using a dry cloth.
3. Apply Lacquer Onto Panels
Applying lacquer on the panels is important to remove fading from the panels. Lacquer is used for sealing and shining the wood. You can get a lacquer spray from the hardware and spray it on the panel.
Apply a thin layer of this spray and leave it on the panel for 30mins before you remove the tape. Avoid using a type of lacquer that has to be brushed on. Keep moving the spray can. Make sure that the lacquer does not pool in any spots.
How To Clean Battery Corrosion Of Solar Light
1. Check For The Signs Of Battery Corrosion
Once in a while, you must check for battery corrosion in your solar panels. Corroded battery, if not replaced for a while, might cause damage to your solar panel or bulb.
The easiest way to know if your battery is corroded is to check if there is a white sand-like substance in the terminal of the battery. Make sure you wear safety gloves to prevent harmful chemicals from touching your skin.
2. Apply Vinegar On Corroded Battery Area
After popping out the corroded batteries, to clean the area, you must use vinegar. To clean the area, you must pour a DROP of vinegar on both terminals pr the corroded area. Vinegar will help to neutralize and dissolve the corrosion caused.
Make sure you don’t pour out the vinegar. Just apply one drop of vinegar, and to be safer, dip a cloth in vinegar and rub it in the corroded area.
3. Use a Toothbrush And Sandpaper to Remove Corrosion
After pouring vinegar, now try scrubbing the corroded spots with the help of a toothbrush to eradicate the corrosion completely. Use a hard bristle toothbrush and scrub in a circular motion to remove the corrosion.
If the toothbrush does not help, use sandpaper to scrub off the corrosion. Take 400-grit and paper and rub it. Again, use circular motions to dislodge the corrosion. This should work off any remaining buildup.
4. Use Alkaline Batteries And Replace Old Batteries
Now that you have discarded all the corrosion and thrown out the old batteries, you can replace them with new ones. Make sure the terminals in the device are clean, and there is no corrosion present. Now use alkaline batteries to restart your solar panel or bulb. Replacing old batteries with fresh ones will give you better results.
Conclusion
We hope by following these cleaning solar lights steps accurately, your solar panel is good as new. As claimed and seen above, maintaining a solar panel is a very easy and pocket-friendly job. We highly suggest using solar products as they are good for the environment and keep it a good place for us to live in.
