Clean Solar Panels

Dirty solar panels can lose 10–25% of their output — cleaning twice a year (spring and fall) is generally sufficient in most climates, more often in dusty or high-pollen areas or if you have many trees overhead. Always check with your inverter's monitoring app before and after cleaning to measure the output improvement. Safety first: if your panels are on a steep roof, hire a professional — falls from roofs kill hundreds of people annually. For accessible panels: work in the early morning when panels are cool to avoid thermal shock from cold water on hot glass. Use a soft brush or squeegee with an extension pole and plain water — avoid abrasive pads, soap, or high-pressure washers, which can scratch the glass or void your warranty. Rinse from top to bottom. Inspect the panels while cleaning for cracks, delamination, bird nesting, or loose racking hardware. Check that all panel edges are sealed. After cleaning, check your inverter's monitoring dashboard — you should see an immediate improvement in output on the next sunny day.