How to Clean Solar Lights – Complete Guide

Solar energy has undoubtedly been the biggest blessing to humanity ever. Before solar energy was found, the only sources of energy were the conventional and non-renewable sources that always face the fear of getting exhausted.

The conventional energy sources like thermal energy from coal and petroleum were big contributors to the increased pollution in our environment, which is observed even now.

With the coming of solar energy, the use of conventional energy-reduced sources, and thus the contribution to the pollution levels also reduced. Solar energy was available on this planet even before the inception of humanity. Still, it was only a while ago that technology was developed that successfully converted the raw solar energy into electrical energy.

This path-breaking technology consists of solar panels studded with silicon. The solar light, by falling on it, provides energy and triggers a chemical reaction that finally results in the production of solar energy stored in batteries connected through wires.

The most common and widespread use of solar energy is solar power lights. Solar lights, like solar panels, are very modern and significant advancements in technology and households. Today almost every person in this world is aware of solar lights, and many are even using them.

It has a lot of benefits. Let us cover them one by one (if you are aware of the benefits that solar lights carry, you can skip through and jump to the section where I discuss how to clean solar lights. But if you are not aware of this, then you would be after reading this).

Benefits of Solar Lights

Power Saving

Solar lights do not run on the electricity that you receive from the supply lines. Even if you use these lights a lot, you are sure that it will not be harming your electricity consumption as they run on solar energy supplied to them via solar panels.

Less Costly

Although the initial costs of installation and batteries are way more than the installation cost of light, solar light turns out to be a better and wiser option to go in the long run. This is because you do not have to pay high electricity bills as they do not run on electricity.

So you will make up for your installation cost within a year, and after that, you will go to save money that you might have spent on the hiked electricity bills that come with standard lights.

Eco Friendly

Solar lights are eco-friendly. This is because they do not get power from conventional energy sources, which are produced by emitting a lot of pollution into the environment. So, more solar lights usage will result in less usage of solar lights, which will decrease the usage of conventional sources of energy, which will decrease the level of pollution.

Portable

You cannot put a regular light anywhere you wish to. You can only install them in places where you can provide them with electricity. So, this limits the area that can be covered using these conventional lights.

But on. On the other hand, solar lights can be installed wherever you desire them to. All you need to do is set up a source, i.e., solar panel, battery, and wind, re and connect them properly with the bulb in a closed circuit.

You can install them in areas from your main house and cannot be lit up because of the unavailability of electricity.

Now that we are aware of all the benefits that a solar light has to offer us, we can decide which light will fit our requirements the best, whether it be solar lights or the traditional electricity-powered lights.

Solar lights require regular maintenance. Without regular maintenance, you should not expect these lights to run as you desire them to. You are needed to regularly clean the solar lights along with the whole set up to make sure that every component is in perfect working condition or not. This will not be a hectic job if you are cleaning it at regular intervals.

So how to clean solar lights? Let us find it ourselves.

How to Clean Solar Lights?

Cleaning solar lights does not consist of just cleaning the light, but cleaning the whole setup and checking it for repairs or faults. A healthy habit is always to do this activity step wise so that you know what tasks have been already completed and what tasks are yet to be completed. This step by step approach will also help you find a problem at the root level before it is too late.

So, let us see our step-by-step approach on how to clean solar lights.

Step 1 – Clean the Solar Panels

The first and foremost step is to clean the solar panel because if your solar light faces some issues, then the chances are that the root problem is in the solar panel itself.

Solar panels are very costly, and the last thing you want will be to see your solar panel become trash after spending so much money on it.

• Check your solar panel for dust and dirt. If it is dirt-free, then your cleaning endeavor is reduced, but if the solar panel contains dust or debris, you are expected to dust or scrub it off using a dry paper or a dry cloth.
• Remember to do this, as a solar panel might break when excess pressure is applied gently. And I am sure you do not want that
• When the dirt has been cleaned, or the panel was already free from dirt, the next step you are expected to do is clean the solar panel using a small detergent amount.
• You are expected to make it shiny again. Make sure not to use excess pressure while doing this. You do not want to regret it.
• Check for cracks and loose wires. A reason that your solar light is glowing not or adequately glowing at all could be because the wiring has been broken or the solar panel has been broken.
• The second situation would be more problematic, and I hope you do not have to face it.

The biggest reason behind cleaning a solar panel is when the solar panel’s surface is covered with dust or debris. A significant amount of sunlight is restricted from entering the solar panel, and therefore not enough energy is produced to light the solar light properly.

It would help if you made this your rule of thumb to first check the solar panel before proceeding with cleaning the light.

Step 2 – Clean the Battery

The next step on “how to clean solar lights” is to clean the battery which powers your solar lights. The electrical energy converted from solar energy is stored in these batteries through wires.

These batteries continuously face the fear of getting spoiled from oxidation, especially if you live in a place with a lot of moisture content.

• It would help if you cleaned the battery cells after finding a white pigment deposition on them.
• This white pigment is rust and is the result of oxidation. If not given the proper attention, it might cost you your solar light.
• To clean your solar light, you would require scrub paper.
• Also, make sure to clean the case from inside, which stores that battery as it might also have rust deposited in it. If the batteries are still not working, they are probably dead, and you need fresh ones for your solar light.
• Also, always try your best to keep your battery away from moisture as much as possible and check it for rust at regular intervals.

Step 3 – Clean the Solar Light

The next thing that we will need to do in your step by step guide on” how to clean solar lights” is to clean the light itself.

You do not need to clean the light from the inside.

• Remove all the dust and debris that have been deposited in your solar light, as they are the primary reasons for your light to emit weak light.
• You need to dust them with a dry cloth or a dry paper, whatever suits you.
• Use detergent and clean the solar light with a clean piece of cloth.
• It would help if you did this to make sure that your solar light appears as clean as new.

By cleaning the solar light, at last, you have completed the procedure of “how to clean car lights” now, you are ready to practice it on your own and make your solar light a new one. Make sure to carry on this process at regular intervals so that you do not need to do a hectic job by the end of the year and your light remains in good condition.

Conclusion

Above, we have discussed how to clean solar lights, and it could not be simpler than this. It would help if you did this regularly to make sure that your investments are working well and that you are not in a position to spend a fortune (again) by requiring to replace your old solar light and installing a new one instead.

If you are not using solar lights to decorate decks and save on on energy bills yet, I would recommend using it as it has a lot of benefits and almost zero disadvantages. So, what is stopping you from getting a solar light?