Cleaning and maintenance are necessary for all home products, including solar panels on yard lighting. It allows your yard lights to glow as brightly as possible.
In order to maintain everything in your home clean and functional, it is necessary to give it some tender loving care. So the solar panels on your garden lights are no different than the rest of your outdoor lighting system. These lights are a boon to your home since they illuminate vital outside areas such as backyards, walks, and gardens, which are otherwise dark. However, it can get dusty and faded as a result of being exposed to a variety of unwelcome factors from the outside.
Read this article to instruct you on the proper way to clean your home or office. Let’s get this started!
The Tools You Require
Cleaning solar panels on garden lights is a quick and easy task that anybody can perform in their leisure time. However, before we go into how to transform a fading solar panel into a gleaming new one, you’ll need a few tools.
Here’s everything you’ll need to get started on this task:
- Sandpaper. It will be used to sand the dirt and grime off your panel’s surface.
- Alcohol. Wipe the solar cell down with an alcohol solution for an even cleaner finish.
- Soft Brush. If you haven’t cleaned your solar panels in a while, you may have built up some tenacious dirt that is difficult to remove. A soft bristle brush can help you clean filth away that a washcloth can’t. Because solar garden lights are often tiny, a toothbrush will suffice.
- Tape. While you’re sanding the solar cell, wrap some tape over it to protect it from scratches.
- A scrap of cardboard. When it’s time to spray the clear coat, provide an extra layer of protection.
- Use a washcloth or a sponge in the kitchen. It is used to wipe away debris from the surface that is readily removed. Make do with a discarded towel or a soiled t-shirt that you no longer wear. You can also use a sponge from the kitchen.
- Detergent. It will be your go-to cleaning solution. Before wiping and brushing, be sure to mix the detergent with a pail of water. Make sure you don’t use too much detergent when you’re doing this. Remember that you’re simply cleaning the solar panels on the yard lights, not the clothes. Also, don’t add any bleach to the mix.
- Clearcoat. The solar panels on your yard lights will be able to glow the brightest as a result of this.
- Completely dry towels. After you’ve finished washing, dry the solar panels with these dry towels to give them an additional gloss.
Process of Cleaning Solar Panels
You have everything you need to repair and restore your garden lights’ solar panels. Take out your washcloth now. It’s time to go to work on the cleaning!
Sprinkle a little warm water over the top cover of the solar lamp to separate any loose dirt on the solar panels before you begin. It will help get rid of any tenacious dirt adhered to the panel for a long time.
Remove the top cover from the base of your garden lights as the first step. Apply a mild detergent mixed with water on the top surface using a washcloth or kitchen sponge. Make sure you don’t add any additional cleaning solutions, such as bleach, to the mixture while you mix it.
When cleaning stubborn dirt, take your toothbrush and gently slide it across the surface, being careful not to harm the solar panel or any other element of the garden light. It will also help to avoid hairline scratches on your panels’ surfaces.
After you’ve finished, rinse the soap away with water and dry your solar panels with a dry cloth to eliminate any excess moisture. Make sure there’s no water on the inside of the solar panel cover because that’s where the batteries reside.
Once the top cover is dry, clean the rest of the base of your garden lights—in this example, the globes or fixtures.
Before cleaning your fixtures, run water over them. We use the same method for this, soaking a washcloth or kitchen sponge in some detergent. If the fixture of your garden light model is constructed of a breakable material, take care not to break it when scrubbing.
After that, pat it dry with a towel.
Now that the top cover and base of your garden lights are clean and fresh wrap tape over the solar cell of your panel to keep the metal from being scraped or grazed as you clean.
Spray the rough side of a piece of sandpaper with water. Apply the same procedure to the solar cell’s surface.
Using sandpaper, softly scrub the solar cell’s surface. It is done to sand away the top layer of dirt accumulated on your solar cell’s surface. It’s a good idea to keep everything wet and moist when cleaning, so keep spraying water on the cell’s surface throughout the operation. We recommend sanding the surface of the solar cell at least twice.
Next, wipe the surface with alcohol while still moist to eliminate any remaining dirt and filth.
It is arguably one of the most important phases in the operation since it will give your solar panels that much-needed shine.
Grab a pair of scissors and some leftover cardboard after cleaning the cell of your solar panel. Use a square cut to fit the frame of the cell as an overspray shield when spraying a clear coat over the cell.
Move about 12 inches away from the canvas when spraying the clear coat and give it a fast and light spray. Don’t spray too much, or you’ll end up leaking. Wait a few minutes for the first coat to dry before applying the second coat in the same manner.
That wasn’t so difficult, was it? The final outcome is a spotless solar panel that would look great in any garden or backyard!
Important Things to Remember
● If required, replace the batteries of the solar panel.
● It would be best if you cut the plants and shrubs near the solar panel.
● You can consider vinegar when you are cleaning the panel.
● Adjust the position of the solar panels according to the sunshine.
Final Words:
Cleaning and maintenance are necessary for all home products, including solar panels on yard lighting. It allows your yard lights to glow as brightly as possible.
We hope your garden lights are shining brightly now that you know how to clean them!
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