How To Clean Cloudy Solar Light Panels? 3 Ways
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Solar powered lights are a great way to illuminate outdoors. But overtime their solar panels becomes cloudy and hazy.
When the panels of your solar lights will be cloudy they will be collecting less solar light to generate electric charge and when less electric charge will be generated solar light batteries will not charge enough make then not last long in the night.
If you are looking to know how to clean cloudy solar light panels? than this article is for you.
In this article, I will share three methods with you to clean solar powered lights panels. These three methods are easy and will take just 5 minutes of your time to clean the solar panels of your solar lights. So let’s dive in.
Can you clean solar light panels?
The first question that come up is can we clean solar panels of solar lights. The quick answer is a big Yes.
You can safely clean the panels of your solar lights with the use right equipment. Sun UV rays oxidizes the plastic solar panels making them look hazy and cloudy. This adversely effect the working of solar lights.
Also having dust on the solar panels can keep them ON in the day. Therefore it becomes very essential to clean them at regular intervals.
How to clean foggy and cloudy solar light panels?
To remove the cloudiness and fogginess from the solar energy powered LED lights you can clean solar lights panels in three different ways. All the three tasks are easy to perform. So let’s see them one by one.
Before moving further make sure to remove the batteries from your solar lights to prevent any malfunction.
Using nail polish remover
The first method to remove fog and oxidation from solar lights panels in by using nail polish remover.
Nail polish removers contain a chemical called acetone which is used as a solvent i.e it dissolves substances.
When nail polish remover is applied to the oxidized panels of solar lights it quickly reacts with the oxidation present on the solar powered lights panels making it loose its state.
When the oxidation becomes loose it can be easily wiped off with the help of a cotton cloth.
This method is beautifully shown by Liz Flynn on her Youtube channel.
Using clear protectant
Using clear protectant you can wash off haze out of your cloudy panels of solar lights easily. This method is shared by RollingTardis on his Youtube channel.
To remove cloudiness from the solar panels of the solar energy powered lights just spray some clear protectant on the panels and leave them for a while. After that wipe them off with a cotton cloth.
Using toothpaste
Third method is to use a toothpaste to clear the haze or oxidation from the solar panels. To perform this method apply some toothpaste on to the solar panels and rub it there.
Leave it for a while and later wipe with a cloth. This hack is shared by Christopher George on his Youtube channel.
Conclusion
Solar lights will not properly light up if their solar panels are covered with oxidation and are cloudy. To keep them working smoothly proper maintenance is required.
One aspect of the maintenance is taking care of the solar panels. Cleaning them regularly is a important part of their maintenance. By using the methods I shared above you can easily remove cloudiness from your solar lights panels.
Additional tips for cleaning solar lights panels
Here are few addition tips you can take help of while cleaning the chalky solar lights panels.
- Don’t use very hard scrubbers to scrub the surface of the solar lights panels. This can leave marks and scratches on the panels surface.
- Always remove the batteries out from solar lights while cleaning them.
- You can use a sandpaper to rub the panel surface before applying anything on them.
- Apply gentle pressure on the solar panels. Putting heavy pressure can break the panels.