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Soap Should Remain on a Rope – Why You Shouldn’t Clean Solar Panels with Dishwashing Detergent
A University of Turku study found that dishwashing detergent can reduce the amount of light solar panels transmit — even after rinsing. Here’s what solar owners in Pretoria need to know.
Riaan L
Marketing Director & Co-Founder
· 2 min read
When it comes to cleaning solar panels, the instinct is often simple: if the glass is dirty, add some soap, give it a scrub and rinse it off. After all, that works for windows, cars and household surfaces.
But solar panels are different — and a recent study from the University of Turku in Finland gives solar owners another reason to think twice before reaching for the dishwashing liquid.
What the Study Found
Researchers at the University of Turku investigated how different household cleaning products affect the ability of solar panel glass to transmit sunlight. Their findings were particularly interesting when it came to dishwashing detergent.
The glass cleaned with dishwashing detergent transmitted less light than the dirty glass.
In other words, a panel can look cleaner while actually allowing less sunlight through. Simply rinsing the detergent away was not enough to restore the glass to its original light-transmission level.
Source: University of Turku press release – Solar panels should not be cleaned with dishwashing detergent, shows new study
Why This Matters
Solar panels are designed to capture as much available solar radiation as possible. Their glass often has an anti-reflective coating that plays an important role in allowing light to reach the solar cells efficiently.
The University of Turku study found that, among the cleaning products tested, dishwashing detergent was the exception — it negatively affected the optical properties of the studied anti-reflective coating.
This highlights an important point:
Clean-looking doesn’t necessarily mean clean-performing.
A Better Approach
Your solar panels are a significant investment. Using whatever happens to be under the kitchen sink may seem like an inexpensive shortcut, but the wrong cleaning product can leave behind more than just a shiny surface.
At HelioClean we treat solar panel cleaning as specialist maintenance, not household cleaning. We use purified RO/DI water and soft, solar-safe methods. The objective isn’t simply to make the panels look clean — it’s to clean them properly while protecting the equipment and helping your solar investment perform at its best.
So, before you reach for the dishwashing liquid…
Keep the soap in the kitchen. Let the professionals handle the panels.
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