Solar panel cleaning
Solar panel cleaning across Lancashire & the North West.
Solar panels only earn their keep when they're clean. Dirt, bird mess, pollen and moss all cut the light reaching the cells — and your generation with it. JWF cleans domestic and commercial solar panels with pure water from the ground, no detergents, no scratching, across Lancashire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Cheshire. Same family firm, on the road since 2011.
Solar panel cleaning service
Clean glass, full output.
A solar panel is just a sheet of glass over the cells — and like any glass facing the sky, it collects grime. Out in the Lancashire weather they pick up rain spotting, pollen, bird droppings, moss creeping in from the roof edge and a film of general dirt. Every bit of that blocks light, and less light means less electricity and a longer payback on your system.
We clean panels the same way we clean windows: pure, deionised water through a soft brush on a reach pole, worked from the ground. No tap water (which dries to a mineral film), no detergents (which most manufacturers warn against), and nothing abrasive near the glass coating. The panels dry spotless with nothing left behind to attract dirt back.
Every clean includes
- Pure deionised water — 0 TDS, no mineral residue
- Soft brush & reach pole, worked from the ground
- No detergents or abrasives near the panel coating
- Bird mess, pollen, moss and film lifted off the glass
- Frames and surrounds wiped while we're there
- Fixed price agreed before we start — no surprises
Why it pays
Dirty panels are quietly costing you money.
Unlike a dirty window, you can't see lost solar output — it just shows up as a lower number on your generation meter. That's exactly why it gets ignored.
15–25%
Output that dirt can cost. Studies suggest heavily soiled panels can lose this much generation versus clean ones.
1–2×
Cleans a year is enough for most UK homes to keep panels generating at their best.
25 yr
System lifespan you've already paid for — a clean is a small cost to protect a big investment.
How we clean solar panels from the ground
Pure water, soft brush, no one on your roof.
We don't walk on roofs or lean ladders on panels — both risk cracking the cells and your warranty. Instead we reach the array with a carbon-fibre pole and a soft brush, fed with deionised water purified to zero parts per million. The brush agitates the dirt, the pure water rinses it, and because there's nothing dissolved in the water, the glass dries clear with no streaks or spotting.
It's the manufacturer-friendly method: no detergents, no abrasives, no pressure, no foot traffic on the array. The same approach works whether your panels are roof-mounted on a house, on a commercial unit, or ground-mounted on a frame.
Tap water dries to a film. Detergent voids the warranty. Pure water leaves nothing.
— Why we only use pure waterCommercial solar panel cleaning
Commercial arrays & ground-mounted systems.
Bigger arrays, bigger losses.
On a commercial array, a few percent of lost output is real money every month. We clean rooftop solar on industrial units, schools, farms and commercial buildings, plus ground-mounted systems, across the North West — scheduled around your operations and your generation reports.
For larger or harder-to-reach arrays we'll survey the site first and agree safe access and a cleaning frequency that keeps the system performing without disrupting your day.
Insured and signed off.
Pure-water reach cleaning means no scaffold and minimal access equipment. We supply method statements and our insurance certificate before any contract starts.
Public liability
Certificate supplied before work begins.
Pure water
No detergents, no residue on the cells.
On request
Method statements for your records.
Need a commercial solar panel cleaning quote? Send us the site details.
Get a Site Quote →Solar panel cleaning prices
How much does solar panel cleaning cost?
Domestic solar cleaning is priced by the number of panels, with a minimum call-out so a small system is still worth our trip. We confirm a fixed price before we start. As a guide:
Guide prices only — your exact price is confirmed before any work starts. Adding panels to a window round or a roof clean usually works out cheaper than a standalone visit.
Bundle while we're there
Panels, windows & roof in one visit.
We're already set up with the pure-water system — it's the cheapest time to get the rest of the glass and the roof done too.
Window Cleaning
Same pure-water system, four- or eight-weekly rounds, no contract.
Learn moreRoof Cleaning
Clear the moss that creeps from the roof edge onto your panels.
Learn moreGutter Cleaning
Vacuumed from the ground with before-and-after camera footage.
Learn moreUPVC & Fascia Cleaning
Frames, fascias and soffits brought back to white.
Learn moreWhere we cover
Solar panel cleaning across Lancashire & beyond.
Based in Burnley, we clean solar panels across East Lancashire and into Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Cheshire. Not listed? Ring anyway — we're probably nearby.
FAQs
Solar panel cleaning questions, answered.
How much does solar panel cleaning cost?
For most homes, a small system (up to 8 panels) starts around £60, a standard 10–16 panel system is £80–£120, and larger arrays are priced from about £6 per panel. Commercial and ground-mounted systems are quoted after a site survey. You always get a fixed price before any work starts.
How often should solar panels be cleaned?
Once or twice a year suits most UK homes. Rain rinses off some dirt but leaves a mineral film and doesn't shift bird mess, pollen or moss. Panels near trees, on busy roads, on farms, or at a shallow pitch (where rain runs off less) benefit from cleaning more often.
Do dirty solar panels really affect output?
Yes. Anything blocking light reaching the cells reduces generation. Studies suggest heavily soiled panels can lose 15–25% of their output compared with clean ones, and bird droppings can shade individual cells entirely. Because the loss is invisible, it often goes unnoticed until you compare generation figures.
How do you clean solar panels on a roof?
From the ground, using a carbon-fibre reach pole with a soft brush fed by pure deionised water. We don't walk on the roof or rest ladders on the panels — both risk cracking cells and affecting your warranty. The pole reaches roof-mounted arrays safely from below.
Can I just clean my solar panels myself?
You can rinse accessible ground-mounted panels with clean water, but avoid tap water (it dries to a film), detergents (most manufacturers advise against them) and anything abrasive. The bigger issue is roof-mounted panels — getting on the roof is dangerous and risks your warranty, which is why ground-based pure-water cleaning is the safer route.
Why pure water and not soap?
Pure (deionised) water has had all the minerals removed, so it dries without leaving a film — no streaks, no spotting, nothing left on the glass to attract dirt back. Detergents can leave residue and many panel manufacturers warn against using them. Pure water cleans thoroughly and keeps the panels within their warranty terms.
Do you cover my area?
We cover Burnley, Blackburn, Preston, Darwen, Rossendale, Skipton, Huddersfield, Cheshire and across Greater Manchester. If you're nearby but not listed, send your postcode and we'll let you know.
Get a solar panel cleaning quote.
Tell us roughly how many panels you have and your postcode — for most homes we can price it from that. Commercial and ground-mounted arrays we'll survey first. Quote back within 24 hours.
Quote in 24 hours
JWF Window Cleaning — solar panel cleaning across Lancashire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Cheshire.