Solar panel cleaning cost: What you'll pay to keep savings high

Solar power has become a mainstream choice for American homeowners looking to slash their energy bills and reduce their carbon footprint. In 2024 alone, some 4.5 million homes were equipped with solar panels across the United States. If you’ve got a system installed a few months ago, the next step is to keep it clean so the savings keep rolling in.

Today, the average cost of cleaning solar panels is $8 per panel or around $320 for 40 panels. However, your final bill depends on several key factors, including panel size, location, accessibility, and how dirty they’ve gotten since the last clean. This guide breaks down everything that affects pricing and helps you make the smartest choice for maintaining your solar investment.

Solar panel cleaning prices

To help you with budget planning, we’ve prepared a list showing how much each solar panel cleaning job costs.

 Sometimes, what starts as a routine cleaning turns into something more expensive. Your cleaning technician might spot damaged panels that need repairing or replacing before your system can return to peak performance. 

Here are some common problems that cleaning can uncover and their typical repair costs:

A man checking and cleaning solar panels (Source: iStock)

Factors affecting solar panel cleaning costs

Solar panel location

Solar panels on the ground floor are much cheaper to clean than those on the roof. If your roof is much steeper than average, expect to pay more.

Property location

Solar panel cleaning service prices also depend on property location and accessibility. If you live in bigger cities or remote areas, the cost of living, admin, and gas will affect your budget.

Solar panel condition

Solar panels are exposed to dust, leaves, soot, and animal waste. If your panels haven't been cleaned for a long time, they might perform poorly. It’s ideal to clean solar panels and your entire roof every six months to maintain efficiency and prevent costlier repairs.

Benefits of hiring a solar cleaner

If you plan to save on solar panel cleaning by doing the job yourself, you need to think twice before starting. Here’s why asking a professional to clean your solar panels is a good investment:

Quality assurance

Although home cleaning seems straightforward, solar panel cleaning is a different matter. It requires specialized tools and products. A specialist knows what works best for your solar panel brand and has the equipment or materials readily available.

Solar panel cleaning isn’t for the faint of heart. Fortunately, professionals are prepared to deal with heights and angled planes. One wrong move might result in a huge safety issue. Also, they can clean up animal droppings and other thick layers of dirt.

Safety

Cleaning solar panels means working at heights, often on steep or slippery surfaces. Pros come equipped with safety harnesses, non-slip boots, and ladder systems, and they’re covered by public liability insurance. More importantly, they know how to handle live electrical systems safely, since solar panels generate power even in low light. They can also spot loose tiles, cracked gutters, or structural issues before they become costly surprises.

Better solar panel performance

Hiring a professional to clean your solar panels will make them last longer. Since professionals have experience handling different types of solar panels, they can diagnose potential issues and repair your solar panels immediately.

Need a few damaged panels replaced? Want to add more panels to your existing system? Most professional cleaners work with qualified electricians and can arrange repairs, replacements, or even system expansions during the same visit. This bundled approach often works out cheaper than hiring separate specialists and means less disruption to your home. 

A man wiping solar panels to remove dust, dirt, and debris (Source: iStock)

Get the most from your solar investment

Now that you know what professional solar cleaning costs and what's involved, the decision becomes pretty straightforward. Your panels are sitting up there collecting dust, bird droppings, and whatever else the weather throws at them while you're reading this guide. The sooner you get them cleaned, the sooner you'll see the difference in your energy output.

Ready to find someone who can get your panels gleaming again? Post your solar cleaning task on Airtasker and get quotes from experienced cleaners who understand exactly what your system needs.