Wait for the wind to actually stop
Santa Ana winds tend to blow in waves over several days, mostly from fall through spring. Cleaning on the first calm afternoon often means doing it again the next morning. Check the forecast and give it a day or two of still air before you start.
There is a second reason to wait. Dry wind pulls moisture out of everything, so wash solutions evaporate fast and leave spots and residue. A calm, cooler morning gives cleaners time to work and rinses time to run off before they dry.
What Santa Ana dust actually does
The wind carries fine soil and debris from inland areas and drops it everywhere. It settles into stucco texture, collects in window tracks and screen mesh, coats patio furniture, and forms a dull layer on solar panels. Leaves, palm fronds and bark pile up in corners, gutters and along walls.
On its own the dust is mostly harmless and comes off with water. The risk is in how you remove it. Dust is abrasive. Wiping a dry window, a dark car or a solar panel grinds grit across the surface and can leave fine scratches.
Clean in the right order
Start up high and finish on the ground. First clear gutters and roof valleys of leaves so the next rain does not overflow them. Then wash walls, eaves and windows. Patio furniture comes next, then the patio, walkways and driveway last. That way dirty water from each step lands on a surface you have not cleaned yet.
Blowing debris off hardscape is fine for leaves, but do it before any washing and aim away from the house and your neighbors. Use a broom or blower for big debris only; let water handle the fine dust.
Rinse first, then wash
For windows, flood the glass and frame with a gentle hose rinse to float off the grit before you touch it with a squeegee or cloth. Vacuum or brush out window tracks before wetting them, or you will make mud. Screens can be rinsed gently from the inside out.
For stucco walls, a low-pressure soft wash with a mild house-wash solution lifts dust out of the texture without damaging it. Let the solution dwell briefly, keep it from drying, and rinse top down.
Patio furniture does well with a soft brush, mild soap and a hose. Cushions should be brushed off dry and spot-cleaned according to the fabric label, not blasted.
Solar panels need a lighter touch
Dust on solar panels is a common worry after a wind event. Before you do anything, check your panel or installer guidance, since some manufacturers specify how panels may be cleaned. In general, panels should be cleaned with soft brushes, clean water and no harsh chemicals, and never with a high-pressure tip.
Do not climb onto the roof to do it yourself unless you are set up for roof work. Clean panels early in the day while they are cool. Cold water on a hot panel is not a good idea. Our solar panel cleaning page explains how we handle it, and the rate is $12 per panel as of October 2026.
Afterward, let the panels dry and check them from the ground. A light film of dust returns quickly in windy months, so rinsing them every time the wind blows is not necessary. Cleaning is most useful after the season has dropped a heavy layer.
Patios, walkways and driveways
Once the upper surfaces are done, sweep up leaves and wash the hardscape. Light dust rinses off. If the winds came after a long dry stretch, concrete may have embedded grime that a hose will not remove, and a surface cleaner does a far more even job than a wand.
Keep rinse water out of the street gutter. Los Angeles Municipal Code section 64.70.02 prohibits sending untreated wash water from paved-surface washing into the storm drain system unless a permit allows it.
When it makes sense to have it done
A single windy weekend usually calls for a hose and an hour of work. After a long wind season, or if you have a two-story home, solar panels and a large patio, it can make sense to do everything in one visit. Say Wash It offers a 5% bundle discount for two services and 10% for three or more, and every visit has a $195 minimum. Patio cleaning is $0.65 per square foot and house washing is $0.35 per square foot of wall, and the instant quote on this page will show your total before anything is scheduled.
Key points
Wait for the wind to actually stop
Santa Ana winds tend to blow in waves over several days, mostly from fall through spring. Cleaning on the first calm afternoon often means doing it again the next morning. Check the forecast and give it a day or two of still air before you start.
Clean in the right order
Start up high and finish on the ground. First clear gutters and roof valleys of leaves so the next rain does not overflow them. Then wash walls, eaves and windows. Patio furniture comes next, then the patio, walkways and driveway last. That way dirty water from each step lands on a surface you have not cleaned yet.