Defects occurring during printing of the photoactive layer in organic solar cells lead to short-circuits due to direct contact between the PEDOT:PSS anode and metallic cathode. We provide a highly effective repair method where the defected zone with bare PEDOT:PSS is treated with aqueous sodium hypochlorite to locally disrupt the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS by over-oxidation. We demonstrate that even macroscopically large defects with a surface area of 10 mm(2) can be repaired, restoring solar cell performance. In contrast, untreated defected solar cells exhibit a significantly increased leakage current and corresponding decrease in light-to-power conversion efficiency. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.