How to Clean Corroded Battery Terminals

Introduction

If you open your device and see white, crusty crystals on your battery terminals (a.k.a. battery contacts), they’ve most likely corroded. Common replaceable batteries like AAs and AAAs degrade and start to break down over time, and a chemical reaction causes corrosion. Corrosion can stop the flow of electricity and damage your device’s metal contacts. Use this guide to remove corrosion and clean the battery terminals in your small electronic devices.

Note: This guide is specifically for small electronic devices such as video game controllers, TV remotes, or portable speakers. This guide is not suited for car batteries and other large lead-acid batteries.

What you need

Step 1 Safety precautions

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Wear gloves to protect your hands from the corrosion—it's a skin irritant.
If your device still works, power it down completely before starting.

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Step 2 Remove the batteries

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Remove the batteries from your device.
If there's a lot of corrosion, the batteries may be stuck in their recess. Don't try to force them out...unless you're a small, green, force-sensitive creature.
If any batteries are stuck, follow the next step as normal to clean around them.

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Step 3 Remove big chunks of corrosion

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Use a toothbrush to gently remove any bigger chunks of corrosion from the battery terminals and battery recess.
Use the point of a spudger to pick out any bits that are stuck.
Pick around the batteries, and not at the batteries themselves.
Flip your device over and gently shake out the loose corrosion and debris.
Dispose of the corrosion and debris in the trash.

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Step 4 Remove any stuck batteries

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You should now be able to remove any batteries that were previously stuck.
Clean out the battery recess with a toothbrush.

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Step 5 Clean the terminals

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Alkaline batteries contain a base, which is what corrosion is made of. An acid like white vinegar or lemon juice will neutralize this base.
Lightly dip a cotton swab in white vinegar or lemon juice.
Don't soak the cotton swab. Only use a small amount of liquid at a time.
Gently rub the battery terminals with the cotton swab to dissolve and remove the corrosion.
The corrosion may fizz and bubble. Don't worry, this is normal.
Continue this process until there's no corrosion on the terminals.

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Step 6

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Tool used on this step:

Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

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Isopropyl alcohol will remove any residue left from the previous step.
Lightly dip a cotton swab in highly-concentrated isopropyl alcohol (over 90%).
Don't soak the cotton swab. Only use a small amount of liquid at a time.
Gently rub the battery terminals with the cotton swap to remove any remaining residue from the previous step.
Wipe the residue away with a microfiber or lint-free cloth.
Repeat this process until the terminals are completely clean.
Wait two minutes to allow any residual alcohol to evaporate.