# Battery cleaning **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [August 29, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361 "2012-08-29T19:10:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/d/1d47c66a543aa6c5a7873bb2320858f978ff52ed.png) [@system](https://community.cartalk.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/1 "2012-08-29T19:10:57Z")
My battery has built up some gunk around the cables and such and I was wondering what is the best way to clean that gunk off. ---
**Author:** ![RemcoW](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/remcow/32/2471_2.png) [@RemcoW](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RemcoW)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 7:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/2 "2012-08-29T19:13:01Z")
A wire brush to get the big gunk off and then follow up with a solution of baking soda and water. You’ll note it starts fizzing. Disconnect the battery before cleaning it, though. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/3 "2012-08-29T19:27:58Z")
What RemcoW said… Also clean the cable connectors too. ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/4 "2012-08-29T19:34:52Z")
Baking soda or baking powder is preferred. Some old-timers swear by Coca Cola, which actually works. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/5 "2012-08-29T19:38:06Z")
The problem with Coke…it’s it leaves a sticky residue. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/6 "2012-08-29T19:45:45Z")
Baking SODA (not powder ) and wash down with water. WE poured Coke on the battery terminals of a van that would not engage after a band job at 2am. It started right up…( rinsed it off with water later ) ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/7 "2012-08-29T20:04:01Z")
What is most important is to clean the mating surfaces between the battery and connector, not just the outside. Remove the cable from the battery, clean the battery post and the inside of the clamp. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/8 "2012-08-29T20:44:59Z")
Instead of a wire brush, which will leave microscopic bits of steel in the terminals that will cause galvanic corrosion in the future, red Scotchbrite would be better. The green also works but it is not as aggressive as the red. ---
**Author:** ![WesternRoadtripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@WesternRoadtripper](https://community.cartalk.com/u/WesternRoadtripper)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/9 "2012-08-29T20:56:43Z")
Following up on @circuitsmith’s good advice…if your cable ends are not factory formed but have bolts and a small plate which hold the cable to the connector, you may also want to disassemble them in order to clean the wire strands which make up the cable, likewise any smaller wires that attach to the connector. Your objective is to remove as much coating and deposits as possible, get the metal clean. Wearing safety glasses is a good idea for this. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/d/1d47c66a543aa6c5a7873bb2320858f978ff52ed.png) [@system](https://community.cartalk.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/10 "2012-08-30T21:58:13Z")
Would a “hard” toothbrush work also? ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/11 "2012-08-30T22:33:19Z")
I always boiled water with some baking soda in to neutralize the deposits. I never disconnected the battery but if you do, make sure you know what you are doing as far as radio codes and computer issues as discussed in other threads. ---
**Author:** ![RemcoW](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/remcow/32/2471_2.png) [@RemcoW](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RemcoW)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/12 "2012-08-30T23:33:01Z")
> Would a "hard" toothbrush work also? Sure does. Just use your mother in law’s toofbrush, when she visits. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/d/1d47c66a543aa6c5a7873bb2320858f978ff52ed.png) [@system](https://community.cartalk.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/13 "2012-08-31T02:39:59Z")
Not married…😉 ---
**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/14 "2012-08-31T14:21:31Z")
If one or both of your battery posts has repeated corrosion around it, then you likely have a “broken seal” around the post. This allow acid vapors to seep through the post seal and corrode your battery clamp. After you’ve done all the cleaning recommended in previous replies, then apply battery paint (available from parts stores) to the area where the post meets the battery. Don’t paint over your previously cleaned post. Then apply a felt battery pad, which retards corrosion, and reapply your clamp. Some then repaint the completed assembly - I usually do. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/1/d/1d47c66a543aa6c5a7873bb2320858f978ff52ed.png) [@system](https://community.cartalk.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/battery-cleaning/74361/15 "2012-08-31T19:37:35Z")
Actually the crud isn’t around either cable, it’s on other parts of the battery, the terminal’s themselves have very little crud on them at all.