Have you made an effort to jump-start your car battery and was surprised that it was covered in gunk? Had you been wondering what the glop was, it was battery decay, formed by acid condensation. You can easily clean this by using a simple chemical solution. Something as simple as baking soda may effortlessly clean the battery acid. Cleaning up your battery isn’t really very difficult to accomplish but you should take necessary precautions.

Safety First

You will need to first get the supplies you need, most of which are located in your home. The standard tools you will need are a pair of safety glasses to protect your eyes, adjustable pliers, and a screwdriver with insulated handles, a stiff-bristled brush, and the key component, baking soda. Some open-end and box wrenches, a plastic or metallic scraper, cleaning brushes for a battery terminal, and a turkey baster or perhaps a small funnel. You must also have a few sponges, spray-type household cleaner, rubber gloves in addition to a bucket of clean water. It may seem like a great deal of stuff to clean the apparatus, but it will keep it safe and non-hazardous.

Some of the corrosive build up contain sulfuric acid, so it is a wise idea to use the safety glasses to protect your eyes, and the rubber gloves for your hands. Be mindful never to get the deposits on the car since it will probably damage the car’s paint job. Based on the level of dirt and oxidation on the battery, the cleaning can vary, and some of the steps might not be necessary. So that you can totally eliminate the dirt and corrosion, you will need to take the battery out of the vehicle. First, take the plastic or metal scraper to get off just about any dirt you can, and also use the bristle brush.

DIY Cleaning Solution

The next thing is to create a mixture of one tablespoon of baking soda to a pint of water, and take the turkey baster, and carefully apply the solution to the outside of the battery, along with the cable connections. You can then use the bristle brush to loosen and remove the deposits from the battery and you want to remove the cables so that cleaning will be easier. Take advantage of the pliers or perhaps assorted wrenches to loosen the connection before pulling them off, starting with the negative first, and then the positive. For those terminals and any other parts, work with the brush again to remove the corrosion and do a flush using the baking soda solution.

If perhaps there are still some dirt and grease left, use the spray household cleaner and sponge to remove them. Dry everything off using a thoroughly clean cloth and then reassemble everything the way you took it apart, reconnecting the positive first. Check things are secure and you then have a clean, safe battery.