Take the batteries out before you put it away
Batteries left in a stored remote, toy or torch can leak and ruin it. Take them out first, and clean a leak with gloves and goggles on.
From people’s advice and experience shared online; the leak and swallowing steps checked against a maker’s safety data sheet, US Poison Control and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, and NHS guidance, in October 2026.
Open the drawer where last winter’s torch, the spare remote or a child’s toy has been sitting, and the battery compartment may be crusted white and the device dead. A battery that leaked while the device sat unused did that.
Take the batteries out of any device you are putting away or will not use for a long time.
This page is for ordinary household batteries in a device you can open. If the batteries are built in, skip to the last section.
Many people say the same, and give the same reason: it prevents leaks and the corrosion that follows inside the device. One person says older batteries are more likely to corrode and destroy a remote.
Where to keep them meanwhile
One maker’s data sheet says to keep batteries in a dry place at normal room temperature, and says plainly not to refrigerate them, because it will not make them last longer. It also says not to carry them loose in a pocket or bag, and not to recharge ordinary alkaline cells, which may leak or burst. When you replace batteries in a device, it says to replace them all at the same time and not to mix types.
Loose batteries stored with their ends able to touch metal can short out. One person warns that this can start a fire, and says to put tape over the ends when you store them or take them to be recycled; the US Consumer Product Safety Commission advises tape on button batteries before disposal. One person tapes the removed batteries inside the box or case of the device they belong to, so they stay paired with it and are there next time.
If the batteries cannot come out, because the device is sealed or the cell is built in, this page cannot tell you what to do; the device’s maker or a repair shop can. One person warns against pulling out a watch’s crown to stop it, saying it lets moisture and dust in.
If it has already leaked
What leaks from an ordinary alkaline battery is not an acid, even though the leak is casually called battery acid. It is potassium hydroxide, a base, according to the maker’s sheet. Many people use white vinegar or lemon juice, which are mild acids, on a cotton swab or an old toothbrush to clean the crust off the contacts. Some people say baking soda and water works too; baking soda is also a base, so it is not the neutralising step, and one person who used it has since come to prefer vinegar. With the batteries out, gloves and goggles on and the room ventilated, this is what people describe:
- Apply the vinegar with a cotton swab or an old toothbrush, and scrub the crust off the contacts.
- One person uses fine abrasive paper wrapped round a pencil, or the tip of a toothpick or paperclip, to break up chunks first. Some people say only the contact points need cleaning down to bare metal.
- Some people say isopropyl alcohol on a toothbrush works too, and that it leaves no residue; others stay with vinegar because it is easier to get hold of. What decides it, they said, is whether you want what is to hand or the cleaner finish on a delicate circuit board.
- Let everything dry fully before you put new batteries in. One person stresses this.
- One person says to open the device and check whether the leak has reached the circuit board before you decide it is worth repairing, and warns that corrosion may already have damaged the board beyond repair.
Dispose of the leaked batteries under your local rules. The maker’s sheet, written for the US, says alkaline cells can go in household rubbish, and local recycling schemes vary.
What not to try
Some of the advice about reviving a dead battery is a different thing from leaks, and some of it is dangerous. The maker’s sheet says not to heat, crush, take apart, short-circuit or recharge an alkaline battery. One person suggested boiling, microwaving or refrigerating batteries; the people who answered called microwaving a fire hazard and boiling dangerous, and one person said the microwave idea was a joke. The sheet also says refrigerating does not make them last longer. One person described licking battery contacts to improve the connection; the leaked contents are caustic, as above, so do not put a battery or its contacts near your mouth. One person says cola cleans corrosion because of its acidity and adds that its sugar and water can harm electronics if not cleaned off; the people who answered that said fizzy drinks work on vehicle batteries but are not recommended for small electronics such as a calculator. One person says twisting a battery in its housing scuffs the contact and gets a little more life out of a remote. That is a delay, and it has nothing to do with leaks.
Who this page is not for
If the batteries are built in, as in a phone, a laptop or some watches, you cannot take them out for storage and this page has nothing to tell you about them. A swollen or hot battery pack is not a vinegar job, and this page does not cover it. If a child has swallowed a battery, the steps are at the top of the page and they cannot wait for anything here.
Common questions
The device has an off switch. Do I still need to take them out?
It costs nothing, so take them out. One person argues that the off switch already breaks the connection, so removing the batteries adds little. Some people answer that a battery can still leak after it passes its expiry date whether or not the device is switched on, and one that leaks outside the device spoils only itself, not the remote. If you cannot decide, take them out.
Are rechargeable batteries the answer?
It depends on what you value, and this page does not settle it. Many people suggest low self-discharge rechargeable cells, which they say leak less and save money over time. One person warns that this kind loses charge sitting unused and needs topping up once or twice a year, even in a device that uses very little. One person argues that ordinary alkaline cells hold their charge better in a rarely used remote, despite the environmental case for rechargeables. What decides it is whether you put the environment ahead of how long a cell holds its charge in a device that draws little power. One person says rechargeables never leak at all; this page cannot confirm that, so it does not promise any battery type is leak-proof. The device’s own label or instructions say what it accepts.
What about lithium batteries that are not rechargeable?
Some people suggest them for a device you use rarely, because they say they last longer and don’t leak. This page did not check that against a maker or another authority, so treat it as their view, and check the device’s instructions before you put a different type in it. Lithium cells you throw away and lithium-ion cells you recharge are different chemistries, as one person pointed out, and one person adds that temperature extremes are hard on lithium batteries, so a garage is a poor place to store them.
Can I claim for the damage?
One person says that a battery maker may refund or replace a device a leaking battery ruined, if you send batch details and evidence. This page could not check any maker’s guarantee. Evidence matters, so keep the leaked batteries and take photographs before you throw anything away, and read the guarantee on the packet or the maker’s website to see whether yours covers it.
Questions this step helps with
Who can help
Poison Help Line
If you think you or someone near you swallowed, breathed in or touched something harmful, you can call and talk with a poison expert about what to do next. Your call goes to the poison center that serves your area.
In the UK
Full tip: https://findangel.org/tips/take-the-batteries-out-before-you-put-it-away/ · FindAngel.org — free, always.