# AA Battery Leak



## Kazak (Jan 19, 2004)

Hope someone out there can help:

A "AA" battery in an electronic device leaked, leaving nasty dry white stuff on some of the device's plastic. What's the best way to clean up the mess?


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Mix a teaspoon of baking soda with a half cup of water and use an old toothbrush or a small paint brush to apply it to the white stuff. Let is soak for a few minutes (it will foam as it removes the acid). Then dab off with plain water and a soft cloth or paper towel. Repeat until the nasty stuff is gone. 

Be careful to use it sparingly so it doesn't seep into the electronics themselves.You might even want to hold it upside down so any surplus solution drips onto a paper towel on your work surface.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Strange, I made the post above last night, and it still shows Kazak as the sole poster in the thread. I'm hoping this one will bump it so it appears on the main Everything Else eh? page.

Yep, that did it.


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## Kazak (Jan 19, 2004)

Thanks, SINC. 

I suppose that if there's someone around the house who has earned my displeasure, I don't even have to use an _old_ toothbrush.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Kazak said:


> Thanks, SINC.
> 
> I suppose that if there's someone around the house who has earned my displeasure, I don't even have to use an _old_ toothbrush.


Ouch! Whatever.


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## Rob (Sep 14, 2002)

Sinc's advice works. I've done that trick a few times.

You can also soak the end of a Q-Tip in the baking soda and water mixture. Rub the wet Q-Tip on the metal contacts to help clean them off.


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## EvanPitts (Mar 9, 2007)

Baking Soda will do the trick on all acid based batteries, like Carbon Zinc, Mercury Oxide, NiCad...

But it does not work well at all on Alkaline batteries! As Alkaline batteries are just that, alkaline, and baking soda is alkaline, you will end up making a bad situation worse. What you need is a mild acid. I use a little bit of vinegar on the affected areas, then dry it thoroughly; and then rinse carefully with water, then with pure isopropyl alcohol (even rubbing alcohol will suffice, but be careful to clean off all of the residue). In a pinch, I have even used lemon juice in place of vinegar, and that works pretty good if you do it with care.

If in cleaning the conformal coating (the clear varnish-like coating that many boards have) comes off of the circuit board (if it did reach the traces of the board), you can use clear nail polish to reseal the circuit.

If you have a Lithium battery leak, well, that is usually the end of the circuit anyways, because the batteries have the tendency to burst into flames. Be sure to keep water away from Lithium batteries because lithium is a very reactive element. Just cruise the Internet to see the results of laptop (or whatever) fires!


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