How to quickly clean battery terminals

There are cases when the battery terminals become covered with a white or greenish coating. This is the oxidation of metals, it is also called electrochemical corrosion. At first, it does not appear in any way other than an unesthetic appearance, but in the end such corrosion can negatively affect the contact between the connection terminal and the battery pole.
I will show you a very simple way to remove such deposits in no time and keep the entire surface of the battery clean.

We quickly clean car battery terminals from oxidation

Loosen the bolts with a wrench and remove both terminals.

As you can see there is quite a lot of plaque.

Sprinkle the battery poles generously with regular baking soda.

We spill the sprinkled areas with a small amount of ordinary water.

Let it sit for a while to allow the reaction to pass. If necessary, add more soda.

Again we spill everything with water until the reaction products are completely removed.

As you can see, the terminals and poles were cleaned easily and quickly, even without mechanical impact.

Wipe the terminals, poles and the entire top of the battery dry with a dry cloth.

We clean the terminals and poles in any convenient way to remove possible oxide residues and thereby smooth the surfaces.


Treat with protective spray. You can buy it in automobile stores. This will prevent further oxide formation for a long period.

We put on the terminals and tighten the bolts.

The connection to the battery is in good condition and ready for further use.
This method was based on pouring soda directly onto the problematic compound, but there is also a similar method when soda is dissolved in water and the oxides are spilled with this solution.
If there is a lot of oxide, as in this case, then in my opinion it is better to use spillage, since it can create a greater concentration of soda on the surface, thereby increasing the reaction rate. If there is little plaque, then the solution will be a better choice, since it can easily be poured over the entire surface of the battery to remove not only oxides, but also the remnants of spilled electrolyte.

Recommendations for battery maintenance

To keep the battery in constant readiness, I recommend wiping the entire surface of the battery with a soda solution at least once every six months. This simple procedure will remove all oxides and spilled electrolyte from the surface. Thus, the terminals will have low contact resistance, and the cleanliness of the surface will minimize self-discharge caused by contamination.

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