Is Cleaning Battery Terminals Without Disconnecting Safe?

‍Cleaning The Battery Terminals Without Disconnecting

Corroded batteries are the main cause of decreased performance and battery life. Corrosion is easy to spot, since you’d notice a white or blue covering on the battery terminals or cables. Keeping the battery clean is important if you want it to perform well and last long.

You don’t have to remove the battery from the vehicle itself before you clean it. The terminals are visible when you open the hood of the car and locate the battery. Of course, battery terminals can be very dangerous to touch, and can electrocute you if you are not careful.

Therefore, no matter what, you must make sure that your car’s ignition is turned off, so that no current is flowing through the wires. Without the current, you can work safely even when your battery terminals are connected.

However, you should not risk your safety, and it is best to disconnect the terminals when you clean your battery. If you do clean it without disconnecting, it is best to spray some hot water on the terminal to get rid of dirt and deposit. Then you can use a toothbrush or wire brush to scrape and scrub the residue. Use a towel to get rid of moisture so it doesn’t end up rusting, and your terminals should be clean.

However, again, keeping safety as your priority, disconnecting the terminals when cleaning is a much better practice.

How to Disconnect Battery Terminals

To disconnect the battery terminals, you should first remove the clamp from the negative terminal. Any contact between the clamp and the battery can reactivate the car’s electrical system which can be dangerous.

The negative terminal is the one that is connected to the chassis, so if the positive terminal is instead disconnected first, it will arc if it comes in contact with any metal part of the car and can be extremely dangerous. For your own safety, it is good practice to always disconnect the negative terminal first.

How to Clean Battery Terminals

The terminals of your car battery will have deposits which you need to scrub off. Since these are due to chemical reactions, you can’t just wipe them off.

Vinegar contains acetic acid, which is not a very strong acid but can trigger the chemical reaction needed to get rid of corrosion and deposits. Disconnect the terminals with a wrench, and apply a mixture of baking soda and vinegar on the terminals. Let it sit for a while so the reaction can take place and loosen the deposits and dirt on the terminals.

Scrub it with a wire brush and clean it with water.

Another option is to use Coca Cola. Like vinegar, Coca Cola is an easily available option. Since it is a carbonated drink, it dissolves the metal oxides and gets rid of the rust on metals and alloys. There is also acid in the drink, which neutralizes the corrosion and cleans the terminals.

Again, first you need to disconnect the battery terminals or turn off the car’s ignition. First, scrape off the deposits as much as you can before you start with the coke. Once done, pour some of the drink on the terminals (but make sure it doesn’t drip anywhere else!) and leave it for about 10 minutes.

After a while, you will see that the coke has broken up the corrosion and deposits. Clean it with water and wipe it all off with a towel.

Make sure you dry the terminals and any metal parts after you’re cleaning them with water. If the terminals are left exposed to moisture, they can oxidize and begin to rust.

When reattaching the terminals, make sure to do so in the opposite order. When you remove them, you go negative first. When reattaching, you go positive first. If you attach the negative terminal first, you can create a spark which can cause an explosion if the battery is off-gassing.

When you’re done cleaning, you can also add petroleum jelly to the terminals to avoid further corrosion.

Why Do Car Batteries Corrode?

Car batteries corrode for a number of reasons. For one, if the terminals are loose, the battery doesn’t get properly charged, and this can result in corrosion. Electrolyte overfilling can also cause a corrosive reaction, and so can overcharging or undercharging. Hydrogen gas also gets released from the battery, and if it makes contact with the terminals, it can cause corrosion.

So, while you can safely clean the battery terminals without disconnecting them, the precursor here is that the ignition for the car must be turned off, to prevent serious burns and injuries.

On top of that, even with the ignition turned off, it is best to remove the terminals before you clean them for maximum safety. There are plenty of ways to clean battery terminals – with or without disconnection – but the best option for cleaning them is to first disconnect them before you do anything around the battery. This is especially true if you have to touch the terminals or use any metal parts around them.