How to clean Battery Acid leaks in Electronic Devices, different batteries need different methods.

[@danizig7]

You just saved my 27 year old son's favorite toy from childhood, so that his four-year-old sister can play with it. Thank you so much!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad I could help! Your comment made me smile. I love knowing my videos are helping people. Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@autumn-works]

Wow! Awesome video - this fixed my issue! My acoustic-electric guitar had a preamp on it that stopped working. It had some battery corrosion, and I wasn't sure how to fix it or if I should just replace the whole preamp. I almost took it to a repair shop to get it fixed (which can be expensive!). This video saved me so much time & money - thanks again!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad I could help. Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@organizersrus]

Your cat in the background was cracking me up. He or she was really wanting to do some re-arranging. Lol!! Too cute! Thank you for this video!!

[@DIYwithWayne]

LOL, Yep, that's what cats do. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@hartlow946]

An alkaline battery does not contain acid. That is why it is called alkaline. Alkaline and acid are at the opposite ends of the pH scale. That is why you use an acid (vinegar) to neutralize an alkaline battery (alkaline flashlight battery) and use baking soda (alkaline) to clean the corrosion on a lead acid battery. You never mix baking soda and vinegar together and use for cleaning because once mixed you have a neutral material. Use one or the other by itself.

[@facetious1_4M2F0]

Under regular use, an alkaline battery will not leak. Manufacturing defects can cause leakage, but mostly, it's lack of use until the hydrogen builds up, breaking the seal for the ALKALINE to get out. Absolutely correct, alkaline battery..."leakage" is an alkaline, not an acid, but alas, people are dumb, and go around calling things what they already know them as (or just something completely incorrect). So why call it battery "acid" ? The term comes from the sulphuric acid used in lead car batteries, which is much more toxic. That's also why we have if you want a delicious mixed berry milkshake or berry pancakes, you have strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries...but none of them are berries! You should have picked banana or grape!

[@jillwirsing7544]

I like how thorough you are in explaining things! Thank you! I appreciate the tip on what to do with corroded batteries once you take them out. And I enjoyed the kitties in the background, too 😊

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@1stCorinthians2_14]

Thank you Wayne! I’ve cleaned car batteries many times, but I didn’t realize baking soda won’t do the trick for cleaning up alkaline battery leaks!

[@DIYwithWayne]

I did it the same thing many times.. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@martinbachmann6283]

Mr. Wayne, I be a fellow Southerner from Florida, & I REALLY enjoyed your most excellent instructional-video here! I'm a retired career elementary-ed/early childhood Teacher, & I most definitely know GREAT instructional-technique when I see it, and you Sir, HAVE that talent. Now I know why baking-soda paste doesn't work well with alkaline-battery corrosion removal projects! Your instructional area/setup is WELL DONE as well; very easy to see what you were doing, plus I noticed the mounted "whiteboard" in the background? Like the method in which you just re-located the annoying electrical-switch directly into the whiteboard too - I'm gonna be stealing this idea from you! And finally, yes, I noticed the two Kitties in the background too - they appear at the very beginning, & then at about 6:18 point? Um, it looks like the white Kitty doesn't like how you have the Kitty-feeder located/positioned perhaps? 😄 Thanks again for sharing with us all!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Hello Martin, Thank you for the many comments. It helps my KZbin Channel a lot. The white board, well, it's just a wall. The 2 kitties are Bella (the black one) and she passed away about 8 months ago. :-( The white one is Tater. He LOVES to eat. LOL Good luck with your projects and have a great day.

[@kellycarroll6829]

I am going to use this method! good advice too! 💚appreciation and blessings to you and your family!🕊

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad I could help. Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@alphacentauri1757]

Thank you Wayne, you explain it very, very well!

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome and be careful with the old batteries. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@Deblonde57]

Thank you so much for your step by step!! I cleaned all the exploded batteries in my expensive candle and it works perfectly again!!!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad it helped! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@tilesandbricks7539]

i accidently put some duracell ultras in water for 5-10 minutes i realilsed that happened and threw them away but i am worried they might have leaked...do you think 5-10 minutes in water can cause them to leak?? plz reply i would really appreciate it sir

[@DIYwithWayne]

I don't think that would cause them to leak but I would not use them. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@wal]

Great video, thanks for explaining the importance of determining the type of battery. I'm guessing most who see AA's don't consider they were lead acid at one time and if you have.a very old piece of electronics it's possible you have a different battery type. I recently found a removable car radio from the late 50's and it has AA sized batteries inside that have leaked and hopefully I can get this unit cleaned up and show it off! It was from a 1958 Oldsmobile and the radio is by Delco called the "Trans Portable" car radio. Pull it out of your car and listen to AM radio at the picnic! Pretty cool 😎

[@DIYwithWayne]

That's great, good luck on your project. Let me know if it worked for you. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@iwerk2hard]

"AA" size batteries were NEVER lead/acid, they were carbon/zinc.

[@ellielynn8219]

Thank you for this! I feel like your the grandpa I never had. 💜

[@DIYwithWayne]

I'm glad you found it helpful! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@Ninatube232]

I needed this video!!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Hi Nina, I hope you find it useful. Let me know if it worked for you. Have a great day!

[@layman6556]

It would have been good if you added a picture as well after cleaning the unit just to see its results. Nonetheless, thanks for this video, it was detailed and well explained. 👍

[@DIYwithWayne]

Great suggestion! Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate that you took the time to leave a comment. We can all learn from each other. Hope you have a great day.

[@michaelkortuem4294]

Thanks you for this!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad I could help. Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@richardsilva-spokane3436]

Thanks! Great info. I use an emery board to do the light sanding.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Good idea, the emery board will do a very good job. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@rolandberard8958]

Thank you! Well done and generous of you.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Our pleasure! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@dudustickytricks]

Thank you, sir, for sharing your wisdom. Much appreciated. Take care, and have a good day.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@davidk6269]

This is very helpful! Thank you for this upload!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Hello David K, You are very welcome and thank you for visiting. We hope you have a great day.

[@lillianvazquez6672]

Thank you so much. 💓 you are like my cool uncle who teaches us great stuff.

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome. Such a nice comment. Thank you!

[@tw5681]

Great, informative video

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@Dondonmixedflip]

Thanks Unc! Helped me clean my code entry door lock.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad I could help! Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@danniblade9423]

Great video, well explained.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad you liked it! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@bobbythurman4456]

Thanks much for video, clear & help instructions, to include affordable way to us household items to fix common issues that might seem impossible to fix. God Bless

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@almostlunar8302]

You’ve got great production value!

[@DIYwithWayne]

I appreciate that! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@quietedcricket]

i’m getting ready to clean up some very old video game controllers that has had batteries in them for lord knows how long. This video helped a lot with understanding safety and proper disposal so thank you!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad I could help Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@Cadence448]

Thank you it helped my old snowman

[@DIYwithWayne]

You're welcome. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@majicclearline7802]

Hi nice information. I thought I'd mention that if you want to prevent fluid from falling into the unit you're cleaning you could turn the unit upside down that it the fluid would not leak into the unit. I also like to keep con swabs available to help clean and also to help dry.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for your suggestion and for visiting our channel. We hope you have a great day.

[@Tupelo777]

Thanks how do you clean up after nicad and nmh?

[@DIYwithWayne]

Call the manufacturer. The chemicals are very bad. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@CougarCat21]

How abt Ni-Mh or Nickel Cadmium rechargeable batteries that leaked? Will it be the same & effective to use vinegar too?

[@DIYwithWayne]

I have not tried to clean this type but my research said use baking soda. mix with a little water and it should fizz when neutralizing the acid. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@CougarCat21]

@@DIYwithWayne Thanks 👌👍

[@clxyt1154]

Love the southern accent man!! Where are you from?

[@DIYwithWayne]

Hello, I'm from North Carolina!

[@donnaparks1919]

Kitchen gadgets and battery push light's other items. Thanks for video happy holidays

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome and thank you for visiting, have a great day.

[@brookiecookie6675]

Great video ! Thanks .

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad you liked it! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@emeldaabadlah6622]

Thank you so much sir , this was extremely helpful Cleaned my battery operated candles and they are working again just like a brand new

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome and thank you for visiting, have a great day.

[@zoomboy57]

Just a correction on battery types before alkaline Hubert in 1890 invented the flashlight and founded Everready and they used dry cell ( carbon zinc) that was battery that was used in portable or hand held devices until the advent of alkaline in the 1950s but they didn't come to the market until the late 1960s. Leaking batteries has been a bane to all of us.

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are correct. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@JewishMusicToronto]

Thanks for this! I always thought it was alcohol that did the job. The vinegar fixed it right up!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad you found it helpful. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@GANHEDDO]

Thanks Wayne!

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome and thank you for visiting, have a great day.

[@mariebrown4966]

Thanks

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome and thank you for visiting, have a great day.

[@heidilehman9009]

I have a remote control where the battery compartments are on the bottom of the control. So the batteries go down inside and it’s very small ports that are very difficult to see 🤷🏼‍♀️ any suggestions how I can clean the corrosion? It’s AAA batteries

[@DIYwithWayne]

Maybe try using the extra long Q-tips. Some drug stores carry them, as well as medical supply companies and Amazon. Here is the Amazon link amzn.to/3ricq9K They should fit nicely into your small port. Good luck with your project.

[@heidilehman9009]

@@DIYwithWayne ahh ok thank you!!

[@bernadinelove1567]

Thank you for this video. Thank you also for the care you have taken to promote safety and recycling. I also appreciate that you have answered your questions and comments. Very classy indeed! I have been having a lot of problems with leaking batteries. I saw one comment that they used alcohol, which is what I thought would be best. Now that you've explained it so clearly, I realized I should have figured that one out on my own. My question is about the cause of the alkaline battery leaking. Is it just that the brand new, just out of the package from the store, dated 2030 battery is bad or can there be a problem with the device? Remotes have been the biggest problem. The brand remotes are out of production, so all I can do is buy after market brands. I thought maybe these off brand, made in China products may have caused the battery to leak. If that is possible, is there a way to tell what has caused the leak? I have always been afraid to put another new battery in the device, thinking it would make that battery bad too. Of course that gets way expensive when a brand new battery has less than a month before it dies. Thank you Oh and I love the kitties too. So sorry the black one died. They are so precious.

[@DIYwithWayne]

There's not much way to tell what makes them leak but most only leak after they are mostly dead and still in a device. But there are always exceptions. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@midimike88]

Thanks, perfect!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad you found this helpful. Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

[@dylanhavlicek4444]

Thanks for making this video

[@DIYwithWayne]

It's my pleasure. Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@ThisIsSupposedToBeAnAT]

Can you do a video on how to repair corrosion inside a camera due to batteries? I found my mom’s old Nikon camera and it had super corroded batteries. I got them out eventually but it won’t turn on

[@DIYwithWayne]

The video tells you how to clean the corrosion inside the battery compartment. If the corrosion is beyond that I would suggest sending the camera to a Nikon Repair Location. Good luck with your project and have a great day.

[@lillithjones993]

Thank you for this video!! Duracell AA battery in my dead bolt got on the circuit board next to where the contact is to the battery pack. Can vinegar be used to clean the acid off of the circuit board?

[@DIYwithWayne]

Yes but only use as much as needed. Too much vinegar can also do damage. Good luck with your project and have a great day.

[@marvinboggs]

Thank you, Sir.

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@toasterman4148]

Thank you

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@homehelpheart7440]

Thank you so much for this video! My bathroom scale batteries corroded so badlynthatnthe scsle won't work even with new batteries (like your blood pressure cuff), but it's still in great shape so I didn't just want to throw it away. Now I'm am hopeful I can save it! Thanks again!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Good luck with your project and have a great day.

[@AndjelaDjordjevic-be3oj]

Hi Wayne. Can i use lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar for cleansing alkaline battery leakage?

[@DIYwithWayne]

I have not tried lemon juice but I expect it will work well. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@imjusttaylah]

THANK YOU WAYNE😄😄

[@DIYwithWayne]

You're welcome! Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@AlejandroJCura]

Great video, thanks a bunch!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Hi Alejandro, Glad you found this video helpful. Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@dianeuerata3144]

Great video thanks so much

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for taking the time to leave a nice comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@ATrekafied]

Very helpful, thanks!!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@fruttlicious]

After using vinegar and baking Aida from a cup. Do you just pour it down the drain?

[@DIYwithWayne]

Yes, you can put either or both products down the drain. Baking soda and vinegar are actually good for your drain. The foaming action they produce together can help keep drains clean. Thank you for your question and for visiting our website.

[@fruttlicious]

@@DIYwithWayne Thank your for the replay back!

[@homehelpheart7440]

QUESTION: does it have to be apple cider vinegar or can it be any kind of vinegar?

[@DIYwithWayne]

Yes any vinegar will work.

[@homehelpheart7440]

Awesome, thanks!

[@erikb8172]

I have a white substance that looks very similar to battery corrosion on my work bench. What can I do to determine it is actually battery corrosion?? What experiment can I do to determine that it is this or not?. I added Vinegar to it and baking soda with water...and No fizzing with both. Any ideas?? Sounds like an odd question,i know,but it is VERY important I rule out White Battery corrosion! Please help. Thanks....

[@DIYwithWayne]

If no reaction to vinegar or baking soda, it should not be an acid. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@1ambulator]

I have always used alcohol and it rarely worked. Now I know why. Thanks.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@frankentronics]

Good man.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@Captain271FD]

I had no idea you use vinegar on alkaline! My whole life I thought baking soda for everything! 🤣👍👍👍

[@DIYwithWayne]

Hope you find the information helpful. Thank you for visiting my channel, have a great day.

[@TheMatixen]

@@DIYwithWayne Will any vinegar work? or just apple cider vinegar?

[@DIYwithWayne]

@@TheMatixen Yes it will.

[@locobones1596]

Thank you you helped me so much my oculus quest controller stopped working and this fixed it thanks

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad I could help. Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@mikeross3783]

Q-Tips for detail !

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for your suggestion and for visiting our channel. We hope you have a great day.

[@_pauly_3127]

What do you do if you accidentally touch the liquid leaked out of an alkaline battery? And what could happen?

[@DIYwithWayne]

Follow these steps if you get battery acid from an alkaline batter on your skin: Immediately flush the area with lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Remove clothing and jewelry from the affected area. Wait to see if symptoms appear. If you still feel a burning sensation on your skin after 20 to 30 minutes, continue to rinse with a stream of clean water and contact your doctor or the Poison Control Hotline. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@MrDe0]

2:02 Oh Shit, i kept smelling this crystal yellowish thingy while i am washing it😭😭😭, am i gonna die or something ? 😥

[@DIYwithWayne]

If you're still alive, you're probably going to be ok.😂

[@lucinettealvaradorivera9535]

Hi sir, thanks for the video. You need prescription safety glasses. Normal glasses as you are wearing, will not protect you.

[@DIYwithWayne]

They do offer some protection but safety glasses would be better. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@nanushkalubbe995]

I found two toy horses with button battery corrosion how do I fix this? With one of them, the button batteries won't come out and is a brown color. The other one isn't as bad just slightly greenish blue on the terminals. Thanks for the vid

[@DIYwithWayne]

First you need to check to see what kind of batteries they are. Most will be alkaline and clean them with vinegar. If lithium, call the manufacturer because they are much more dangerous if they leak. As for the one you can't get the battery out of, I would need to see it. Good luck with your project and have a great day.

[@nanushkalubbe995]

@@DIYwithWayne I'm pretty sure it's both Alkaline corrosion. Unfortunately for both toys they can't be opened, they don't have any screws. So the corrosion has more than likely spread to the in side for both of them.

[@DIYwithWayne]

It's a shame so many items are made so they can't be serviced. Some snap together so you may try prizing them apart but you also risk breaking them.

[@gmsmolen]

why apple cider vinegar? Seems like White distilled vinegar would suffice

[@DIYwithWayne]

The white vinegar will work fine. I was just using what I had, but any vinegar will work. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@Groundskeeper-c4n]

🕯🙂👍

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@Groundskeeper-c4n]

@@DIYwithWayne You as well brother. 🙂

[@chadchin2500]

Some one gave me a camera flash with no battery in it when I got home I open it and find a aluminum foil wen I removed it out I saw corrosion so I used a cotton that I rap around a toothpick and a bit of vinger to clean off the copper wen I removed it on the the cotton look like a dark green color so I did a scan clean with the vinger but wen wen I look on KZbin I hear there is acid battery and alkaline battery so I started to panic over the camera flash I have no clue what battery the guy uses aa batteries alkaline or acid aa batteries!! So I have no clue so I put backing soda powder in to the flash because I was using vinger to clean it some one say don't use vinger on acid battery leak so because I started to use the vinger to clean on the inside of the external camera flash body I ran in door to get baking soda powder I had no time to mix it water I just put the power to try to fix the problem it's not my camera flash so it was given to me for free by the guy who had a old film camera it had no battery in it to say what it is alkaline battery or acid battery if its me ill will look at a new battery and read it to see if it's alkaline and I take note of the bride of battery and then write it down in a notebook alkaline battery AA batteries if I buy A A battery that say acid battery not alkaline battery I take note of the bride and and have it tag as acid battery only so I don't get confused

[@DIYwithWayne]

If the old batteries were AA AAA C or D size, they were almost certainly Alkaline. With all you did, I expect you are good to go. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@selenaalvarado1563]

My son put a bubble toy with batteries into the pool I’m so scared because I was unfilling the pool with socks on and socks got soacked with that water I walked in with those socks in my house now I’m scared and paranoid ☹️😭 help me , idk what batteries they were I’m too scared to look

[@DIYwithWayne]

You and your pool will be OK. I would suggest gloves, but open the battery compartment. If the batteries are not leaking (most likely they are not), you are all good except the toy may be bad from the water. If the batteries are leaking, use this video to clean up. Good luck with your project and have a great day.

[@TheReal1953]

I ruined a couple of VOM's because I was using white vinegar and the digital screen was on the other side of the battery terminals. Vinegar got into the screen itself.....not good. Should have taken the time and used a swab rather than let the vinegar flow everywhere. Moral is; Be careful where you flow the vinegar...take your time, and think it through.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Very good advice and sorry to hear about your VOM's Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@TheReal1953]

@@DIYwithWayne Thank you...the only upshot to this is that those particular VOM's are not that expensive if you bide your time on eBay and other sites. And now I have a box of VOM parts for donor stuff. It's a particular series of VOM's from Radio Shack. I have no idea how they rate overall, it's just that I'm used to using them in the real world. And thanks for the vid!

[@CalPil0t]

Glad I went through the comments some. I have a vintage Simpson 260 series 6 VOM with one terminal corroded blue. While it is an analog meter, your caution to proceed slowly with a small amount of vinegar is still appreciated. Thanks to both of you.

[@davidfalconer8913]

Remember Lithium cells are 4 Volts ( fully charged ! ) , so one cell ( soldered in ) should replace 2 or 3 alkaline cells ( you do the math ! ! ) , also NEVER charge a multiple cell stack without electronic battery management ... if you do not want to bother with this complexity , charge each cell ( individually ! ) from a 4v2 ( MAX ) current limited source ... this takes time , but gives peace of mind that no cell should catch fire .... ( tried - n - tested ) ....... DAVE™ 🛑

[@DIYwithWayne]

Good info, thanks for the heads up. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@77777771955]

Your regular glasses, not safety glasses 😂😂😂

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are correct but good enough for me. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@Visiorary]

Reuse your K-cups from your Keurig for liquids!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@squarehouse5918]

Too much talk for cleaning smthng. Clean takes 1 minute > talk 12 minutes..bla bla

[@DIYwithWayne]

Hello square house, sorry you found this video tedious. Not everyone has the same skill set. I try to gear my videos to those that might be more of novices in working on DIY projects, therefor I give a lot of information. Someone with more skill would find it tedious. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@KindCountsDeb3773]

@@DIYwithWayne You are right Wayne. This guy was being a troll, never considering other people's needs. Thanks.

[@KindCountsDeb3773]

where is Your helpful site??? OH, then go away.

[@victormelopress]

Actually, all the "talk" is full of helpful information. I found it extremely helpful! You should take the time to thank the author for his patience and dedication instead.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for your kind comment. Hope you have a great day.

[@Bullseyebabe]

Thank you Mr. Wayne!!!!!

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome and thank you for visiting, have a great day.

[@iwerk2hard]

Older flashlight batteries, (before alkaline), are NOT lead/acid batteries, they are carbon/zinc. The "acid" you make reference to regarding alkaline batteries is NOT acid, it is alkaline, which is very BASE or BASIC, (defined as having a PH greater than 7). Vinegar is acidic, (defined as having a PH of less than 6), and that's why it interacts with the very BASIC alkaline residue that has escaped from the alkaline batteries. Note: Baking soda has a PH level of about 9.5, the alkaline substance in batteries has an even higher PH. Vinegar and lemon juice have a PH level of about 2. Mixing vinegar and baking soda creates quite a visible reaction as testament to how vinegar, (acid) reacts with the alkaline residue, (Base), of a leaking from an alkaline battery.

[@petershaw7521]

Nice and useful video. The older type of batteries are carbon-zinc and they are acidic (not lead acid - that's your car battery!). If you're not sure of the type, I guess you could use some litmus paper, but who has that lying around! You can make your own if you're keen owlcation.com/stem/How-to-make-litmus-paper For example, Eveready carbon zinc batteries are still around and are marketed in three basic grades-General Purpose, Heavy Duty and Super Heavy Duty.

[@petershaw7521]

Here's a nice little video on how to make litmus paper: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGGuaJ6vfcp-e7c

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are correct they are carbon-zinc but use the same chemicals as lead acid batteries.