How to Clean Electrical Contacts

Cleaning the contacts on electrical parts of appliances and batteries should be a part of your regular maintenance. Doing so will increase the life of your batteries and electrical appliances. Here are the steps for cleaning the contacts.

Things You'll Need

• Rubber gloves
• Wrench
• Baking soda
• Water
• Stiff brush
• Waterproof grease
• Contact cleaner

Instructions

1. Put on a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands from possible electrical shock or other injury.

2. Take apart the appliance or locate the electrical contacts on your battery.

3. Apply a mixture of baking soda and water to the contacts. Allow this mixture to sit for a few minutes while it loosens the corrosion.

4. Wash off the baking soda and water mixture and clean the contacts with a stiff brush. You will also want to use the brush to clean the cable clamps.

5. Replace the appliance's electrical unit or your batteries. This time you will want to attach the live (positive) wire first and the grounded (negative) wire second. Again, this will ensure that you don't accidentally cause a short circuit.

6. Apply a liberal amount of waterproof grease to the connection. This prevents further corrosion on the contacts, thus increasing the life of your appliance or battery. Check the state of your contacts every month. If they look like they are beginning to corrode, it is time to clean them again.

Tips & Warnings

• If you find don't have access to baking soda, you can substitute the baking soda with a carbonated beverage. This should only be done if you're really in a pinch, though. The acid in the soda will eat away the corrosion, but it might also eat away at the surrounding parts. While doing this once probably won't have any negative effects, using the soda as a part of your normal cleaning routine may.

• Car batteries can be heavy. When lifting the battery out of your car, try not to use your lower back. This can cause back strain. Instead, let your arms do most of the work.