How to Prolong Alkaline Battery Life

If you're pinching pennies, you can take steps to make your batteries last longer. These steps are particularly worth the effort if you frequently use battery-powered cameras, PDAs and other gadgets. However, these steps only work on traditional alkaline batteries. Read on to learn how to prolong alkaline battery life.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Refrigerator
• Sandpaper or emery board

1. Make your battery buying decisions carefully, because alkaline batteries are always slowly using their charge, even when they are not in use. This means that buying up a bunch of batteries when they are on sale can actually be a bad investment, as the last of the batch can be very weak by the time you get around to using them. Try to only buy in quantities that can be consumed within six months.
2. Store your batteries in your refrigerator until they are ready for use. The lower temperature will slow down the energy loss process. Be careful not to freeze your batteries because this can cause damage.
3. When a battery dies or is low on power, gently scrape both ends with an emery board or a piece of sandpaper. Don't try to actually sand the ends down. Scrape them enough so that you can see scratches in the metal surface. This often leads to a little bit more usable battery life, which is particularly useful in emergencies.

Tips & Warnings

• Be very careful not to puncture the battery while sanding it. Do not expose the insides of the battery in any way.