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Cleaning Your Battery Posts

Method 2: The Wire Brush

By Matthew Wright, About.com

Use a medium stiffness brush.

Clean the posts and terminals with a brush.

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The tried and true way to get your battery posts and terminals clean involves a wire brush and a little elbow grease. You'll need a medium-stiffness wire brush. If you can bend the bristles back and forth easily, that's medium enough. You should also wear eye protection, and maybe even a dust mask. Brushing corrosion sometimes causes it to fly around.

With the terminals off the battery posts, liberally brush all of the parts, especially the inside of the terminals, until the corrosion is gone and you are looking at clean metal. A toothbrush-sized brush makes it easier to get to the inside part.

Once they're clean, install anti-corrosion discs if you're using them (see next step), re-install the terminals, positive side first, and you're good to go!

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