How to Clean Golf Cart Batteries

In our continued series of discussing proper battery maintenance, we would like to show you how to clean golf cart batteries and keep them clean. Keeping batteries clean is incredibly important as it plays a significant role in the lifespan of the batteries. Battery performance and overall safety will be determined by regular maintenance intervals.

The reason why we clean golf cart batteries is because they are filled with acid and acid can get on the top of the batteries. Also, when batteries charge up, they emit gasses that can cause corrosion and damage to battery cables and terminals. Any corrosion or damage can decrease current flow and also cause sudden loss of power while driving.

So, to effectively remove acid and corrosion from the batteries, there are a couple of methods we would recommend. We need to neutralize the acid on top of the batteries first and foremost. This can easily be done with a homemade mixture of baking soda and water. Mix 1 cup of baking soda per each gallon of water and spread evenly over the batteries. You know the acid will be neutralized due to a bubbling chemical reaction between the substances. Then, proceed by using water to remove the homemade mixture. Be aware that when cleaning the acid off the batteries, it will stain concrete and the ground underneath it. Therefore, try to clean the batteries off over rocks or dirt to insure the ground below does not get permanently stained. Once the batteries are clean, dry them off with a towel and wipe off any remaining grime.

Find Out The Age of Your Golf Cart Batteries

Now, this is a messy way to clean off the batteries. You can also purchase battery cleaner that comes in a can. We recommend Throttle Muscle Battery Cleaner from personal experience. Not only does this battery cleaner neutralize acid, but it also will indicate where the acid is coming from. Knowing where the acid is coming from can indicate battery cells that are receiving too much water and also indicate battery casing leaks. Also, you can forget the big mess that comes with baking soda and water.

The next step will be to remove unwanted corrosion from terminals. By cleaning off the batteries, we were able to rid the batteries of unwanted acid. After this, we need to clean the cables and terminals. To do this, we will want to use a wire brush to scrape off unwanted debris and corrosion. By scraping off corrosion, it will allow for clean contact between cables and terminals to reduce and interference. We recommend this wire brush due to its size and rugged ability to clean effectively.

Lastly, we need to protect our terminals from building any future corrosion. To do this, we must spray battery terminal protectant on each terminal. We will want to liberally spray each terminal with the spray. This will protect the terminal from acid and gases that emit from the batteries. It will also reduce the amount of cleaning needing to be done each time around. We recommend spraying your terminals at least once a quarter to insure corrosion stays at bay.

If you have any other additional questions, then please feel free to write in the comments below.