How to Store Household Batteries Correctly
Batteries play a small, but mighty role in the day-to-day operations of your lives and most of the time go completely unnoticed. It has been seamlessly integrated into your daily routines but powers your lives. Batteries operate the majority of the devices that you might use, including your electric toothbrush, cell phone, television remote, and laptop, which are all things that are put to a good amount of use from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. They are also used in devices that protect you, such as the alarm system and smoke detectors in your house. Batteries are everywhere and therefore, it is important that you store your household batteries properly to increase their longevity, improve overall safety, and at the end of the day help you save money.
In this guide, we will cover the following:
- Different types of household batteries
- Frequently asked questions about storing household batteries
- How to dispose of batteries that are no longer usable
Types of Household Batteries
There are many different types of household batteries, however, let’s cover some of the more common ones that you can find in your household.
Alkaline Batteries
Alkaline batteries operate many of your common household items such as your television remote, children’s toys, and smoke detectors. You can easily purchase these batteries at the dollar store when one of your devices stops working.
Lithium-Ion Batteries
Lithium batteries are more powerful batteries than alkaline batteries and are used to power your digital devices. Digital devices include your digital camera, smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc. These batteries are generally much more costly, however, they do last longer than your typical alkaline battery.
Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries
Nickel-metal hydride batteries are rechargeable and more eco-friendly than alkaline batteries which are disposable after their one-time use. These batteries can be found in gaming controllers and toys that are remote-controlled.
Where To Store Household Batteries?
Where you store your household batteries whether they are AAA batteries, rechargeable batteries, button cell batteries, ion batteries, or even your car battery can make a world of difference. This is especially true when choosing to store them for an extended period of time. The general rule for storing batteries is to keep them in a cool and dry place. High temperatures can cause them to diminish quickly, leading to corrosion, and or leakage. You want to choose a location that is not susceptible to heat and direct sunlight.
If you choose to store your batteries in a place other than your home. For example, if you plan on storing your household batteries in a self-storage facility you should consider storing them in a self-storage facility that is temperature controlled. All of our XYZ Storage facilities are temperature-controlled meaning that we can keep your belongings in a cool and dry place where you do not need to worry about fluctuating temperatures and humidity levels. Interested in learning more? Reach out to our self-storage experts at any one of our Toronto-based locations to learn more about storing your household batteries.
How To Store Household Batteries Safely?
Some commonly asked questions about how to store your household batteries include:
1. Can you store batteries in a plastic bag?
Storing a singular battery in a plastic bag should not be a problem, however, if there are multiple batteries you should avoid them rubbing too closely together. It is best to keep them separated and individually wrapped before placing them together in the bag.
2. Can you store them in the original packaging?
Yes – that is the ideal place to keep your household batteries. This is because it is designed to protect your batteries while in the packaging. This way your batteries do not become a safety issue if stored too closely together.
3. Does keeping batteries in the fridge help to preserve them?
An ongoing myth is to help store your batteries to help them last longer by putting them in the fridge. However, storing your household batteries in the fridge is highly not recommended. When you refrigerate batteries it can heavily impact your life span and potentially damage it. This is because cold temperatures and moisture are not ideal for your battery life. This is regardless if it’s new batteries or used batteries. You should instead be storing your batteries in a cool and dry place as advised earlier in the guide.
4. Batteries: Together or Separate?
Yes – batteries can be stored together. Specifically, if you are storing batteries for your television remote or your child’s favourite toy it is generally safe to store them along with other batteries.
5. Storing Batteries: Charged or Uncharged?
It depends on the type of battery. For example, lithium-ion batteries should not be fully charged and instead should be charged about halfway at 40% to 50% full charge. The reason for this is that it can cause overcharging. It’s always best to remove the rechargeable device as soon as it’s fully charged as soon as possible since it can shorten the lifespan of the battery, hence having to replace the battery quicker and costing you more money in the long run.
Lifespan of Batteries
What Can Be Done to Preserve Lifespan of Batteries
Your goal might be to preserve the lifespan of your batteries to 1) help save money in the long run and 2) protect the environment over time. There are a few tips and tricks that you can implement and follow to preserve your batteries:
- Avoid extreme temperatures and keep it at an ideal temperature
- Use your rechargeable battery regularly
- Remove any batteries from devices that you no longer use anymore
- Pick the appropriate batteries for the appropriate devices
- Do not overload your batteries
- Batteries do expire over time so be careful not to use expired batteries
Other Tips To Store Batteries
Here are a few other tips to store batteries:
- Do regular inspections while it is in storage to check for signs of leakage or other damage
- Keep them away from metal objects which can lead to dangerous hazards
- Invest in battery organizers if you no longer have kept the original household battery packaging
- Label them to help keep yourself organized
Safe Disposal of Household Batteries
If there is nothing that can be done and your household battery has officially run through its course then it is time to safely dispose of it. You should safely dispose of the batteries by recycling them to prevent harmful disposal. Never throw them out in the trash and be mindful of the environment when disposing of household batteries. Check with the local regulations to ensure that you are disposing of them safely and are not posing any harm to the environment. Again, the type of battery and the number of batteries can change how they need to be disposed of at the end of their lifespan.
Self-storage and Household Battery Storage
Self-storage units are commonly and most known for storing furniture, appliances, sports equipment, kitchen utensils, gardening tools, etc. However, you could also store household batteries as long as they are packed and stored properly. A few things to consider when storing household batteries in self-storage include:
- Choose a self-storage unit that is climate-controlled or temperature-controlled as extreme temperatures can heavily impact the longevity of your batteries.
- Pack your household batteries in their original packaging or use battery organizers. Label and include dates you store your batteries so you can track which device it was used for and for how long.
- Check in on your batteries and do a regular inspection to see if any damage has occurred over time.
- Confirm with the self-storage facility on proper storage guidelines of battery storage.
How Can XYZ Storage Help
XYZ Storage has state-of-the-art self-storage facilities conveniently located in Toronto and the Greater Toronto area servicing Toronotians daily with their storage needs. Our facilities are clean and secure so you feel confident in storing your belongings such as your household batteries with us. With our temperature-controlled self-storage facilities, you can feel comfortable that your batteries are being kept properly stored and will not be damaged throughout storage. If you have any questions or concerns, please visit any of our locations: Toronto West, Toronto Downtown, Toronto Midtown, Scarborough, and Etobicoke, and our self-storage experts would be more than happy to assist you. Happy storing!
