You know that moment when you grab the remote, hit the power button, and … nothing happens. Or your wireless mouse runs out of juice right before that deadline. Or your kid’s favorite toy starts making that slow-motion grunting sound that lets you know that the battery is about to die—again.
It’s very frustrating, especially when you feel like you just replaced them. And throwing a couple more AAs in the drawer seems innocent enough. It piles up. In terms of money, in terms of waste, and just plain annoyance. It begs the question—can you stretch battery life out at all, or is it just another one of those “wishful thinking” things we tell ourselves while trying to flip a battery in the remote to get one more use out of it?
Good news: you can. Battery life is not fixed, and changes in the way you charge, store, and even handle batteries can impact the battery life more than you might think.
Batteries Don’t Like Extreme Anything
Let’s start here—batteries are fussy. They don’t like it too hot. Or too cold. In actuality, they want to live in the same comfortable middle zone as you. So if you are leaving your phone to roast on the summer dash, or you are storing the box of batteries in your unheated garage, not only are you diminishing the lifespan of the batteries, but you also are not aware that you are doing it.
Extreme heat can wreak havoc on internal chemicals and degrade them to a point where performance is affected permanently. Cold doesn’t do any favors either—it slows things down and sometimes to the point where the battery might as well not be working until it gets warmer. The best place for the devices and backup batteries is in a cool and dry place—no exposure to sunlight, no freezing temps – don’t treat it like your gym bag.
Stop Running It to Zero—This isn’t 1980
There is an ongoing myth that to “train” your battery, you need to run it down to 0% before charging. While that may have been a reasonable course of action with nickel-cadmium batteries (i.e. your dad’s camcorder from the 90s, for sure), they are not the same with modern lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-ion batteries do not like to be drained all the way. It tires them out. They like being under less stress. They like being plugged in for shorter and more frequent charges. If you are hovering around 30-40% and have a chance to plug in, do it. You aren’t harming anything and keeping your battery charge between 30-80% most of the time is best for battery health. That whole thing about charging it to 100% overnight every time? Not so great which leads me to…
Be smart about how you charge.
Yes, I get it, everyone leaves their phone plugged in overnight, it is easy, it’s routine, but if you are trying to get the maximum life out of your battery, try to break that habit. Letting your batteries top it off to 100% and then leaving the charger plugged in for hours just adds unnecessary wear. It’s like going to the gas station, filling your tank, and then just leaving the pump running.
If unplugging the charger at 100% isn’t possible for you (because bed, of course), think about incorporating a smart plug or a bunch of new phones have something called charging optimization built-in. Many now can learn your routine and slow down as the battery gets very close to full, ending their charge right around when you usually wake up.
And: please don’t use that $4 charger you bought at the gas station. Yes, those chargers are inconsistent and can overheat or ruin the battery. Go with trusted brands. Your battery – and perhaps your house – will thank you.
A Dirty Battery Is A Tired Battery
It seems so simple, but you won’t believe how often this is the problem. Over time, just like batteries, the contacts on the devices can accumulate dirt. Dust, lint, your greasy fingers – it all adds up. And if the points of contact are gunked up, it can create a bad connection, causing the battery to work harder to do its job.
Every now and then, just wipe your batteries and battery compartments with a soft, dry cloth. Don’t overthink it – just the obvious grime. In high drain applications like cameras, or handheld gaming systems, it’s a simple 5 second fix that can save the day.
Storage Makes A Big Difference (Even If You Don’t Think It Does)
Are you keeping extra batteries in some random place? If you have a ton of spare batteries, where you put them matters. Dump them into a drawer in the kitchen, and then forget about them until you need them? Not the best option.
Instead, get:
Cool, dry storage – heat will kill battery capacity
Storage, not in direct sunlight – a window could create heat, which adds problems
Storage, not extreme – don’t store them fully charged, or fully drained, for long periods of time
If you’re going to store lithium-ion batteries (for power tools, cordless vacuums, etc.) and not use them for a while, store them at around 50% charge. Not 100%. Not 0%. That in-between happy place of charge is where they like to hang out.
So… Is It Worth It?
Short answer? Yes.
If you just pull your head out of the sand and start treating batteries like the little energy investments that they are, then they will last longer and run better, and you will buy less batteries. That means less waste, less money wasted, and a lot less “Why isn’t this remote working?”
You don’t need to go full-on battery nerd mode. A couple of small changes – heat, charging smart, and just wiping them down once in a while – can make a huge difference. Will you still need to replace them sometimes? Yes. Probably not every two weeks.
The next time that you are tempted to just throw away another set of dead AAs, maybe consider if your batteries were treated correctly. Or if they took the summer off in your glove box burning to death. Batteries are small, but they have a long memory.
