Thread: Do you store props with the batteries in them?

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I am trying to be super organized with putting away my props this year, to make it easier for next year. However it is taking forever-partly my fault bc Im so unmotivated (we all know what a pain it is!). What's taking the longest is taking out the batteries of my animated stuff.....do I really need to do this? My stuff goes in an attic, cold in the winter, hot in the summer....is it bad just to leave them in? I always have before with no issues, but all of the sudden I'm worried....thoughts?

i take the batteries out, but i don't know if its required, after all this stuff has probably been on a slow boat from china with the batteries in them and don't seem to be the worse for wear

i put the used batteries in a bag and will use them next year, or if a clock battery dies, use one of them there

I did last year, but found a few props with batteries still in them this year and they were fine. So everything went up with the batteries still in this year. I maybe sing a different tune next year but I have my fingers crossed.

The big issue with batteries is they can leak, and they leave behind that powdery white acid....When that happens (corrosion), it takes away the connectivity and pretty much ruins the prop if it stays like that too long.....I take all mine out because if you don't, your gambling with whether your going to find a powdery mess next year......ZR

Yeah, generally not a good idea. Take the batteries out and use them with LED flashlights or whatnot.

yeah, I agree, take the batteries out, I have found things over the years that the kids had left batteries in that had leaked, what a gross mess!

Nah, I take any batteries out and toss them in a bag.

Leave them in. You have to deal with some leaking batteries and corroded terminals that lead to a non-working device to truly appreciate the need to take them out.

I just bought a hanging bat from Wal-greens that evidently was packed away from last years items and when I got it home and opened it up to change the batteries because it wasn't working I found an explosion of acid and rust. It is always a gamble on whether or not to take them out. I sometimes have even found watch batteries that have gone bad but not as often.
I do know I am getting fed up with trying to remove these dang tiny screws that strip the minute you turn them...grrrrrr!

I store my props in our garage and since it freezes here I take all the batteries out. As a matter of fact, the second night of the haunted house I replaced all the batteries, because I didn't want anything failing in the middle of it and scrambling to pull them and put new batteries in them. I did save all the AAA for my MP3 player and all the AA that I knew weren't used a lot everyone split up after everything was done. I'd rather spend the money to buy new batteries next year then pull everything out to set it up again and find that a battery corroded or froze and exploded and ruined a prop.