Exploded battery cleanup

[gzig5]

Not sure what went wrong. Battery hasn't been holding a charge for long. Wouldn't start yesterday, put it on the charger. Went to fire it up this morning and when I turned the key it was like a rifle shot. Blew the top of the battery off, parts and liquid all over the garage because the hood was open. I guess there was gas buildup. The charger was still on the battery which may or may not be right when starting, but I've done that in the past.
Either way I have a mess to clean up. Only thing I can thing of is mixing baking soda and water and washing everything down. Any other ideas? How much do I mix?

 

[wedg2go]

I have a buddy, back in Arizona, that went through an unfortunate accident with a car battery. He was working in one of the box stores tires and batteries section one day as their mechanic. He just hooked up a charger, to a battery still in the car, when he noticed something wasn't right. So, he told the lady customer to, "Not start the car" and she must had not heard him right or she spaced - I don't know. Acid and pieces of that battery went flying everywhere as he was reaching for the cables. Fortunately, he was wearing safety goggles! Unfortunately, pieces of that battery are still embedded in his hand to remind him everyday of that accident.

Components stand alone. Always disconnect to check by unplugging first! Then disconnect negative side of charger first then positive.

Gloves and safety glasses on.
Cover spill with a liberal amount of baking soda (only) until bubbling stops. If you have a ph test strip, test it. If neutral, wipe it down and dispose of saturated rags properly. Then rinse.

 

[moparleo]

Lots of water to dilute whatever acid you are able to locate. Baking soda is a good indicator of any acid still active in the area. Never charge a battery in the car. Always connect positive first and remove positive cable last. Always use proper clothing such as a full rubber apron, long sleeved rubber gloves and tight fitting safety goggles/face shield. A clean, cool water source close by to flush eyes and skin in case of contact. This is what OSHA requires for use in these instances and it should be yours as well. You only get one set of eyes, protect them at all costs.
You are just very lucky that someone was not seriously injured/blinded. Safety first especially at a home garage/shop. You may get away with doing something incorrectly 99 times and then.........

 

[John Rimel]

Good to have a gallon sprayer around with a baking soda solution already mixed in

 

[gzig5]

I dumped a bunch of baking soda directly on the collected puddles in the tray and on the floor. Pushed the car out of the garage and hosed the engine bay down from every angle for fifteen minutes. Even though I had to wait six hours to clean it because of work, the only permanent damage I see so far is mottled finish on polished valve covers and intake. That can be addressed. The polished "ceramic" coating on the Hedmann headers flaked off, which was very surprising. scraped and vacuumed up the mess on the floor and then wetted the area and got the last of it with paper towels. What a PITA.