»Does it still have juice?« You can see the charge level of batteries without a measuring device

You’ll see the light – but only with a charged battery! (Image sources: danilo.alvesd via Unsplash; Sunny studio via Adobe Stock)

Who does not know this domestic misery: You mumble on the couch after work, throw on a streaming service provider of your choice. But as soon as you press the remote control, you notice: The screen stays black because the batteries in your remote control are dead.

So let’s go to the battery drawer at home. Here they are all scattered, the typical batteries in sizes AAA and AA. But which batteries are full and which are empty? If you don’t keep your battery drawer in order, you’re quickly in a fix – and the Netflix evening may be unduly delayed.

How to usually (rather not) test batteries

We can only advise against what many people are doing now: Stick out your tongue and lick the positive terminal of the battery.

The train of thought behind the battery tasting: “If I notice a tingling in my tongue, the battery seems to be still charged.” In case of doubt, this is not only unhygienic, but is also not recommended, especially for people with heart problems.

And there’s an approach that is much more appetizing and not at all harmful to health (Merkur and t-online have reported on the SIHK Academy).

How do you test your batteries?

What you need: a hard surface. For my short test, I used the top of my desk. Before I delve into jumpy batteries on hard ground, here is the battery test in bullet points. Imitation recommended!

• Step 1: Let the battery fall vertically from a height of 10 to 20 centimeters onto a solid surface (in my case: the table top).
• Step 2: You can now tell the charge level from the impact behavior: An empty battery jumps up a few centimeters – a full battery, on the other hand, simply tips over.

Additional tip: It is helpful if you have identical batteries to hand. Ideally, you will have a definitely full battery at the start, and you can use this to compare the jump behavior of the other batteries of the same construction.

For my quick test I used these AAA batteries from the discounter Aldi. (Image source: Aldi Süd)

Why do batteries jump?

But why are empty batteries bouncing, while full batteries tip over unspectacularly? The SIHK Academy writes in generally understandable words:

Starting position: I tried the “Active Energy” batteries in size AAA for my lightning test (“Blitz” because of the quick test, not because of the “tingling in the tongue”). The two AAA batteries from my remote were clearly jumping.

Result: The still completely unused AAA batteries from my drawer fell over on impact – without bouncing.

Annotation: Now the AAA batteries in my remote control are not completely empty. With the bouncy batteries from the remote control, technical equipment can still be operated remotely.

So, in my anecdotal belief, erratic batteries aren’t necessarily depleted—but at least they are anneeded. And if you actually have a mess in your battery drawer but no measuring device within reach, you can use this method to sort it out.

Always dispose of batteries properly: If the batteries are empty, don’t forget: Batteries are not household waste, they belong in the special waste. Then how to properly get rid of it? Many supermarkets and especially drugstores provide special collection boxes for empty batteries.

»Is there still juice in this battery?« How do you answer this question for yourself? Do you always have a measuring device on the woman or the man? Does the »drop« method work for you too, or do you keep your hands off lifehacks like this? Write us about it in the comments.