Is Rayovac really that terrible of a brand? Fortunately, it hasn't ruined any of my remotes yet, but it keeps occurring.

I admit it. I’m not smart about this. I ought to be using Lithium batteries. The Energizer ones can be quite pricey. Can someone recommend an alternative brand or do you think I should stick with them, considering their long shelf life?

I need to do everything possible to protect my remote controls, which cost between $40 and $50, depending on how much I spent at the time. Plus, I notice that remotes are being sold online for ridiculous prices. Some are even asking for close to $100 nowadays.

Use rechargeable Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries. They never leak and you'll be saving the environment.

Also, it's overkill to use alkaline batteries for remotes as they are not high draining devices which is why in the early days companies provided mostly dry cell batteries.

It's easy enough to take the batteries out when not in use. As expensive and difficult it is to find replacement remotes, it's a minor inconvenience to re-install the batteries.

Buy Duracell or Energizer basic AAs. Nothing fancy, but no rubbish.

Date them.

Throw them out once a year.

You won’t have any problems if you follow that schedule.

If a device doesn’t get used much store it with no batteries.

Bonus Tip: learn to fix battery damage. (Safety glasses, water, baking soda, toothbrush). Two AAs can only produce so much leakage. It’s different when it’s a vintage toy that takes four Ds or something with a lantern battery. It gets horrible at that level.

Rayovac is not -specifically- a bad brand, no. Their alkalines are no better -and no worse- than any others, from brand-X to the most expensive ones. --Alkaline-- is a risky battery technology.

Rechargeable batteries may be the safest of all, and/or lithium cells, as others mentioned.

Ironically, the low-cost "heavy duty" batteries are far better/safer than alkalines in things such as remote controls. Panasonic is one "name brand" that still makes them, I think. The "dollar store" brand-X ones (including Sunbeam, a one-time brand name that is now just a random label) are pretty good, maybe fine, and vastly better than -any- alkaline ones.

This reminded me: I just went and checked all of my remote controls, to look at the batteries in the ones I use often, and to be sure that there are no batteries in any controls that I do not use at least once a week.

Panasonic makes alkalines which are leak safe proof.

Tell me about it, I left a couple of C batteries in one for only like six months and one of them decided to blow up in that time, must've been really low quality.

Also I find the most effective way to clean up battery contacts is with paper towels and vinegar.

Vinegar?

Vinegar does work to neutralize the alkaline residue.

It also works to make everything smell like grandma’s hot water bottle.

I have a rule: never use anything with calories as a cleaning agent, and especially if it’s an acidic. The odds of it attacking something or promoting some kind of life are too high. Vinegar will absolutely attack metal if it isn’t totally cleaned up, and you’ll be cleaning it up with water most likely, so I’d recommend just using water and baking soda in the first place. It doesn’t get things sticky.

Well you don't dunk them in the stuff!