Never mind. Apparently vinegar does it. 

Past experience is once the terminals are corroded, they will always corrode.

The battery gunk can eat away the shiny chrome, and down to bare metal, which rusts.

You can do a good clean down to bare metal, and coat with solder as a corrosion inhibitor.

Thanks but nearly impossible to do with coiled spring battery connectors in a confined space. The best I can do is hold the coil with tweezers while I try to scrape the end a little with a mini-file. There always seems to be a big gap between the ideal way to do something and the way that is actually possible.

Rikkitic:

 

What is good for cleaning/neutralising corrosion from an alkaline battery?

 

 

 

I have used the ultrasonic cleaner we have a work with good results.

Afterwards a quick clean with isopropyl and away we go.