I have a handheld video game that takes 4 alkaline size C batteries, and I had left it in a corner 5 years ago and forgotten about it. I finally looked at it today and there must have been a battery leak, because there is a substance that looks like a white powder all around the battery compartment. The game had been placed in a plastic bag, and part of the bag around the battery compartment was dissolved. In addition, the game was inside the plastic bag, which was inside a paper bag. I noticed a large dried liquid stain inside the paper bag.
So what is the white powder-like substance? Is it toxic? How should I attempt to clean the game?
Also, what was the liquid that leaked out? If it stained the paper bag, then it probably got onto the carpet too. Should I try to clean the area of the carpet that the paper bag was sitting on, or should I not worry about that?