I Bet You Didn’t Know Coca-Cola Did This

I don’t know if all of these work, but I thought they were interesting enough to try.

1. Clean a toilet bowl. Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl.  Let the real thing sit for one hour, then brush and flush clean. The phosphoric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china, according to household-hints columnist Heloise.

2. Remove rust spots from chrome care bumpers.  Rubbing the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola will help remove rust spots, according to household hits columnist Mary Ellen. 

3. Loosen a rusted bolt.  Mary Ellen suggests applying a cloth soaked in a carbonated soda to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

4. Bake a moist ham.  Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for sumptuous brown gravy.

5. Remove grease from clothes. Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy work clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular wash cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains, according to Mary Ellen.

6. Clean rust in a bathtub.  Saturate an abrasive sponge with Coca-Cola and scrub the rust stain.  The phosphoric acid in the Coke removes rust.

7. Make barbecue sauce. Make an excellent barbecue sauce by mixing Coca-Cola with Heinz Ketchup. Brush the mixture on chicken or ribs while grilling.

8. Prevent an asthma attack. If you feel the onset of an asthma attack, drink two cans of Coke. The caffeine in Coke can help thwart an asthma attack, according to the book Home Remedies from the Country Doctor.

9. Condition hair. To give your hair a great shine, pour a can of Coca Cola into your hair, working it in well; then rinse your hair with water.

10. Clean tarnished pennies. Fill a drinking glass with Coca-Cola and drop in the pennies. Let sit for one hour, then wipe clean with a soft cloth.

11. Strip paint off metal patio furniture. Cover the spot you wish to strip for one week with a bath towel saturated with Coca-Cola. Add more Coke every day to keep the towel wet. The paint strips right off.

12. Get rid of fruit flies. Use an electric drill with a one-quarter-inch bit to drill a hole in the cap of a two liter Coke bottle. Leave one inch of Classic Coke (not diet or caffeine-free) in the bottom of the bottle, and set outside. Fruit flies will crawl into the bottle to enjoy the Real Thing, but won’t be able to get back out.

13. Prevent flatulence. Add a can of Coca-Cola to a pot of pinto beans when cooking to neutralize the gas.

14. Relieve an upset stomach, nausea, or the pangs of food poisoning. Open a can of Coca-Cola, let it sit until it goes flat (roughly thirty minutes), then drink the de-fizzed the real thing. Coca-Cola syrup is used an elixir to cure upset stomachs, and it still works, according to The Doctor’s Book of Home Remedies. Letting the bubbles out of the soda prevents the carbonation from further upsetting your stomach.

15. Mousse hair. Mix equal parts Coca-Cola and water in a trigger spray bottle and shake well. After getting out of the shower or bath, spray light coat of the diluted Coke over your hair to give your locks a tousled look.

16. Soothe a jellyfish sting. Pouring the real thing over a jellyfish sting relieves the stinging pain. The acids in the Coke seem to neutralize the venom.

17. Clean blood stains from clothes. Saturate the blood stain with Coca-Cola, let sit five minutes, then launder as usual. Coke removes blood from clothing–even dried blood that has gone through the washing machine and dryer.