What Can You Clean with Coca Cola? More Than You Think

Coca-Cola has been around since the late 19th century, and to this day, it’s the world’s most popular caffeinated soft drink. There’s nothing like cracking open a can or bottle of Coke to enjoy with a meal or snack, or to cool off on a hot day. But, did you know there are multiple uses for Coca-Cola? Most notably, the famed soft drink can be used to clean a variety of things around the home.

Whether you’re a Coke drinker or not, knowing you can clean with Coca-Cola can make a big difference in your tidying-up routine. Coke is less expensive than many commercial cleaners, and it might even work better in certain situations.

So, what can you clean with Coca-Cola?

Toilet Bowl

One of the most popular Coca-Cola cleaning applications is using it for the toilet bowl. The carbonic acid found in Coke helps to “eat away” at stains. It also dissolves rust, so it’s a great option for people with hard water, especially if you’re tired of scrubbing with commercial products. It’s also much safer since you don’t have to worry about breathing in any harmful chemicals.

Leave the cola in your toilet bowl for about two hours, or overnight for tough stains, brush the bowl the next morning, and it should be stain-free!

Oil Stains

Seeing oil stains on your garage floor or driveway can be annoying, and make your otherwise clean pavement look dingy. Thankfully, Coke can help to get rid of those pesky oil stains quickly and leave your garage floor looking practically pristine.

Simply pour the Coke directly over the stain and let it sit overnight. In the morning, spray it away with a hose, and you should see that the stain has completely disappeared.

The critic acid in Coke helps to break down the molecules found in oil and grease, loosening the stain from the pavement so it’s easy to rinse away.

Dirty Pots and Pans

There’s nothing worse than having to stand at the kitchen sink and scrub away grease and burnt-on food from pots and pans, especially when you feel like you’re not making any progress. Maybe you’ve already scrubbed, soaked, and scrubbed some more without success.

Coca-Cola to the rescue. The acidic properties in Coke help to eat away at rust and burnt-on grease. Pour a can of Coca-Cola into a dirty pan and put it over a stove burner on low heat. Let it simmer for 30 minutes to one hour, pour out the liquid, and you should be able to easily wipe away the caked-on mess that has loosened from the pan.

Nuts and Bolts

Do you have a can of spare screws, nuts, and bolts laying around? It seems like everyone does. You never know when you might need them for a home project or renovation. But, the longer they’re left unattended in your garage, basement, or shed, the more likely it is for them to rust. A rusty screw isn’t going to do much good.

Thankfully, you can clean with Coca-Cola and get rid of the rust quickly. Place the rusted bolts in a container, pour enough Coke to completely cover them, and let them sit for a while, and rinse with water.

You can also use this trick to help get a rusted screw out of something. Pour Coke over it, let it sit for an hour or so, and rinse. It should be easier to remove since the Coke eats away at the rust.

Kettle Buildup

Many people use an electric or stovetop kettle every day for tea, or even when they’re making French press or Chemex coffee. But, if you have hard water, filling your kettle each day can eventually cause a buildup, or “scaling.”

Scaling is caused by calcium carbonate forming in the water as it boils. It spreads across the water and to the surfaces of the kettle, and only a thorough cleaning will get rid of it.

Unfortunately, if the scaling gets bad, it can be a workout to scrub it away. Thankfully, one of the uses for Coca-Cola is to get rid of limescale. The phosphoric acid in Coca-Cola helps to dissolve it. You can either pour Coke into your kettle, heat it on the stove or plug it in to heat, and let it dissolve the scaling away quickly, or let it sit overnight, rinse, and wipe everything away in the morning. Your kettle will be as good as new.

If you’re concerned about breathing in Coca-Cola as you let it boil and create steam, rest assured it’s not harmful. Some studies have shown that consuming Coke regularly can cause problems for people with asthma or other respiratory issues, but cleaning with it won’t create those same issues.

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As you can see, you can clean with Coca-Cola just about anywhere around the house. If you’re a soda drinker, you probably already have some Coke stocked in your fridge, so consider trying some of these cleaning hacks. Using Coke is safe, and effective, and the popular beverage might just become your new favorite cleaning supply.