There’s nothing quite like a refreshing swig of icy cold Coca-Cola – but that’s just the TIP of the Coke iceberg. Jump on in for a read and prepare to be AMAZED by cola sorcery.
It’s a double edged sword – part of you wants to use Coke to do ALL the things around the house and yet you may silently vow never to drink it again. If it can clean your car battery terminals, what can it possibly do your teeth and gut?
One thing I know for sure is that Coca-Cola wins the best all-rounder award for bottles of pop!
19 weird and wonderful things you can do with Coke
1. Treat tricky blood stains
A busted knee on a bike, a shaving knick – wherever the blood stems from – the stain can be lifted with Coke. Simply treat the fabric using washing powder and a sprinkle of Coke straight on to the stain. Prepare for bubbles and wizardry.
2. Burnt pots be gone
Boiled the rice dry, don’t despair – Coke can even clean burnt pans! Let the pan soak in the Coke, then rinse, give a little scrub and wash as per normal.
3. Pain relief
Handy to know when you’re out and about, Coke can neutralise a sting or bite in seconds. Bugs, bees even jellyfish, douse the bite location with Coke for temporary relief.
4. Trouble starting the car?
Before you ring roadside assistance, try this neat trick. Yep, you can clean your car battery terminals with Coke. Crazy!
5. Upset tum
Said to be great for nausea , sip flat Coke to ease tummy troubles. Of course, the downside is that it may cause flatulence! (What’s worse—feeling sick or farting? Your call.)
6. Get saucy
Coke makes for a sweet BBQ sauce marinade – Mix Coke with tomato sauce and brush over the chicken as you cook it. YUM.
7. Coin and jewellery cleaner
You’ll have the cleanest coin collection ever with a Coke soak. Soak the coins in Coke, rinse, give a little scrub with dish-washing detergent and water, soak and polish up. The same can be applied to sterling silver jewellery. Watch it sparkle!
8. Coke for green thumbs
Improve your compost heap. Coke apparently does wonders for rotting garden waste. increases the acidity, adds sugars and feeds micro-organisms. AND it attracts bugs. Winning at gardening!
9. Chewing gum remover
We’ve all been there – chewing gum in hair. Remove chewing gum from hair easily by dipping the area of hair in Coke and leaving it for 10 minutes. The chewing gum should wipe out easily after its Coke treatment.
10. Toilet cleaner
Hard to shift stains in the toilet bowl? Pour Coke around the bowl, leave it for an hour or overnight, (the longer the better), a quick scrub with a toilet brush and then flush. Voila!
11. Chrome polisher
Chrome taps looking a little dull? Coke and tin foil will polish up chrome beautifully.
12. Kettle descaler
Descaling a kettle is SUPER easy with Coke (just don’t forget it’s in there!). Getting rid of limescale is as easy as filling up the kettle with Coke and letting it sit overnight. Tip it out in the morning, scrub the inside of the kettle and fill with clean water. Good as new!
13. Ant deterrent
If you have an ant issue, spray Coke directly onto their nest. Ants BE GONE!
14. Paint remover
A number one hazard of renovating – annoying paint splatters! Use a Coke-soaked towel to rub away and remove splashes of paint from furniture or floors.
15. Loosen the grip
Bolts and taps that are rusted tight can soon be jiggled free with a splash of Coke. Pour coke over the hardware, let sit for a while, rinse with water and hey presto!
16. Rust remover
Remove rust. Kid’s bike left out in the weather all winter? Hit it up with a can of coke, rubbing it in with tin foil for maximum efficiency.
17. Oil and grease remover
Not only great in the laundry, Coke removes any kind of oil and grease stains from a slab floor. Pour the Coke directly onto the stain, let it sit and later rinse with water and scrub. A great tip for the shed!
18. Tenderise meat with Coke
It’s true. You can indeed put a cheap piece of meat in your slow cooker, together with a can of Coke and it will turn out brilliantly tender. Try it for yourself with this recipe.
19. Just for good ol’ fashioned fun
Wow the kids with this rather exciting (and equally messy) science experiment. Add Mentos lollies to a 2 litre Coke bottle and just. wait. for the explosion. Side note: the Mentos Coke trick is definitely better done outdoors. Trust us.
There you have it. Who even KNEW there were so many jobs around the house you could tackle with a life hack and a can of Coke?!
Got the cleaning bug? Here’s how you can blitz your housework armed with a simple box of Bicarb-soda!
