11 Weird Ways to Use Coca-Cola and Save Money
I'm In Debt
- Posted:
1/13/2009
You may have heard of some things Coca-Cola can do besides it's intended purpose of serving as a soft drink. There was the infamous Coke/Mentos in a bottle experiment. There is also the fallacies about mixing Coke with the Pop Rocks candy and exploding your stomach. Whatever facts or falsehoods you may have heard about Coca-Cola, there are some pretty interesting, albeit somewhat strange, ideas of how to use Coca-Cola in place of more expensive alternatives.
Here is a list of 11 of the stranger uses of Coca-Cola that you may have never considered before. (Disclaimer: I can not personally vouch for every one of these uses so proceed with caution.) 1. Control Pests in the Garden If you have a backyard garden that is overrun by slugs and snails, you can set traps of cola that will help kill them off. Pour some cola into a small bowl and place it in your garden area. The cola will attract them to the bowl and the acid in the soda will get rid of them.
SAVINGS:
If it works well, you don't have to spend a lot of time or money applying harmful pesticides. BONUS: Helping the environment.
2. Gardening Perks If your Azaleas or Gardenia flowers are not growing well, try adding a little cola to the soil around the plants, which like acidic soils.
SAVINGS:
Don't spend a lot of money on plant food or specialized soil. BONUS: Great landscaping, pretty flowers! 3. Housecleaning Uses If you have issues with rust around your home, Coca-Cola can be helpful in getting rid of it. You can pour a can of cola into your toilet bowl and let it set for some time to eradicate rust stains.
You can also use Coca-Cola to clean stuck on mess you find on burnt pots and pans. Pour some cola into the dishes and let it sit then wash as your normally would.
SAVINGS: No need to spend money or tons of elbow grease on pricey cleaners to solve common household issues. 4. Laundry Aids Add some Coca-Cola to your laundry stains, it is effective at removing stains, especially blood and grease.
Adding Coca-Cola to your laundry can also help reduce bad odors you have in your clothes.
SAVINGS: Like with the housecleaning supplies, there is no need to invest additional money to get your laundry clean and smelling fresh. It will also help you save money on your clothing expenses. The more clothing you are able to preserve, the less new items you need to buy. 5. Improve Your Chef's Status You can use Coca-Cola in many recipes, including cakes, cookies, and brownies. Expand your coke capabilities and use it to make barbeque sauce by combining a can of Coke with some ketchup to rub over ribs.
Mix a can of Coke with some dried Italian seasonings and use it to cook tougher cuts of meat.
When baking a ham, use a can of Coca-Cola as a baste to keep the ham from drying out. The sugars in the soda caramelizes and it makes for a sweet, tasty dish.
SAVINGS: Why pay a bunch of money for marinades when you can make ones at home, using common ingredients. Plus, experimentation in cooking can be a fun learning experience. 6. Mechanics Helper It is common for the terminals on your car's battery to become rusted over time. If you notice the rust or have difficulty removing the battery cables, pour some Coca-Cola over each one of the terminals and let it set until the connectors are removable.
SAVINGS:
No need to further damage car parts trying to twist and pull off rusted cables. Plus, you don't have to spend money on pricey products that are meant to do the same job. 7. Handyman's Helper If you have any rusted bolts that are difficult to remove, add some Coke to the bolts and wait for the loosening magic.
SAVINGS:
Like with your automobile repairs, you do not have to stress over broken parts trying to unscrew a bolt or buy expensive rust-removing products. 8. Beauty Aids Using your regular skin lotion, you can add just a spoonful of Coca-Cola and mix it in well as use as your normally would to get silkier, more glowing skin.
SAVINGS: If the cola/lotion mixture works for your skin, you can save money by no longer having to buy more expensive creams and lotions to have great skin. 9. Beach First Aid In the event you or your family members get stung by a jelly fish while enjoying a day at the beach, grab a can of Coca-Cola and pour some soda on the sting. It will help to neutralize the pain until you can seek proper medical aid.
SAVINGS: There may not be as much money savings in this tip, but the treatment can save you a lot of pain until you seek further medical attention. 10. Natural Bug Deflector If you are having a cookout or a picnic outdoors, poor a cup of Coca-Cola and set it in a place away from where you plan to hang out. If you do this about an hour before you are set to eat, the bees and other insects will be draw away from your space in pursuit of the soda.
SAVINGS:
If this method works for you, you can eliminate the costly bug killers, repellents, torches, and citronella candles. 11. Renew Your Love of Pennies While many of us tend to throw our old, dirty pennies to the side, you can try soaking them in a glass of Coca-Cola to remove the dirt and tarnish of old age. Seeing some shiny pennies may give you incentive to start saving every penny you have.
SAVINGS:
Well, it depends on how many pennies you can save up.
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