As a son of the Southeast, I’ve been drinking Coca-Cola since I was a little kid. Though I have to admit that I almost never drink any kind of carbonated soda anymore, mainly because diabetes runs on both sides of my family and I’d rather avoid that fate for myself.
But in my day, I have consumed more than my share of Coke. And I have loved every one that I have sipped or slugged.
Coke, however, can be used for more than just quenching a thirst. Here are 5 other uses for this world-famous drink:
1. Removing Rust
I know what you’re thinking: The stuff can take rust off, so what am I doing drinking it? Try to not to think too hard about that. There are trace amounts of phosphoric acid that come in handy anytime you have some pesky rust on metal and need to remove it. If you apply the Coke with aluminum foil, you’ll get even better results
2. Removing Blood Stains
This one was news to me, too. But apparently if you have blood on clothing, you can pour a can in with your regular laundry detergent and it’ll take the blood stains out. Hopefully you don’t have to do this too often.
3. Degreasing Cookware
If hot water and dish detergent just won’t cut bad grease on your cookware, soak it in some Coke for about a half-hour and see what happens. You’ll be amazed at how well this works.
4. Fixing Your Car Battery
One of the most common reasons a car refuses to start involves a problem with the battery. And since the battery is under the hood and rarely seen by most of us, corrosion can easily build up and block the electrical signal from the battery to engine. Coke contains a form of acid that will eat the corrosion and allow you to crank the car.
5. Loosening Stuck Bolts
My dad taught me this one, and it works like a charm. The phosphoric acid dissolves the rust and allows you to make some progress on freeing that pesky bolt. As I recall, when that didn’t work, my dad would curse under his breath and tell me not to say anything to Mom. And then he’d take a swig of Coke, wink at me, and smile.
h/t The Huffington Post and Supercompressor.com
