Coca-Cola Life Hacks That Will Change Your Life

Did you think Coca-Cola was just for drinking? Well, you thought wrong. This delicious soft drink might be great to sip on, but it can also be used to complete odd jobs around the house. Coca-Cola was first invented in 1886 as a substitute for morphine, but the company quickly realized that they were better off selling the product as soda pop.

Keep reading to learn how you can use Coke to everything from cleaning your coffee pot to removing bloodstains.

Keep Your Toilets Sparkling Clean

@PlumbingServCo/Twitter
@PlumbingServCo/Twitter

This hack might sound odd, but we promise it works. Coca-Cola contains a lot of acid, and the acid in the pop can actually help kill germs that can't live in high acid environments. All you have to do is pour some Coke around the edges of your toilet bowl. Let the Coke work its magic overnight, and then in the morning, scrub your toilet bowl with a scrub brush.

Flush a few times and enjoy a fresh, clean toilet.

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Help Soothe Jellyfish Stings

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Have you ever been stung by a jellyfish? No? Well, lucky you. In case you ever do get stung by a jellyfish in the future (not that we're wishing that misfortune upon you) you can use coke to help soothe the burn.

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Just open up some Coke and continuously pour the soda on the sting for at least 30 seconds. Then go straight to the doctor and get some professional medical help. Coke won't cure the sting, but it will take the pain away.

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Defrost Your Car In The Winter

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If you live in a cold climate, you know that sinking feeling of walking out to your car in the morning only to discover that it's encased in a sheet of ice. Now you're going to be late to work because you have to spend ten minutes scraping all of that ice off your car. We have a better solution.

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Pour some Coca-Cola over the windshield. Within a minute the ice should turn to slush and brush right off.

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Remove Stuck-On Grease

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Forget about buying expensive dish cleaning soap like Dawn or Tide when you can use a product you already have in your fridge.

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If you soak your greasy macaroni and cheese dishes or lasagna pans in Coca-Cola for 30 minutes they will come out looking de-greased and sparkling. I'd love to see a dish soap commercial for Coca-Cola of a family rushing around to do dishes and pouring Coke into the sink instead.

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You Can Cook With Coke

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There are so many ways to use Coke when you're cooking a savory meal. You can mix Coke with a packet of onion soup mix to make a great marinade and sauce for cuts of meat that need to be slow-cooked.

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You can also mix Coke with ketchup or barbecue sauce to make a delicious meat glaze. There are so many Coke related recipes on Pinterest. The bubbly stuff works great in pulled pork recipes as well as pot roasts.

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Make Your Coins Shine Again

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Nowadays people use credit cards and debit cards and online services such as Paypal and Venmo, but if you're the kind of person who still carries around cash, or if you're a coin collector, this hack is for you. There are few dirtier objects on the planet than coins. These bits of metal change hands so many times, there's no telling what germs are on them.

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Instead of shelling out money for professional coin cleaning (if you're a coin collector, of course), you can soak your coins in Coca-Cola for ten minutes.

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Help Your Plants Grow

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Soda may not be so good for our bodies, but interestingly, it's super healthy for plants. If you pour Coca-Cola over your plants, your plants will grow fuller and faster. The soda contains nutrients that plants desperately need. This is particularly true for azaleas and gardenias.

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Just give them a little bit of Coke, and before you know it, those flowers will be blooming like crazy. Get ready for a supercharged garden and a super floral summer.

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Make Your Jewelry Sparkle Again

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Over time, dust, skin oils, and grime can build up on your precious jewels making them dull and less sparkly. If you want to add some life back into your old jewelry, try soaking your metal necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings in Coke.

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Leave them in a bowl of Coke for around ten minutes or until you're happy with the shine. Just don't leave them in the Coke too long or the acidity of the soda might harm your jewels.

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Get Rid Of Car Rust

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Cars can get rusty over time, but there's an easy way to clean all of that unwanted rust off of your vehicle. You don't need to go out and buy overpriced car polish. You can just pick up a bottle of Coke the next time you go to the grocery store.

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The phosphoric acid in Coke helps erode rust and keep your bumper nice and shiny. Just be sure not to overdo it and wipe off any paint.

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Say Goodbye To Blood Stains

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Blood is a notoriously hard substance to remove from fabric. Even the most intense laundry detergents can't get rid of those stains. That's why we're lucky we have Coke.

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Dab some Coca-Cola onto the stain and let it sit. The soda will help lift the bloodstain, and then you can wash the entire garment in the laundry as you normally would. Hydrogen peroxide also lifts bloodstains, but you're probably more likely to have Coke around the house than hydrogen peroxide.

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Get Stains Out Of Your Furniture

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Coca-Cola might look like it would be the thing to stain your fabric couch, but it can actually be a stain remover. The acidity in the soda will help lift tough stains, especially grease ones.

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So, if a drop of grease flies onto your couch from that juicy burger, dap a bit of Cola on it. Just be sure not to soak the fabric i Cola because the soda is brown and can stain also.

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It Can Remove Grout

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If you have a room in your home or apartment with tile, then you know that dirt and other grim quickly gets into the creases between tiles. Depending on how bad the grout is stained from all of the elements, it might mean you have to re-tile.

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In order to do so, you'll have to remove the grout. A job that is not easy and also not fun. The good news is that pouring coke over the grout makes the process super simple!

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Coke Will Solve Your Congestion Issues

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Yes, you read that right, you're going to boil a can of Coke for this hack. If you're congested and just want to know what a clear nasal passage feels like again, take a can of Coke and boil it. Be sure to drink the Coke still hot to clear you up in no time.

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We'll be honest, it tastes a bit weird, but if you're so congested you're trying this hack, you probably can't taste anything anyway.

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Clean Your Coffee Pot

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As we coffee drinkers know, your pot can get pretty gross and covered in limescale if you don't clean it often enough. And, unfortunately, even scrubbing it sometimes doesn't get all of that gnarly grime off.

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We're here to tell you that we have a solution so you don't have to worry about that old taste of coffee coming off your pot. Pour some coke into the glass pot, let it sit for a while, and then scrub and rinse as you normally would!

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Sip To Get Rid Of Nausea

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Many people know that sipping on ginger ale can help cure your nausea, but the same thing goes for Coca-Cola. The trick to making Coke the more effective nausea reliever is to leave it out overnight so it gets flat.

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Once all the bubbles are gone, then drinking a teaspoon once an hour will help keep your stomach from churning. Of course, if it doesn't go away then you should probably seek some medical attention.

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You Can Also Bake With Coke

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Yes, that's right, you can make the tastiest baked goods with Coca-Cola. Next time you're baking a cake for a kid's birthday party or an office bake sale, add some of the soda to the recipe. It will make the batter moist, fluffy, and extra delicious.

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You can hardly taste the Coke over the actual cake flavors, but to be safe, maybe only try this for chocolate cakes. You don't want to turn a vanilla cake an awkward in-between shade of brown.

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It Can Get Rid Of Skunk Smell

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Count yourself lucky if you or your pet has never been sprayed by a skunk. The scent is not pleasant, to say the least. Thankfully, that smell, of which that seems to linger for way longer than it should, can be taken out with a coke bath!

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The soda will help put a stop to the odor way faster than soap. And you know that time is of the essence when dealing with a nasty smell!

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Give Your Compost A Boost

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It doesn't need to be bubbly to get the job done. If you have a can of Coke in the back of your fridge that has gone flat, pour it over your compost pile.

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Doing this once a week will help break things down a lot faster thanks to the acid and sugar in the soda. Just don't throw in the plastic bottle or can, because that definitely won't decompose.

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Get Rid Of Oil Spots

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Any homeowner knows how frustrating it is to see those annoying oil spots burned into your driveway. Humans are creatures of habit. We park our cars in the exact same spot everyday and the oil stains are unavoidable.

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If you soak the stain with some Coca-Cola, let it sit for a few hours, it just hose off with no problem. Hey, it beats having to pay for a brand new driveway.

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Make Your Chrome Shiny Again

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Our best friend Coca-Cola needs a little bit of help for this hack. To clean AND buff up your chrome, try this method. Pour Diet Coke (again, it HAS to be diet) on a rusty or faded piece of chrome. Then, crumble up some aluminum foil to scrub off the Coke.

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Rinse it all off with some warm water and you're have the shiniest faucets in your neighborhood, or the nicest car bumper.

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Make Your Own Pesticide

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This handy Coca-Cola hack actually gained popularity thanks to Indian farmers. Many of those who work in agriculture in India say that the high sugar content in the soda helps it to easily fight off unwanted pests.

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Of course, Coke says that it's not true and that nothing in the drink can be used as a pesticide. We suggest trying it out on a small crop of plants before dousing an entire wheat field with Coke.

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It Can Enhance Natural Curls

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If you're tired of curling your hair with an iron or other products every day, then maybe you will want to switch it up and grow those curls naturally. Coke contains phosphoric acid which will contract with your hair follicles.

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It will take some time, but washing your hair with Coke will slowly begin to enhance the natural curls in your hair. Who knew something so bad could be so good for you.

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Clean Up Your Car Battery

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Car batteries aren't something you want to mess with because replacing one can cost a fortune. Luckily, Coca-Cola has just the right about of acidity to remove corrosion on the battery without damaging it like other products.

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Just be sure if you try this that you disconnect the battery and rinse with water afterwards. If not, you might end up with a fried battery that will cost much more than a can of Coke to replace.

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Get Gum Out Of Your Hair

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Mistakes happen, we understand. No one ever actually wants gum to get in their hair, but when you have a schoolyard bully or you're babysitting a three-year-old, sometimes it's unavoidable.

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If you do happen to have this unfortunate situation happen to you, run to the nearest corner store and buy a can of Coke. You'll have to sit around awkwardly with your hair soaking in a bowl of soda, but then the gum will just fall right out.

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Make Your Hair Dye Fade Faster

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Most people are looking to make their hair dye last longer, not fade quicker, but there are those times when you get a little too confident in your styling abilities. Maybe you thought you could dye your hair yourself with a drugstore boxed solution and it went horribly wrong. Maybe you thought pink hair would suit you but then you realized that was just your midlife crisis talking.

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If you made a serious hair dye mistake, you can use Coke to make everything okay again. Wash your hair with Diet Coke (it HAS to be diet). The soda will wash out temporary dyes and fade permanent ones.

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Clean Your Burnt Pots And Pans

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If you're like me, you probably have absolutely no idea what you're doing in the kitchen. That means unless it's being warmed up in the microwave, you're constantly burning your pots and pans trying to cook like a real adult.

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If the bottoms of your cookware have become blackened over time, pour a can of coke in and let it sit overnight. Wake up and you'll find the grime is easy to scrape right off.

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Get That Vintage Photo Effect

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If you're into arts and crafts and want to add a unique touch to a photo, painting, or even a hand-written letter, then Coke is the tool for you. There are two different ways you can do this.

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You can dip the entire sheet of paper into a dish of Coke for a few seconds, leave it out to dry, and witness the magic. If you're more detailed, then use a paper towel to dab Coke around the edges of a photo for a weathered look.

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No More Window Fingerprints

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One of the main ingredients in Coke is citric acid. Citric acid is widely used in commercial cleaning products, particularly for cleaning glass. You can either fill a spray bottle with Coke and put it directly on your windows, or lightly dip a cloth into Coke and wipe down the glass.

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Just be sure to rinse it over with water so that you don't leave behind a gross sugary residue.

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Say Goodbye To Household Pests

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If you have a rare but annoying infestation of slugs and snails, then set out a bowl of Coca-Cola for a few nights and watch the magic happen. It will attract the creepy crawlers and you can remove them.

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Coca-Cola can also be used to remove ant hills around your property before they grow too large. If you're extra desperate, an open bowl of Coke with saran wrap on top will even catch mosquitos.

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Marker Stains Be Gone

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So, you're toddler drew a beautiful scene of your house, family, and dog again. The only problem is they drew it on the family room wall. You have two options at this point. You can either waste money and paint over it, or just crack open a can of Coke to wash it off.

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Dip a cloth into coke to scrub out the marker without removing the paint. Then all you have to do is rinse to remove any residue.

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Get Rid Of That Gasoline Smell

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The average person probably doesn't have to worry about their clothes smelling like gasoline, but you never know what the future might hold. Maybe one day you have to spend hours in the body shop after a car accident.

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Regular detergent might wash your clothes but it won't get out that persistent smell. Soak your clothes in Coke, then wash as normal to get the stains and the smells out.

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No More Hiccups

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It feels like there are a million different old wive's tails about how to cure hiccups, and none of them seem to work consistently. I've gotten so desperate I'm holding my breath while drinking water upside down and watching scary movies.

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If you've got a bad bout of the hiccups, try gargling a big mouthful of ice-cold Coke. The bubbles, sugar, and acid all work together to cure those hiccups for you.

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That Mentos And Coke Trick

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Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
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Okay, this technically isn't a hack for anything as much as it is just pure fun. Honestly, after a long day of cleaning everything in your entire house with a can of Coke, you deserve to see a homemade explosion.

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For this, all you need is a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke (again, has to be diet) and a package of mentos. Slip the mentos into the bottle and run as the bottle rockets upwards.

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Clean Dead Bugs Off Your Car

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Fairfax Media via Getty Images via Getty Images
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Have you ever been in a foresty back road just to hear what sounds like little pellets hitting your windshield? Yup, those pellets are bugs. Gross. The good news is that we're here to tell you there is an easy way to remove the dead insects.

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The acid in coca-Cola will help eat away and the stains and bugs and leave your car looking good as new!

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Clean Up Unwanted Paint

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If you've ever had to repaint a room then you know that a thick coat of paint is nearly impossible to completely remove. A whole lot of elbow grease is put into taking down the unwanted color. But not if you have some Coca-Cola handy!

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Soak a towel in the soda, and dab it on the paint that you want to remove. Repeat this process until the paint begins to warp. Then, it's easily scraped away!