Cooking roasted meat

Flavor and tenderize your roasted meat by adding a can of cola soda to the pan. Cover it with aluminum foil and cook as usual. The citric acid breaks down protein chains in the meat’s tissue, leaving the roast tender and juicy. In addition, the sugary liquid will help to create delicious gravy at the bottom of the pot. It works great for pot roast and ham!

Tough grease stains

If your favorite clothes are spotted with grease stains (including engine oil), pour a can of cola soda into an empty washing machine and fill with hot water. Add clothes and your usual detergent before running a regular cycle. The acids in this soft drink dissolve grease and loosen any embedded grime.

Stubborn stuck-on food

Instead of scrubbing your casserole pan, fill it with enough cola soda to cover the burned areas, and then bring the liquid to a boil (on the stove or in the oven). Allow to cool and wash in warm soapy water. Rinse the pan clean.

Cola Soda Week #2!

Well-known as a popular carbonated beverage, this week you will find more alternative uses for cola...

Extend flowers’ life

Double the life of cut flowers by adding 1/4 cup cola soda to the water in the vase. The drink’s high sugar content provides nutrients, ensuring they will stay in bloom twice as long. If your vase is clear, you can use lemon-lime soda instead.

Whiten tile grout

Pour a can of cola soda onto the surface, concentrating on grimy grout. Let sit for about 15 minutes and mop the area with a soapy sponge. Carbonic acid seeps into the porous concrete and dissolves embedded dirt.

Dissolve toilet stains

If you run out of toilet-bowl cleaner, just empty a can of cola soda into the bowl and let sit for an hour. Swirl it around with a brush and flush. The soft drink contains citric acid that filters into the porcelain bowl and dissolves dirt and rust.

Relief for hiccups

Gargle with 1 tbsp cola soda and then swallow. The carbon dioxide particles tickle the throat, creating a distraction that allows the irritated diaphragm time to relax and stop producing the spasms.

Cut calories from your cake

Use a 12oz can of cola soda in place of the oil, eggs and water when preparing a packaged chocolate cake mix. Blend for 2 minutes and bake as usual. Your cake will have 75% less fat. You can try different flavor combinations as desired, as such lemon cake mix with lemon-lime soda.

Cola Soda Week #1!

Well-known as a popular carbonated beverage, this week you will find some alternative uses for cola...

Revive potpourri scent

If your favorite potpourri loses its scent, pour ¼ cup vodka into a spray bottle, spritz freely over all pieces, and stir to saturate them. The odorless alcohol breaks down potpourri’s hardened surface, exposing the still strong-scented layers beneath.

Eliminate microwave odors

Mix 1 cup water with the juice of 1 small lemon and place in the microwave for about 3 minutes. The steam and the citric acid evaporate the unfriendly smell leaving behind a nice and fresh citrus fragrance.

Organizing panty hoses

Place each pair of your hosiery into an empty toilet paper tube, label with the stocking’s color for easy reference and arrange in your drawer. You will find and pull on the right pair in a blink.

Hangover

To relieve a hangover, eat a piece of toast drizzled with honey for breakfast. Honey contains fructose, a natural form of sugar that speeds alcohol metabolism, and the carbohydrate-rich bread fights hangover morning sickness.

Energize yourself

If you are tired and there is no time to nap before you head out to your next mission, try this quick energizer. Sit on the floor and hug your knees to your chin. Keeping your spine rounded, rock back and forth about 12 times. This yoga mini move massages the back and neck, causing the feel-great hormone serotonin to be released.

Bleach splatters on clothes

Do not throw away your favorite garment, just because some drops of bleach accidentally landed on it. Instead, reach for a permanent marker in an ink color that matches the fabric. Dab the tip over the faded spots until they are covered. The ink will not run during normal laundering, but try to keep the garment away from powerful stain remover products, and keep the marker on hand in case you need a touch up.

Heel dents on wood floor

To reverse an indentation, first check the dent for cracks, which signal that the wood’s fibers are broken. In case of no cracks, the ding is not permanent. Heat an iron to its highest setting, dampen 3 cotton washcloths and set them over the dimple. Press the fabric with the hot iron until it stops steaming. Repeat if necessary. The heat causes the wood’s pores to swell, pushing the fibers up to fill in the inverted grain.

Stains on wood floor

If you have stubborn stains on wax-finished floors, apply a drop of paint thinner to a very fine steel-wool pad. Gently rub the area until the marks fade. Apply 1 tsp paste wax (specially formulated for wood floors) to a clean sponge and buff the spot. To clean water spots and scuffs, skip the paint thinner. Never use steel-wool on polyurethane floors since this will remove the protective finish!