Crazy uses for Coca Cola

Coca Cola History: Amanda from IL. writes; "I noticed that you didn't have the fact that the color of Coca Cola was originally green! I've also heard rumors that the original brewers added cocaine to the batch and that's how they got the name Coca Cola." Thanks for sharing Amanda! Jessie from AZ tends to differ! She writes; "Coca Cola was never green and it was originated by a pharmacist as a drug to cure depression." Ashley from FL writes; "About coke once being made from cocaine. I lived in Georgia and we did a section on the origins on Coca Cola in school and it was indeed made from cocaine. It also had alcohol in it. Then about 1897 it made new ingredients because people were getting headaches." Thanks for the info Ashley! Mark van de Laak from The Netherlands writes; "I work for Coke's largest bottler (CCE Inc) in the Netherlands. The original recipe of Coke is the best secret in the world. Coca-Cola was originally made form Coca-leaves (cocaine-plant) and Cola-nuts (which grow in Africa). So in the beginning there was cocaine in it. Mr. John Styth Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, is the father of Coke. He made it as a medicine. He also started with alcohol in it, so that's true also. Later when Coke commercialized, the cocaine and alcohol where left out and the original recipe was replaced by the "7X"-formula. However, Coke has never been green!" Thanks for setting us straight Mark! Kai Mushens from Canada writes: "Coca-cola did in fact contain cocaine, in the original recipe a "serving" would contain 60mg of cocaine." Thanks Kai! One more... Jessica writes; "My boyfriend and I both work for Coca-Cola, and all of those remedies do in fact work. But I want everyone to know that Coca-Cola never had cocaine or alcohol in it. Who ever has said this does not have their facts right. From two Coca-Cola employees." Anyone else who wants to add more data on the history of Coke.... just email me!

Relieve Jelly Fish Sting: Coke can also be used to relieve the sting from Jelly Fish. All you have to do is pour the Coke over the sting.

Got The Trots?? Keran from New Zealand wanted to share this Coke tip with us; "While living in Papua New Guinea as a child, my father and I got a bad case of the trots. (As you often do in 3rd world countries). We went to the Doctor, and he told us the most effective treatment would be to get a 2ltr bottle of coke, take the top off and let it go flat, and up to room temperature, then drink 1 glass every couple of hours. BINGO... all fixed up inside!" Thanks Keran... I won't be going out of the country with out a supply of Coca Cola!!

Hiccup Cure: Peter C. from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada writes; "When I have the hiccups I take a good mouthful of Coke and gargle it. My hiccups are gone each and every time." Can't wait until I get the hiccups so that I can try this one Peter. A big Thank you to you!

Movie Set Magic: Amy in Los Angeles, CA writes; "I'm a set dresser, when I can get the work. And in movies, if we're going to shoot a dance scene or a fight scene in a place that has potentially slippery floors, we mop the floor with Coke and let it sticky up for a few minutes before they do the scene. Then we don't have to worry about the actors slipping anymore!" Thanks for sharing Amy!

Colic Remedy: This remedy was sent in by Bonnie Soderqvist from Dalskog Sweden; "The best thing I ever found for colic when my boy was a bay was a hint from the doctor. Leave out a glass of warm coke and give it a stir now and then during the day so most of the bubbles are out by the time colic normally hits. Put it in the babies bottle and let him drink and burp like you normally would and the colic and tears will be gone. This works like a charm. I have passed this remedy on to many young mothers and it has worked every time. Make sure the coke is room temp. and use flat, regular Coca Cola (not diet). My doctor had 8 kids and brought home a case of coke with every baby." Big Thanks to Bonnie!

Keep Your Tires Dirt Free: Lawrence, aka-Ldog, writes; "Back in the early 80's while showing my car in the Super Nationals car show I learned this fantastic tip from an older gentleman. First, wash and scrub your tires then dry off the rims. Then you just spray the Coca Cola (reg. not diet) onto your tires. Or, just use a rag dipped in the coke and rub onto your tires. Let dry and repeat. This will leave the tires black as can be and will not attract the dirt like all the other products out there. You have to try this before you believe it." Great cola tip Lawrence!

Doggy Paws??: Corey from N. Carolina writes; "I have two dogs that I exercise a lot. They attend performance event and sometimes their foot pads get worn down. When the pads become shiny it's time to soak them for 20 minutes in the glass bottled Coca Cola. It prevents them from getting bloody paw pads from too much wear, and makes the pads rough again. I don't know how it works, but it does." Thanks Corey!

Plump Raisins Tip for Cooking: Mary from Enfield, Middlesex, England writes; "When baking, if you need to "plump" raisins before adding to cakes and cookies, soak them in Coca Cola instead of water. Water leaches out the flavor of the raisins, but Coke adds a spiciness and intensifies the flavor." Super cooking tip Mary! Thanks!

Clean Burnt Pans Effortlessly: Carolyn from Nova Scotia, Canada writes; "I would like to share a slightly different 'cleaning' use. While watching "How Clean Is Your House" on TV recently (British show), the ladies cleaned a long-forgotten burnt saucepan simply by boiling some Coca Cola in it. A few weeks later my turnip boiled dry and the pan was quite encrusted in places. I recalled this show and since my son had some Coke on hand I decided to try it. True to their word, it worked like magic!" Thanks for this great cleaning tip Carolyn!

Get a Tan?: Velma from Milwaukee writes; "I was in Mexico a couple of years ago and a lady saw me tanning outside the hotel and I just couldn't tan, she then said, " want a great tan"? Of course, " I said". She said buy some Coke, not diet coke, cherry coke or generic, just plain Coke and apply it over skin. Believe me, I did, and laid out for a while, I got up, and I had the best tan ever. It lasted for about 6-7 months. So, now I do it here in Milwaukee when it gets hot, I even use the coke in the tanning machines and it really works. And, no, bugs will not eat you. The coke dries in your skin and then your skin is silky. This is the best tanning lotion I have ever used." Thanks Velma! I can't wait to try this out myself!

Beautiful Curls: Gwendolen from the United Kingdom writes: "Pour a can of flat coke onto long hair and leave it in for a few minutes before washing thoroughly for perfectly separated curls! I didn't expect this to work, but it did!" Thanks Gwendolen!

Antique Your Photos: This great tip was sent in by Gwen from Denver, PA; "I found this tip in the Women's World magazine and thought it would be a great addition to your Coca Cola page. To make a new photo look antique, just take a photo (make sure you have a second print of the photo in case you mess up!!) and soak it in Coca Cola. I just used a small brownie pan and poured in about 1/2 inch of Coca Cola. Then I put in the photo until it was covered with the cola. Just soak for a few minutes until you get the color that you want. Gently lift out the photo (careful not to touch the front with your fingers). Then gently pat dry with a soft lintless material. Or, drip dry. Then finish drying with a hair dryer. Wa-La... antique photo!" Thanks a bunch Gwen!
 
Yummy Constipation Remedy: Verna Donnelly from Biloxi, MS sent in this great remedy; "For constipation, I used to take Caster oil or mineral oil. It always made me gag until I hit on this great recipe! Just take 1 to 3 Tablespoons of Caster or Mineral oil and mix in the blender with a cup or so of Coca Cola for a few moments. It tastes just like Cream Soda! You can't taste the yucky oil at all! This remedy is just for occasional use and if you are pregnant, do not use mineral oil, caster oil, or any other laxative without consulting your Doctor!" Thanks for the yummy remedy Verna. You are a real doll for sharing!

Too Dark Dye Job: Lucy, from Dorset in England writes; "I went to the hairdressers today, and I asked her if there was anything that would strip dye from hair, or at least fade it (I have a thing for dying my hair you see) and she said that if you pour a bottle of diet coke (and diet coke only) over your hair, it helps fade dye and even remove it! I tried it and it did fade the dye considerably." Thanks loads Lucy!

Gum in your Hair!: This tip was sent in by Linda from Texas; "Just take the gum coated hair and dip in a small bowl that has some Coca Cola in it. Let sit for just a few minutes and the gum will wipe right off." Thanks Linda!

The Navy uses Coke to help preserve it's submarines: Bill Ferris from Summerville, SC writes; "A retired enlisted sailor, I made 17 submarine patrols between 1975 and 1992. Subs normally stayed in the cooler, northern waters, but on one patrol we spent a great deal of time in the warmer, southern Atlantic. When we returned to port, our normally black hull was covered with a snowy, white film. It was apparently some type of marine animal or plant that thrived in the warmer water. Try as we might, we couldn't clean the film off to prepare the hull for routine preservation (Navy term for painting). Finally, one old salt suggested we try Coke syrup. We had a soda dispenser onboard, so we had access to gallons of the syrup. We poured it on the hull, let it sit for a few minutes, and easily brushed the growth off." Thanks for the great info Bill!

Interesting.... Jessie from Phoenix Az writes; "If you put a can of diet Coca Cola and a can of regular Coca Cola in a swimming pool..... the can of regular Coke will sink, but the can of Diet Coke will float!" Thanks for this interesting tidbit Jessie!

Clean Ancient Coins: An anonymous contributor writes; "I have a use for Coca Cola. We use it to clean ancient bronze coins. Badly corroded coins are first soaked in 100 percent lye for several weeks, then in the final stage, they are soaked in Coke and hand cleaned." Thanks for the interesting info my friend!


Silky Soft Skin: Brianna Fenn from Watertown, CT writes; "I have always had extremely dry skin. So has my mother. I've tried lots of different types of lotions, but they just don't leave my legs smooth like they should. I decided that I had enough of dry skin and I wanted it to stop, so I decided to try something new. I mixed a spoonful of regular coca-cola (not diet) with unscented lotion, and it worked! My legs were smoother than ever and was like that for days! It really works!! Hope it works for you, too!!" Thanks for the silky skin tip Brianna!

Swimming Pool Tip!: Carol Ruby from Sweeny Texas writes; "I have well water and the last time I bought salt for my softener, I didn't buy the kind with the rust remover in it. I filled up my swimming pool and shocked it but my water turned brown because of the iron in it. I put two 2-liter bottles of coke in the water and the next day my pool was clear!" Thanks Carol! That's one I have never heard before! Can't wait to test it out!

Clean Tile Grout: By accident, I found the perfect grout cleaner for my tile floors! I spilled a can of Coca Cola on my kitchen floor. When I wiped it up, to my surprise the grout was as white as can be!

Something's Fishy in Kodiak, Alaska!: Joy from Seattle, WA writes; "In Kodiak, Alaska, at the local Laundromat, the staff charge an extra dollar per load of drop-off laundry to add Coke to your wash. It is the "only" thing I ever saw that got the stink of Halibut out of fishing clothes, and it even works on clothes that have been washed and dried - if you wash them again with Coke, the smell will come entirely out" Thanks Joy!





Minty Drink: "Howdy my name is Joe from Austin, Texas. I found this out by being bored and creative. Get one of those chewy mints called Mentos. Original flavor please. Get a bottle of regular Coke and drop it in. It will fizz and explode out (this doesn't work with Diet Coke). Now you have created a mint Coke drink. YUM!" Thanks Joe!

Remove Oil Stains from the Driveway!: Fish from Santa Cruz, California writes; "I grew up in Australia and it is well known that the best way to remove oil stains from concrete driveways or garages is to pour on coke, let it soak then hose off - Viola!" Thanks Fish!

Carpet Stains!: C. Miller from Atlanta, GA writes; "I was reviewing your site for the many uses of coca cola, after hearing about coca cola's many uses from an radio announcer. I was courious so I tried it for this. My 5 yr old son, experimenting with a permanent marker, decided to have a field day drawing on my hall carpet with a permanent marker. Confused of what I would do to remove the large drawing, after trying almost everything even carpet cleaner, I decided, what the heck, I would pour a 20oz bottle of coke over the stain to see what happened. To my surprised.... After letting the coke set and gently using a scrub brush, the permanent marker stain was lifted. I added a little soapy water which consisted of tide and water to gently wipe over area. To my amazement the carpet look new again." Thanks for sharing C.!

Greener Grass: Kathy from McKeesRocks, Pa. sent in this great coke tip. "Spray an inexpensive cola on your grass once a month for super green grass which remains greener than other lawns throughout the fall and winter months. This really works! Also, for green grass and no bugs, combine: 1 can of coke, 1 cup of ammonia and 1/4 cup of dish soap. Spray on grass once a month." Thanks Kathy!

Common Cold: Take some fresh ginger and put it in a pot with a can of Coca Cola. Let it come to a boil and then cook on a low heat for a few minutes. Drink while warm. It will ease your cold symptoms!

Congestion: Silvia from Toluca, México sent in this Coca Cola health tip! "When a person feels congested and has a lot of phlem, a glass of hot coca cola before going to bed for several days will help a lot. A friend gave me the tip, I did with my children and it worked!" Thanks so much Silvia!

Nauseated?: Bob from San Leandro, California sent this great tip in to settle your stomach; "If you are nauseated open a can of Coke and let it stand until the carbonation goes away, then take a teaspoonfull every hour, I was told this by an advise nurse at Kaiser Hospital when I came down with the flu and was throwing up. It really works." Thanks for taking the time to share this Coca Cola remedy with us Bob! Here is a quick tip for taking the carbonation out of Coke fast, sent in by Sue Aber from Ohio; "To take the carbonation out of the Coke, add a teaspoon of sugar to the Cola. This works with any type of cola and is especially handy if you are not at home and cannot wait for the cola to go flat." Thanks Sue!

Clean Your Kettle: Craig Barry from England writes; "This is a crazy tip my grandmother used to de-scale her teapot/kettle. Add a 2 liter coca cola (the real thing!) to you kettle and let it settle for a day. Then rinse your kettle out a few times and wipe clean and kapow its clean! Your kettle is now de-scaled and dirt free!" Thanks for sharing Craig!

Power A TV?: Carlos writes; "Back home (Ecuador, South America), my brothers and I were at the farm one day. We didn’t have electricity but we had a small generator, but my dad didn’t let us use it during the day, and we wanted to watch a soccer match. So we found that our small TV had a 9 volt input on the side, so we took an old tractor battery hooked it up to the TV and we put lemon juice inside the battery to see if that would make it come alive again, well it kinda did, but we had a tiny image, and it died in seconds. So my brother as a joke said, lets put Coca Cola in there, and WOW... the thing worked perfectly!! I can't remember how long it lasted, all I remember is that it worked great and we were pretty impressed!" Wow.. thanks for the interesting Coca Cola tip Carlos!!

Too Much Information: In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident. (this one has got to be a myth!) Kym from Washington State writes; "I thought that I would inform you that the information on your website about the highway patrol carrying coca cola in the back of their patrol cars is not a myth. It is indeed very true. The reason for it is that it "eats" the blood off the concrete and looks like water therefore it is not so noticeable as kitty litter or sawdust. Thought that I would clear that up for you. I have worked for the state patrol clean up crew for a number of years." Thanks Kym! Debbie Loyer from Morgantown, PA writes; "There's a great show on the Discovery Channel called Mythbusters and they did several experiments with Coke. The one about highway patrol carrying Coke with them is TRUE! The Mythbusters used pigs blood and poured it on their parking lot in 2 spots. One spot they hosed down with water, but there was still some blood left. The other, they poured some Coke on and let it sit for just a minute, hosed it off and ALL the blood was gone!" Thanks for sharing Debbie!
 
Start A Compost Pile: Donna Hall from Normangee, Tx sent in this compost tip; "To start up your compost pile start with straw, lawn waste, old leaves, and in the middle add a can of coke. Put it near where you can turn it easily once a month and add water but remember, you don't want to make it too soggy! After a few months the coke will turn it into usable compost." Thanks Donna!

Remove Grease, Creosote & Asphalt from Clothes: Lorraine Besmer writes, "If you get grease, creosote or asphalt on clothing, just pour a can of regular coke in the wash water, along with the normal amount of detergent. The Coke will remove the stain. I got this tip from my son's future mother in law whose husband worked on the railroad and got creosote on his clothing from the railroad ties. It also worked when my son got grease on his clothing from working on his pickup." Thanks Lorraine! JLM from Troy MI sent in this tip; "I heard that Coca Cola took out stains so I tried it on a wine stain and it worked like a charm!"

Clean Battery Corrosion: Jeanna Logan from Asheville, NC writes; "Here's a trick I've known about for years. I was surprised that it wasn't shown on your Coke page. Pour a can of Coke on your car battery's connections to remove that cruddy corrosion. A clean connection makes it easier to start your car!" It's on now! Thanks Jeanna!

Bug & Road Film: Got bug guts and road haze on you car windshield? Check out this tip that Garry from Queensland, Australia wanted to share with us; "I use Coke to clean off accumulated crud from the windscreen of my car. I buy a 600 ml bottle and shake it up so that it acts like a pressure pack can. The citric and phosphoric acids lift everything off, including crusted on bugs. Best not to do it in full sun, and wash it off immediately." Thanks Garry!

Shelling Eggs!! Jason from Salem, Oregon sent me this crazy tip! "I know that Pepsi has phosphoric acid, but I never thought to look at a can of coke to see if it did too. The reason I say this is because I've been told that if you put an egg into pepsi, the acids will dissolve the shell... and if Coke has the same acid it will also dissolve the shells of eggs. Just a thought for shelling those annoying hard boiled eggs!" Thanks Jason, I got a kick out of that! Could this be a myth? Check below for more on phosphoric acid to find out!

Phoroshoric Acid - Fact or Fiction? The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It's pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days! Wow! Jared Brown from Richland, Washington wrote this letter concerning this "rumor"! "What you heard isn't true at all. I've been doing a science project on the effects of phoroshoric acid and I tried to dissolve egg's and nails, even a steak. Nothing was dissolved. I put a nail in a bowl of Coke and changed the coke everyday for 3 weeks. Nothing happened. The nail didn't flynch in size or weight. It just turned a really dark cool brown color."Aw oh Jared, Libby from West Frankfort IL doesn't agree with you! Libby writes; "I just read the Coke tips page and Jarred (sp) said Coke will not dissolve a nail. I have tried the same experiment and learned that if you want it to dissolve you must use an iron nail without a coating. Iron is very reactive with acids. Also, you need to put it in a 2 Liter bottle and reseal it because it is actually the carbonic acid (from the CO2 -carbon dioxide) that dissolves the nail not the phosphoric acid. If the Coke is open then the Carbon dioxide escapes and will not be as effective." Thanks for setting us straight Libby!

The following two tips have been reprinted from "Polish Your Furniture with Panty Hose" by Joey Green (Hyperion, 1996) with permission of the author.
To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl. Let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

Ice Removal: Jennifer from Asheville, NC writes; In the winter when your windshield ices up, just pour coke over it and it will go away instantly! Thanks Jennifer! Sounds a bit messy, but a good way to get that ice off quick when you are in a hurry and happen to have a Coca Cola near by!!

Clean Truck Engines? Paul from Greensburg, Pa. sent in this tidbit; "I've heard that the distrubutors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!" If anyone knows if that is true, let us know! And here is are last tip from Libby; "Pour Coke down your drain once a month to keep it from clogging."

"Coca-Cola" and "Coke" are registered trademarks of the Coca-Cola Company


AND WE DRINK THIS STUFF!!
(But it's Sooooo Good!!)



Yummy Coca Cola Recipes!



Coca Cola Cake! Melody Itson from Cave Spring, GA send int this yummy Coca Cola Cake recipe; Take chocolate cake mix and mix it with 1 can of diet coke (10-12 oz.). Bake as directed on the back of the cake mix box. It makes the moistest chocolate cake ever. All you use is the cake powder and the diet coke (no eggs,milk,etc...)! if making a vanilla cake you can use Diet sprite!" I Can't wait to try this one Melody! Thanks so much for sharing!

Easy BBQ Sauce: Tony Miles from Riverside, Ca. wanted to share this delicious BBQ sauce with everyone; "I had a friend who made the best home made barbecue that I can remember. He mixed 50-50 coca cola and Heinz ketchup together and slathered on his barbecue meat." Thanks Tony!

Yummy BBQ Sauce: Pat wanted to share this wonderful recipe with everyone!
Ingredients:
2 T. cooking oil (olive works well for the heart)
1 lg. onion (or 2 smaller ones)
3 cloves garlic crushed or minced
1- 28 oz. bottle ketchup
1-12 oz. can Coca Cola (the real thing)
1 T. soy sauce
Saute onion and garlic in the oil until transparent. Add ketchup, soy sauce, and Coke to that and simmer until of desired consistency. If you like it thick, simmer it a little longer than, if you want a light sauce coating. Cool and use on all your grilled meats or, make Sloppy Joe's out of it with pre-browned meat or leftover meat.
You can make up to 6x the recipe and store leftover sauce for the summer in the freezer or fridge in air tight containers. I do this so that I have plenty on hand for the summer months.
Variations follow: Add some liquid smoke if you want it smokey. If you want it less sweet add 1 t. vinegar. Want it spicier add red pepper flakes or juice from canned jalapeno peppers. You can also divide it if you make a bigger batch and make it a variety batch with different tastes for different dishes. Use your imagination, and the recipe is endless as far as different varieties.

BBQ Left-overs: Sarah from TN sent in this great Coca Cola tip: "If you have barbeque leftovers like chicken or steak put them in a pan with a can of coke and reheat in the oven, the meat stays extra tender without ruining the grill flavor." Thanks Sarah, I can't wait to try this one!

Super Tender Steak: Janae Knight from Long Beach, CA writes; "My uncle, who is a retired chef, always marinates steaks in coca cola before barbequing. It works as a great tenderizer." Thanks for the yummy tip Janae! I've tried this great tip and it works even better than store bought meat tenderizer!

Boy Scout Coca Cola Chicken: Dennis from Kent, Wa. sent in this yummy recipe! "In a Dutch Oven or Crock Pot add up to 12 pieces of chicken, 1 bottle (36 0z.) Catsup, 20 oz. Coca Cola. Cook in Crock Pot until Chicken is tender and comes off the bone easily. In a Dutch Oven, heat to 350 degrees, cook for 30 minutes or until chicken comes off the bone easily." Thanks Dennis!

Coca Cola Chicken: Dolores Martinez from Las Vegas sent this recipe in: "Take one frying chicken, 1 cup of chile de arbol, (dry red chiles) 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 2 cans of coke. Cut and fry chicken--remove from pan--to pan add 1 can of coke, brown sugar, and crushed up chiles--bring to a boil add chicken and simmer on low for 20 minutes--add reserve can of coke if liquid evaporates. Serve over white rice. This is a very spicy meal and it is delicious." Thank you for sharing this great recipe with us Dolores!

Flavorful & Tender - Pork, Chicken or Beef: Liz from Peoria, IL writes: "Mix equal parts of Coca Cola and catsup and pour over your meat in a Crock Pot. Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 8-10 hours. Works well with pork, chicken, beef. I've also added onion at the same time as the Coke/catsup mixture and that's also tasty." Thanks Liz! This also works great when using an inexpensive cut of beef! Tender!

Tender Pot Roast: Ron from Nevada sent me this great cola tip. "When preparing a potroast, use Coke instead of water. Tenderizes and imparts unique flavor." Thanks Ron!

To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan; wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

"Coca-Cola" and "Coke" are registered trademarks of the Coca-Cola Company