Cleaning the toilet is one of those jobs literally no one likes. Even my sister, who adores cleaning, refuses to touch the toilet. But what if there was a way to make this awful chore a little more enjoyable? What if I told you that you could clean your toilet with Coke? There are surprisingly a lot of articles online about how to clean toilets with Coke, including step-by-step tutorials on how to achieve your desired result (kind of strange, I know).
Before dumping Coke into my toilet, I did a bit of research to see if this myth had any legitimacy. And, surprisingly, it does. It all has to do with acidity.
The Power of Acidity
If you learned anything in health class as a kid, it was that pop is bad for your teeth because of its acidity. What makes it bad? Acids are used to break things down. For example, the acid in pop eats away at the enamel (the protective coating) on your teeth, which can lead to sensitivity or cavities.
#SpoonTip: To limit the amount of contact pop has with your teeth, use a straw.
Now, all acid isn’t bad. In fact, the body uses acids in many ways. When you eat food, your stomach releases hydrochloric acid to trigger the start of digestion.
Pop contains three different types of acid: citric, carbonic, and phosphoric. Citric acid is found in citrus fruits like lemons, limes, and oranges. Carbonic acid isn’t actually added to pop. Instead, it’s the result of pumping incredibly high amounts of carbon dioxide into such a tiny space, forcing the gas to dissolve. When you open a can of soda, that pop you hear is from the dissolved carbon dioxide escaping and creating fizz in the process.
Phosphoric acid is found in most dark colored sodas. Our body needs moderate amounts of phosphorus to help with kidney function and energy production. The problem is having too much phosphorus. But there’s no need to worry unless your drinking a few liters of pop every single day.
The Experiment
Hypothesis: The acidity in Coca-Cola is high enough to dissolve toilet stains without the use of traditional toilet cleaners. Pop has the potential to soften tooth enamel, which is the strongest substance the body can produce, surely it’s no match for some gross toilet gunk.
Before
Some sites recommended heating the Coke in the microwave until it was warm. Not boiling, just warm. I did two 30-second intervals for 1 cup of Coke.
You want to coat the entire toilet bowl with Coke. It’ll run down and mix with the water, but leave behind an invisible layer of acid residue. The hardest part is letting the Coke work its magic. The longer you leave the acid, the better. An hour is the bare minimum, with overnight being the best.
During
After adding the Coke, I immediately started to feel a bit nervous. First off, it looks like someone did a #2 and forgot to flush. And second, what if the colour stains the toilet? Clean your toilet with Coke? How could I be so crazy?
Nevertheless, I decide to continue with the experiment.
After
After letting the Coke sit for about two hours—let me tell you, the suspense was REAL—I decided to assess the damage.
The first thing you want to do is flush the toilet so the water washes away the acid coating the sides along with the dissolved gunk. Next, grab the scrub brush and scrub. Flush once more, and voila! A cleaner toilet.
Obviously it didn’t work perfectly because there were still some stains. Maybe letting the Coke sitting overnight would have produced better results. But if you find yourself in a jam and your toilet simply needs to be clean, Coke is a decent option.
#SpoonTip: Soak a cloth or piece of paper towel in Coke and place it directly on top of any really dirty areas.
Conclusion: you can in fact clean toilets with Coke. And it also smells pretty darn good. #TheMoreYouKnow