Carbonated beverages can be great for satisfying your thirst thanks to their refreshing, fizzy taste. However, you may not be aware of the other ways that soda and other carbonated drinks can be used to make life easier.
In addition to drinking them, you can use carbonated beverages in these other clever ways.
Meat Tenderizer and Marinade
If you want to make your meat more tender and give it some extra flavor, try pouring one can of soda over it and letting the meat soak. This method works particularly well for pot roast and other beef dishes that are sometimes tough. The properties in soda break down some of the texture of the meat so that it’s more tender and easier to chew. The meat can be left to soak in the cola for a few hours to a few days before you cook it.
Make Pancakes Fluffier
Seltzer (or sparkling) water can make a great ingredient for your next batch of pancakes. Instead of using regular water, try using this carbonated water in its place to mix the pancake batter. When your pancakes are made, you’ll likely notice that they have a lighter and fluffier texture that may be more appealing to your taste.
Flower Preserver
One of the best ways to make cut flowers last longer is to put them in a vase that’s filled with one-quarter cup of soda. Club soda or a clear citrusy soda can be used if you want to make your flowers look like they’re soaking in water.
Removing Gum from Hair
Gum that gets stuck in your hair can be difficult to remove, and you might believe that the only way to get rid of it is to cut out some of your hair. Fortunately, cola can work wonders in removing gum from the hair easily. After using cola to soak the part of the hair where the gum is trapped for two minutes, the gum can be pulled out with little hassle.
Hair Thickening Agent
Another way that cola can be good for your hair is by giving it a thicker texture. If you have thin hair, you can give it more body and bounce by rinsing it with cola and then rinsing the hair again with hot water.
Household Cleaner
Club soda is one of the best carbonated beverages to use for certain household cleaning tasks. Club soda often works well for cleaning toilets, bathroom sinks and countertops. Cast-iron skillets can also be cleaned by pouring some club soda into them and letting it sit for a few minutes before scrubbing. Even your vehicle’s windshield can be made clearer with club soda.
Stain Removal
In addition to cleaning your home, club soda can often be used to remove stains that were left behind by coffee and wine spills along with other messes. The beverage usually works particularly well for eliminating stains from shirts and other garments made from cotton. Some people have even found success in removing stains from carpets with club soda.
Jewelry Cleaner
Carbonated sparkling water can act as one of the best solutions for loosening and removing grime from necklaces, rings and other jewelry pieces. The bubbles that are produced from sparkling water can eliminate grime from jewelry much easier than other cleaning methods. After heating a few tablespoons worth of sparkling water in the microwave for a few seconds, you can let your jewelry soak for five minutes in the water and then use a toothbrush to clean the crevices and other small components of each jewelry piece. If you’re cleaning any gold pieces, it’s best to add a few drops of mild dish soap to the sparkling water.
Windshield Defroster
On cold days when a sheet of ice forms on your windshield, you won’t need to work as hard with an ice scraper to remove the ice if you use cola to make the task easier. After pouring some cola across your entire windshield and letting it soak for about a minute, you’ll be able to remove the ice with little effort when it turns into slush.
Bite and Sting Pain Relief
Being bitten or stung by an animal doesn’t have to be so painful, and pouring cola over the wounds can help relieve the irritation, itchiness and other unpleasant effects of these injuries. In addition to relieving the sensations of bites and stings from bugs and insects, cola can be effective in alleviating pain from jellyfish stings.
Eliminate Skunk Odors
If you’re ever sprayed by a skunk, try using some cola to get rid of the offending odor quickly. Simply pour four two-liter bottles of cola into a bucket and soak a sponge in it. Once the sponge is saturated in cola, you can use it to wash your skin to alleviate the bad smell and then rinse yourself clean with water after you’ve finished your sponge bath.
Garden Fertilizer
By pouring one can of cola a week into a compost bin, you can create a fertilizer that will do a better job of helping your grass, plants and flowers grow. The microorganisms in the compost that are beneficial to soil will use the cola as food to become stronger and healthier so that they can work more effectively.
Comments
0 comments