Our Verdict on 5 Coca Cola Cleaning Hacks

We love alternative cleaning products here at Electrodry, especially if they save us time and money! One surprising product that keeps popping up in those ‘I can’t believe it can clean’ articles is the world’s most famous soft drink, Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola hasn’t been in my fridge for years, not since I had braces in my teens. But these cleaning claims seemed absurd so we thought it was time to test five of the cleaning claims of this iconic beverage.

Let's see how it measures up.

Cleaning with Cola, why does it work?

We all know Coke is loaded with sugar; however, it’s the acidity in Coke that makes it an alleged effective cleaner. Just like cleaning products, Coke has a low PH level (3.4) and similar to lemons, includes citric acid (which can remove alkaline substances, like soap scum) in its makeup. We love cleaning with lemons so figured it was worth giving Coke a try.

Here’s what we discovered. 

5 Coca Cleaning Hacks - Do they work?

1. Coke for cleaning the toilet bowl

Our experiment

Coke apparently removes stains and grime from your toilet bowel, lifting them after a good soaking. You can pour the Coke into the toilet or put some into a spray bottle to spritz directly onto stains. After letting the Coke sit for a couple of hours, I scrubbed the bowl with a toilet brush before flushing twice.

Is coke and effective toilet bowl cleaner?

Works, but there are better ways. My toilet bowl was in okay shape to begin with so the results weren’t too astounding. It did remove what grime was there, though! You’re probably better off using white vinegar instead, following the same process you did with the Coke. Vinegar has disinfecting qualities, which you’ll definitely need for a good toilet bowl clean. It’s is a much more natural option, too.

2. Coke for cleaning and wiping windows

Our experiment

oke apparently does a great job at cleaning grime off your glass. Window cleaning is one of my most despised jobs around the home so I had to see if it worked. On one of our dirtiest glass doors, I sprayed coke onto it, using my microfiber cloth and a little warm water to wipe it down.

Is coca cola an effective window cleaner?

little streaky for my liking; in fact I used my usual 1:1 vinegar and water solution to re-do the job afterwards.

3. Coca Cola jewellery cleaner

Our experiment

The only coins in my home were trapped in a money tin so I grabbed an assortment of old jewellery for the test. I left the jewellery pieces in a cup of Coke for a couple of hours, mindful of the advice in many articles I read, recommending not to clean jewellery with Coke too often as the acidity may actually wear the polish down.

Is cola an effective jewellery cleaner?

It definitely gave the older jewellery items much more shine but nothing different to what a run-of-the-mill jewellery cleaner could do. I had to give the jewellery a thorough rinse afterwards too.

4. Coke rust remover

The experiment

People have spruiked Coke as a rust remover, thanks to the phosphoric acid found in the soft drink.

Is coke an effective rust remover?

There was only a slight change – the results may have been more impressive if I had left the Coke on there for longer, several hours if possible. The barbeque had a great deal of rust on it too, so the Coke may have not packed as much as was needed to get the job done properly.

5. Cleaning grimy bathroom grout

Our experiment

This cleaning ‘hack’ involves putting coke on the grout by putting a coke-soaked handtowel across the grime, leaving it for a few minutes, scrubbing with an old toothbrush and wiping clean. Give the area a mop afterwards as the acid in Coke may break down the grout sealing if used over a long period of time.

Is coke an effective tile and grout cleaner?

There was very little change in the severity of my bathroom’s grout grime following this experiment, which didn't really surprise me. I usually find a bi-carb soda and water paste left on the grout before scrubbing thoroughly does a much better job. I did feel a little uneasy having sugary coke sitting on my grout lines as well.

Can you use coke to remove carpet stains?

A ‘Sticking’ Point about Cleaning with Coke: Whatever any website tells you, don’t clean carpet stains with Coca-Cola. We don’t even need to test this one out to tell you it’s no good. The coke is going to leave sugar residue on your carpet fibres (even if you think you’ve removed it all), which makes it easier for dirt to stick to your carpet and can create a tough-to-remove stain. We’ve got some tips for removing Coke from your carpet here.

Is coke an effective cleaner?

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with Coke as a cleaner. It certainly works if you give it enough time and elbow grease but there are other products out there that can do just as good – if not better – job at cleaning your home, without leaving sticky residue behind!

Think about using natural homemade cleaners instead of something from the supermarket aisle. Using vinegar, lemons or baking soda are a few great options that can help you clean your home a more natural way.