I’m sure most people aren’t sitting around sipping a cola, wondering, “What else can I do with this drink?” But the other day I read where someone cleaned the rust off of their car engine using cola and rags and I was like, “WHAT?” The same stuff people drink can take rust off? Anyway, that made me wonder what else can cola do? Who even knew it could serve another purpose other than quenching your thirst.

Now I’m not mentioning any cola by name, just know that whatever brand you use, it needs to be cola, the brown stuff. And I haven’t personally tried any of these ideas, except for rinsing my hair in it for additional body, which actually worked for me back in the day.

I know some of these suggestions sound crazy but I do have several friends who swear by some of these ideas, like greening up a yellow patch in your yard with cola.

Here is a list of alternative uses for cola…and if you’ve tried one of these or do try one, we’d love to hear from you.

Alternative Uses For Cola –

REMOVE RUST FROM GARDEN TOOLS – Place rusted garden tool in a plastic container and pour cola over the tool, making sure the rusted/tarnished areas are covered. Soak for 24 hours. Wipe off rust easily with a cloth. (I’ve also heard of people cleaning their car engines with cola or dipping tin foil in cola and rubbing away rust from parts.)

KILL GARDEN PESTS – Try this with snails and slugs that eat your garden plants. Fill a small container with cola and place near plants. The bugs will be attracted to the scent of sugar and crawl inside the container where they will get trapped in the liquid.

DEICE CAR WINDOWS – Pour cola liberally across windshield and wait a minute or so. The ice will turn to slush and be easy to remove.

CLEAN TOILETS – Pour cola around the toilet bowl and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Flush.

BOOST THIN HAIR – Add volume to lifeless looking hair by pouring room-temperature cola to dry hair. Leave on for a couple of minutes and then rinse with water. The caffeine plumps the strands for lots of bounce.

YELLOW GRASS SPOTS? – Summer heat, not to mention our dog friends, can cause yellow patches in a green lawn. To fix, combine 1 can of cola, 1/4 cup of dish soap and 1 cup ammonia. Pour over the discolored areas. Give it a couple of days and you should see a difference.

CLEAN BURNT ON FOOD – For burnt on messes in your pans, pour a can of cola in the pan/pot and bring to a simmer on the stove. Let simmer until the mess is easy to wipe away. Rinse and dry.

RESTORE A CHALKBOARD – After a lot of use, chalkboards can begin to look faded. Restore the shine easily by dipping a cloth in cola and wiping the board clean. It’s that easy and it will look brand new.

EXTEND THE LIFE OF FLOWERS – Keep fresh flowers looking fresher for longer by filling your vase with 1 part cola to 2 parts water.

CLEAN OLD COINS – Soak tarnished coins in soda for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse and wipe.

EASE WASP STINGS – Soothe wasp stings in seconds. First remove the stinger. Then simply pour a bit of cola on the area. (Or pour on a clean cloth and then apply to the area.)

TENDERIZE TOUGH MEAT – Inexpensive cuts of meat save you money but they can be tough. Make it more tender and juicy by marinating it in cola at room temperature for about an hour. Then grill or cook as usual.

SOAK UP OIL SPOTS – Get rid of oil spots on your driveway by saturating each spot with cola. Let sit for at least 3 hours and then rinse with water hose.

REMOVE SAP – Tree sap stuck in hair can be difficult to get out…whether the hair belongs to you or your pet. To remove, pour cola over the sticky spots and let sit for about 5 minutes. Rinse and shampoo.