It has happened so many times to especially us bachelors – we delve into our toilet with a resolve to finally clean the stained space, and then realize that we are out of a chemical toilet cleaner. Well, worry no more; as it turns out that Coke (and other similar soda based drinks) can be used as a ‘makeshift’ substitute to toilet cleaners.
In fact, in many ways Coke is non-toxic as well as cheap when compared to many such dedicated products available on the market. So, without further ado, pop open your party bottle and check out the four simple steps on how to clean your toilet with just Coke.
Step 1 – Pouring the Coke around the rim of the water-closet
Those who have previously cleaned their own toilet would surely know the importance of dousing the upper-inside rim of the water-closet with any cleaner. In fact, we can follow a concentric pattern with the pouring. This allows the Coke to trickle down over the various levels of the stained parts inside the water closet. As for the Coke, it will ultimately accumulate at the bottom of the toilet mechanism after successfully covering most of the inside stains.
Step 2 – Allow the water-closet to remain in this state for some time
The Phosphoric acid is one of the acidic constituents of the coke, and as such it has all the major toilet cleaning credentials. So, when you leave your water-closet in the ‘doused’ state for at least an hour, the acid reacts with the stains (and limescale) and breaks them down. In that regard, the more time the water-closet is kept doused with the Coke, the more effective would be the cleaning. However, one should also keep an eye on the drying nature of the Coke. Moreover, Coke comprises of sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) which can sometimes attract more bacterial invasions to the Coke residue.
Step 3 – Time to bring in the brush
The acid reactions tend to loosen up the stains and sludge covered by the doused Coke. This is when you should bring your brush and rinse the inner surfaces thoroughly. The rigorous effect of the bristles upon the acid reacted stains further loosens them up for the ultimate flush.
Step 4 – Flush ’em down!
As with every toilet-oriented activity, the last step obviously entails the flushing. So, with just a push of the lever, the gushing water flows over the already loosened and dissolved stains, thus resulting in a sufficiently clean surface.
However, before you reach out for a pat on the back, you should remember some crucial tips –
1. According to Mythbusters, Coke is only useful for mineral stains, but not for oil-based stains
2. We did mention before that Coke is just a ‘makeshift’ toilet cleaner, which means that it is not the most effective cleaner for toilet stains. In fact, in many ways, you should only look forth to cleaning your toilet with Coke in emergency situations when you are out of dedicated cleaners.
3. Soda seems to be a good alternative to Coke, given that it also consists of Phosphoric acid. Soda also has the advantage of ‘not having’ any sugary content.
