| No doubt about it, Americans love soda. Deep dark | | | | an effective emergency toilet bowl cleaner. Just pour |
| colas or sparkling lemon-limes, we consume an | | | | in, let set, brush, and flush. Soda is also effective at |
| average over just over two cans of it per person | | | | removing rust stains from sinks or tubs. |
| per day. According to the Department of Agriculture, | | | | 3. Tenderize meat. Marinating steaks in cola before |
| that adds up to a staggering national consumption of | | | | cooking makes them more tender and adds a |
| over 15 billion gallons of the bubbly stuff each year. | | | | interesting flavor boost. |
| Unfortunately, it turns out that while soda is excellent | | | | 4. Remove rust. A brisk rub with aluminum foil dipped |
| for lots of things, the human body isn't one of them. | | | | in cola will remove rust from chrome. |
| New studies indicate that the ever-increasing | | | | 5. Remove stains from fabrics. Soda can budge some |
| consumption of carbonated sodas is having a | | | | really difficult stains, including wine, oil, grease, marker, |
| detrimental effect on health in several ways. | | | | and blood. Pour directly on the stain and let it soak in. |
| It's making us fatter. Soda and soft drinks now make | | | | If the stain is on a garment, launder as usual after |
| up 10% of the calories in the American diet, | | | | soaking. If the stain is on upholstery or carpet, after |
| according to the Center For Science In The Public | | | | soaking with soda scrub lightly with soap and mild |
| Interest. These are essentially "empty" calories, | | | | water and blot well. |
| adding no significant nutritional value. One extra-large | | | | 6. Remove stains from concrete. What it does for |
| regular soda packs about 400 calories, more than a | | | | the carpet, it can do for the sidewalk, porch steps, |
| quarter of the total daily calorie requirements for the | | | | and garage floor. Pour straight soda on the stain and |
| average-sized woman. | | | | let it soak in. Scrub with warm soapy water and hose |
| It's squeezing out other important nutritional sources. | | | | area down. The stain will be gone. |
| Dept. of Agriculture records show that in the 1950s, | | | | 7. Deoderize. Adding a can of soda to the laundry can |
| Americans drank roughly four times more milk than | | | | get set-in odors out of fabrics. |
| soda. In 2009 that ratio was almost exactly reversed. | | | | 8. Remove corrosion. Cola removes corrossion from |
| The CSPI warns that not only is soda is playing a | | | | many metals, including brass and bronze. Soak small |
| huge role in the obesity epidemic in the US, it's | | | | items in straight soda; wrap a soda-soaked rag |
| robbing us of nutrition that we need. | | | | around corrosion on larger items. |
| It's been linked to some serious illnesses. Research | | | | 9. Clean burned-on residue from pots and pans. |
| has linked the acidic components of soda to digestive | | | | Empty a can of soda into a pan with burned-on food |
| problems, ulcers, tooth decay, and a 2009 Rutgers | | | | and bring to a boil. The residue will wipe right out. |
| study implicated the high-fructose corn syrup | | | | 10. Clean glass. A wipe-down with soda will leave |
| commonly used in soda as a trigger for diabetes. | | | | glass gleaming. It can remove stubborn hairspray |
| If you're inspired to cut back on soda, don't go | | | | from mirrors and bugs from windshields. |
| pouring your favorite fizzies down the drain. Soda is | | | | 11. Make cut flowers last longer. Adding soda to the |
| remarkably good for things other than drinking. | | | | water will keep cut flowers fresh looking for a longer |
| 1. Get gum out of hair. Soak the hair-gum clump with | | | | time. |
| soda for a few minutes. The gum will gradually loosen | | | | 12. Supercharge your compost. Pouring a can of cola |
| and you can slide it gently out. | | | | into your compost can boost the bacterial action that |
| 2. Clean the toilet. Any soda that contains citric acid | | | | breaks down organic materials. |
| (which will eat away stains on vitreous china) can be | | | | |