Here’s How to Make the Thing
You don’t need anything fancy. You probably have this stuff lying around:
1 Cup Coca-Cola (any brand, honestly I used regular Coke because that’s what was in the fridge)
½ Cup White Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Dish soap (blue Dawn if you have it, or whatever you have lying around)
An empty plastic bottle—extra credit if it has a small nozzle, like an old soda bottle
A funnel, unless you’re feeling super confident in your pouring skills
Here is the step-by-step breakdown:
Step 1: Pour the Coke into a glass or measuring cup. Let it sit for about a minute so it’s not as fizzy. Just enough to let it cool off a bit.
Step 2: Add the vinegar, salt, and dish soap. Slow stir so it doesn’t foam up all over your countertop. This feels wrong, but trust me.
Step 3: Funnel that mixture into your empty bottle. Don’t skip the funnel unless you enjoy trying to clean a sticky countertop.
Step 4: Remember to shake the bottle gently before you use it—but maybe do that over the sink. The whole Coke-vinegar situation can get a little… energizing.
Where it Actually Worked (and Worked Well)
I didn’t want to just throw it around and call it good: I tested this on stuff that typically laughs in the face of “natural” cleaners.
Burnt Pot Situation
We are talking burnt rice, fully crusted to stainless steel. The kind that doesn’t even blink at your favorite baking soda trick. I squirted the Coke mix straight onto the burnt part, let it sit for about 15 minutes, then came at it with a sponge (no joking, the burnt part began to lift). It wasn’t magical, and it wasn’t without some elbow grease on my part, but enough that I didn’t have to finish my night hunched over the sink hating life.
Toilet Bowl Funk
This is where I had the highest expectations for failure. But nope. I dumped a good amount up in the bowl, let it ‘hang out’ for a half hour, and then attacked it with the toilet brush. The gunk? Disappeared. No bleach smell, no eye-burning chemical fog—just clean. I didn’t realize I cared about natural-ish toilet cleaner until I realized I do.
Shower Door Soap Scum
This one might have surprised me the most. I sprayed down the glass doors and let it hang out for ten minutes, then wiped it from the door with a microfiber cloth. What happened was a little bit shocking. What had been encrustation… wasn’t anymore. The glass squeaked when I wiped it. That never happens. Ever.
Some Tips I Figured Out Along the Way
Use room temp Coke – Cold soda just foams up more and mixes worse. Warm-ish was easier for me.
Dry surfaces first – Wet counters or glass will dilute the mix before you even get a shot.
Don’t make a big batch – The mix does not keep. Use it up within a day or two. If you don’t, it will start to separate or do weird things.
No natural stone – Granite, marble, any porous material. This mix is too acidic, and it could totally mess it up. Just don’t use it on those surfaces.
Don’t use on screens or wood – I know this seems obvious, but just saying. Moisture and electronics? No. Acid and wood? No.
What It Can’t Do
It’s a great mix, but it is not magic. Do not expect it to work miracles on things like:
Granite countertops
Any unsealed wood floors or furniture
Electronics
Your cat (Please do not try and clean your cat with this.)
Think of it as a backup plan for burnt pans, gunky sinks, toilet catastrophes, and stubborn glass grime. Not a complete replacement for your cleaners, just an awesomely better secondary option.
It is Weird, but it Works
When I first saw this hack online, I laughed. Sure, Coke cleans a car battery, but that is not going to convince me that I am going to start pouring it onto my toilet. But then I actually tried it in my kitchen and bathroom. I am not laughing anymore. It works, it is cheap, it smells okay, and I did not have to put on rubber gloves or air out the house.
Is it the solution to all your cleaning woes? No. But it sure does hold its ground on gross, annoying messes that nothing else wants to touch.
And honestly? I really love that something so weird helped make my life just a little bit easier.
