Something I’ve seen more than once on various “weird tricks” and “hacks” websites is advice about saving money by using Coca-Cola as a toilet cleaner. Which made me wonder: Does this make sense?
First, I’ve never tried it. If Coca-Cola is a really wonderful toilet cleaner, then using it to clean toilets might be a great idea, even if it costs more than products that are intended for that purpose. So, I’ll assume that cola is no better than the average toilet cleaner (which, seems likely, imho). If that’s the case, you won’t save any money using Coke to clean the can.
Let’s assume that you need to use about 12 ounces of Coke for each toilet cleaning. At the wholesale club, a 12-ounce can of Coke costs approximately 30¢. Regular (by which I mean those that clean and sanitize but aren’t especially good at removing calcium, lime, or rust) toilet cleaners cost around $3 for a bottle. If you get at least 10 toilet cleanings per bottle, then you aren’t saving any money with this “weird toilet-cleaning hack”. Products that are made to remove calcium, lime, or rust cost more, but I’m willing to bet they work better than Coke. Furthermore, if I were going to use something from the pantry to clean anything in the bathroom, the first thing I’d try is vinegar — it’s a bit less expensive on a per-ounce basis, and it almost certainly works better.
