DIY Household Tips And Tricks That Grandma Knew (PHOTOS)

From "1,001 Old-Time Household Hints: Timeless Bits of Household Wisdom for Today's Home and Garden":

It's a whole new year, the perfect opportunity to finally start growing food in that container garden you've been talking about, rid your house of nasty toxins, and actually reduce your carbon footprint once and for all. But you don't need to shell out big bucks for a fancy compact composter or spend extra on "green" cleaning products. Take a few resourceful old-time hints from your great grandmother and you'll soon be on your way to a simpler, more self-sufficient lifestyle.

1 of 7

Soak Greasy Tools in Coca-Cola

1 of 8

First Slide

Previous Slide

@

Cola, while not so good for your teeth or love handles, can be put to good use cleaning tools and other sticky surfaces. Since cola was invented in the late 1800s, mechanics have been using it as a cleaner for tools and mechanical items. New Jersey textile designer and engineer William H. Carroll’s simple advice? “Soak in Coke! When tools and mechanical items get gummed up with oil and grease, soak them overnight in a bath of Coca-Cola. It will cut the grease and make them shine.” And we all know Coca-Cola costs less than water!

Earth Day Activities For Kids 2012: Crafts, Games, Recipes And More

Dried Salton Sea Could Produce 'Clouds Of Toxic Dust' Under San Diego Water Authority Plan

Eco Etiquette: 9 Time-Saving Tips For Busy Green Moms (PHOTOS)

State Of The Air 2012: American Lung Association Reports Improvements, Challenges

Earth Day 2012: Harder to See, Harder to Catch

Exxon Mobil Louisiana Oil Spill Clean Up Begins

Cola, while not so good for your teeth or love handles, can be put to good use cleaning tools and other sticky surfaces. Since cola was invented in the late 1800s, mechanics have been using it as a cleaner for tools and mechanical items. New Jersey textile designer and engineer William H. Carroll’s simple advice? “Soak in Coke! When tools and mechanical items get gummed up with oil and grease, soak them overnight in a bath of Coca-Cola. It will cut the grease and make them shine.” And we all know Coca-Cola costs less than water!

comments(177)

Total comments: 177 | Post a Comment

1 of 8

This Tip

Rank #2  |  Average: 4

Not A Big Deal Incredible

• 
  1
• 
  2
• 
  3
• 
  4
• 
  5
• 
  6
• 
  7
• 
  8
• 
  9
• 
  10

Top 5 Tips

loading...

Top 5 Tips

UserName

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Top User Slides

← Prev|Next →

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

loading...

Users who voted on this slide

← Prev|Next →

loading...

Comments

[snallygaster]

03:42 PM on 01/19/2011

Back in the day (1974 or so) my dad accidentally spilled beer on our white shag carpet. On cleaning up the spill, he noticed that the rug looked amazingly cleaner in that one spot. So, he proceeded to cover the entire carpet with beer and scrub... all night long. (I'm pretty sure a fair dose of pot was involved in the decision making process). The rug was destroyed and our house smelled like a brewery for weeks. Just sayin.'

[Steph Monster]

04:25 PM on 01/13/2011

This has really good beauty tips of the same idea http://www.fourgreensteps.com/infozone/lifestyle-health/top-15-natural-beauty-secrets

[EcoCatLady]

03:57 PM on 01/13/2011

In terms of cola... it's not actually the cola that does the trick, it's the carbonated water, which is actually a mild form of carbonic acid. For cleaning purposes I'd suggest using plain soda water with no sticky sugar or coloring to complicate matters.

When I was in college I did a stint of my work/study program in the campus kitchen. I was totally shocked one day when the head cook asked me to go fill up a pitcher of plain soda water so she could use it to clean the grill. I watched that stuff totally eat away the grease on the grill, and have never felt the same way about drinking soda since!

[Mr Crabs]

12:16 AM on 01/16/2011

It's also the phosphoric acid, it actually converts rust to ferric phosphate which is easy to remove so plain soda water is not as effective for rusty metal as real cola, but diet cola is even more effective because it's not sticky.

[EcoCatLady]

02:02 PM on 01/16/2011

Hmmm... that's fascinating. I knew there must be SOME redeeming quality to diet cola!

[MichaelangeloTheSinger]

11:13 AM on 01/13/2011

Now for my all time beauty SECRET!!
Exfoliating dead skin. Take a handful of baking soda and a small amount of lotion, rub on your skin as if you were doing micro-abrasion treatment. Rub gently till you feel a little burn or your skin turns red,than rinse. Do not over do it! be patient and practice till you get the feel for it.
If it accidentally gets in your eyes just rinse, it should dissolve Quickly, moisturize with 100 % Alvera jell or solar-cane spray which helps your skin heal the skin. Repeat do not over do it!
your skin should feel like porcelain!

[MichaelangeloTheSinger]

10:49 AM on 01/13/2011

If your car battery is dead and full of corrosion, pour coke over the terminals fully attached. It should start without a jump!

[rougebaisers]

07:19 AM on 01/13/2011

I got one for you. The best drain cleaner. No, it is not Drano. Baking soda and bleach.

Pour some bleach into the drain.

Sprinkle some baking soda in.

Pour a little more bleach in.

Sprinkle a little more baking soda in.

Pour a tiny more bit of bleach in.

Let it work its magic for about an hour.

Turn on the faucet and watch it drain.

[Sarijj]

08:41 AM on 01/13/2011

Vinegar and baking soda works much better for clogged sinks. The bleach you use could end up in your local ground water.

[rjmtx]

07:00 AM on 01/13/2011

Lead Paint chips make excellent hors d'oeuvres in a pinch!

[osofar]

08:23 PM on 01/12/2011

How do you get the tools inside the Coke can??!?

[rougebaisers]

07:19 AM on 01/13/2011

Oh Homie......;)

[GoodMorning98]

06:45 PM on 01/12/2011

Great information...I had forgotten most of them...thanks for the reminder!

[eyelashviper]

05:34 PM on 01/12/2011

Clean sink drains with baking soda and vinegar...put in baking soda, pour in vinegar, and stand back, add more vinegar until bubbling stops, then rise with hot water....does a great job, no toxins at all.

[bobdob]

03:45 PM on 01/12/2011

One other tip. I make Indian curries frequently, and stains from turmeric are a common occurrence. The perfect thing to get rid of turmeric stains on countertops, cookware, etc., is time. Leave them alone. They'll go away on their own in a few days.

[hello world]

03:41 PM on 01/12/2011

I highly recommend Mista Spakuru.

[Paola Cresti]

03:30 PM on 01/12/2011

DO NOT do #4 if you are in the habit of salting the water you cook potatoes, vegetables or pasta in, you'll be slowly killing your plants.
If you don't cook your pasta with salt in the water, then stop eating pasta, you don't deserve it.

[RealityBaseCamp]

03:28 PM on 01/12/2011

Arm & Hatchet?

If I ever market a product & rip off that label, it'll be Arm & Handle.

[EcoCatLady]

03:53 PM on 01/13/2011

Ha! How 'bout Armand Hammer? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_Hammer

[RealityBaseCamp]

08:09 PM on 01/13/2011

For sure - I always remember his name when the baking soda is mentioned.

[MIKEinNYC]

03:25 PM on 01/12/2011

Lame!