# Heard of these hacks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 25, 2021, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977 "2021-06-25T00:57:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/21 "2021-06-26T15:39:27Z")
> [@tricoteuse](#): > > Coke is as bad as vinegar for crazy claims. I can remember parents and teachers in grade school trying to scare us away from soda by saying the acid could dissolve your teeth and pennies and stuff. So of course my brothers and I tried pennies and nothing happened except we wasted a good Coke ☹ “For some reason all of us knew this was about the saddest thing we had ever seen.” [![](https://isthmus.com/downloads/15339/download/lyndabarry-comeek011912f.jpg?cb=08f2c5f28b1cad7e62d9a96b287f7ad5) ](https://isthmus.com/downloads/15339/download/lyndabarry-comeek011912f.jpg?cb=08f2c5f28b1cad7e62d9a96b287f7ad5) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2021, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/22 "2021-06-26T16:26:59Z")
If you want a mostly pointless hack for aspirin, you can use it to make invisible ink. Just crush some aspirin tablets and dissolve them in water. There’s a complicated process that will make the resulting “ink” visible in normal light. But a more common way is to use a UV light; the aspirin ink will be visible under a UV light. The only use I can think of for this information is if you’re trying to sneak into a nightclub without paying the cover charge. ---
**Author:** ![Mortimus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mortimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mortimus)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/23 "2021-06-26T23:36:02Z")
I’ve found that baby oil does a good job of removing band-aid adhesive residue. Unlike WD-40 it won’t leave you smelling like a gas station but then I don’t know if smelling like a baby’s butt is better. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/24 "2021-06-27T01:39:08Z")
For anything oily or greasy–whether animal (such as pork fat on a cutting board), vegetable (a puddle of cooking oil), or mineral (motor oil, etc), dump baking soda on the mess and rub the baking soda around until it incorporates the grease/oil. Grease plus a base equals soap. Keep rubbing until you’ve got a soapy mess. Most of it will wash away with hot water. You may need to add more baking soda. If there is any residue, Dawn should clean it up nicely. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/25 "2021-06-27T03:13:46Z")
So all this talk about cola myths has me wondering. I’ve successfully used cola to dissolve mineral deposits on a seldom-used toilet. Cola also got rid of corrosion on a car battery. Those experiences make it seem like cola might be a little rough on your teeth, except all I can find is that _all_ sugary soda is bad because it contains sugars and phosphoric acid. Does this mean that any kind of soda would work on mineral deposits or corrosion? Or does cola have more phosphoric acid than, say, Sprite? Or is it just…you know…magic? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/26 "2021-06-27T08:54:10Z")
I suspect it’s the acid in the soda that does the cleaning job. Me, I use white vinegar for those jobs. Again, it’s the acid that does the work. And sure, acid isn’t good for your teeth, either. That’s why bulimics who vomit a lot can wind up with eroded teeth. But your mouth tries to dilute acid foods and drinks with saliva, which is mostly water. The sugar in sugary foods is bad for your teeth because bacteria in your mouth convert it to acid as part of their metabolism. It’s yet another reason to drink water, it dilutes acids and other damaging stuff you consume and helps protect your tooth enamel. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/27 "2021-06-27T14:49:29Z")
What’s interesting is that I tried vinegar on the mineral deposits on the toilet, and it didn’t do much, even with scrubbing. I also tried CLR and other cleaners. I expected the cola would do nothing and was astounded when it dissolved the deposit within a minute or two. Swish, swish, done. So weird. Wish I had mineral deposits so I could try other sodas to see if they’d work. ETA: I found [this](https://www.aquatell.ca/blogs/aquatell/does-coke-clean-limescale): > Coca-Cola contains **three acids** : **citric** acid, **tartaric** acid and (most prevalently) **phosphoric** acid. All of these acids work together to remove rust and other deposits, but the **phosphoric** acid is especially useful because it contains a stronger acidic concentration than those commonly found in natural cleaning products. Other colas such as Pepsi contain similar ingredients and can serve the same cleaning purpose… Phosphoric acid is found in most dark-colored sodas. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/28 "2021-06-27T17:27:16Z")
Was shaving and dinged my neck. Couldn’t find my styptic pencil. Found a bottle of enteric coated ASA and bit through the coating, putting the exposed tablet right onto the cut. Worked about as well as the alum in a pencil, so I’m going to say this one seems to work for moderate dings. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/29 "2021-06-29T23:22:22Z")
Products such as Lime-Away are phosphoric acid solutions, and they work for mineral deposits around your faucets and on your glass shower doors. If you’d rather not use something that ferocious, here’s a hack from _Hints from Heloise._ Shake table salt on a fresh-cut piece of lemon, and scrub the gunk away with that. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2021, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/30 "2021-06-29T23:30:24Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > > [@QuickSilver](#): > > > > I’ve just accidentally soaked a pair of my favorite sailing sneakers in diesel. Which is not dissimilar to WD-40. They’re currently sitting in the garage so either I throw them out or try the vinegar and Dawn thing. Some also recommend a Coca-Cola bath but I don’t see how that’s going to make things better. > > Well, hey, they use Dawn to wash crude oil off ducks and seagulls, it should work for getting a petroleum product out of your shoes, right? I just soaked the sneakers in a bucket of water with dawn. Left them for 4 hours and then left them to dry in the sun for the rest of the day. No luck. Still smell of diesel. Not quite as bad as before but not exactly a success. Which makes me wonder if it’s all that effective on ducks or if their duck friends end up shunning them. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/31 "2021-06-30T00:29:23Z")
Pretty sure they’re putting it on oil-soaked ducks straight, without diluting it in water. Try that. Then rub it in with a brush and a little elbow grease. Then rinse with lots of water until you don’t get any more suds. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/32 "2021-06-30T01:12:27Z")
Any advice for removing vegetable oil stains from a painted ceiling? I was experimenting with different ways of making fried chicken when the oil became overzealous. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/33 "2021-06-30T01:36:01Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Any advice for removing vegetable oil stains from a painted ceiling? I’m no expert, but I don’t think you can, if it’s already stained. Oil seems to soak right into some paints. Esp latex. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/34 "2021-06-30T02:20:51Z")
You will need to seal the oil stain before repainting the ceiling. Otherwise, it will “burn” through the new paint and your stain will still be visible. Talk to your paint purveyor. Someyimes a good base coat paint has a sealer in it, and it will cover all your troubles. If your chicken frying efforts spattered the CEILING, you’re damned lucky you didn’t have a grease fire! ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/35 "2021-06-30T02:24:12Z")
Paint ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/36 "2021-06-30T02:32:56Z")
It’s just fish oil. Use Dawn dishwashing detergent, or some other degreaser, to do that. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/37 "2021-06-30T02:43:58Z")
ive seen allsorts of books claiming things like in this thread … with the titles along the line “1001 kitchen secrets” ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/38 "2021-06-30T05:30:51Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > And sure, acid isn’t good for your teeth, either. That’s why bulimics who vomit a lot can wind up with eroded teeth. But your mouth tries to dilute acid foods and drinks with saliva, which is mostly water. And just worth noting that you stomach acid has a pH of about 1.5 - 3, whereas Coke has a pH of about 2.5. So your stomach is expected to cope with a more acid environment than that produced by swilling soda … ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/39 "2021-06-30T16:45:08Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > ETA: seriously, is there a hack to clean WD-40 off your skin? Duct tape? Seriously I think soap and water will do it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2021, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977/40 "2021-06-30T16:47:47Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Duct tape? That’s for getting bubblegum out of your hair. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-these-hacks/944977.md?page=3)