On 20/01/2014 09:37, echinosum wrote:

"'Mike'[_4_ Wrote:
;997615"]Full strength coke is a good, cheap and easily obtainable
cleaning
agent. Personally, I've used it for removing oil stains from concrete
which it does very effectively.

... which is why I can not understand anybody putting the stuff inside
themselves ...

I know of a number of garages who use coca cola for cleaning
battery terminals!

This is simply because it is among the most acidic of beverages on sale.
It has a pH of 2.8. Some vinegars are less acidic than that (Wikipedia
reports taht cider vinegar has a pH of over 4, which may explain why my
chilli preserve with cider vinegar went mouldy) though strong vinegars
are down to about 2.2. Lemon juice is usually slightly more acidic
than vinegar, around 2.0. But I expect that coca cola is generally
rather cheaper than vinegar or lemon juice. Maybe if you could bulk
source vinegar it might be cheaper.

The potential trouble with using coca cola is the sugar in it which
would make your drive sticky until it had been washed by the rain, and
you wouldn't want to be treating it except when you could get a couple
of dry days to allow it to get to work.

I use Patio Magic, which contains benzalkonium chloride. A 5litre
container retails for around £20, but you dilute it 2 or 3 times so get
about 10-15 litres to apply. They say that treats around 170 sq m, but
my drive is 140 sq m and I don't quite get coverage of it all, so I
concentrate on the worst bits. Smaller containers also available. I
suppose that is still a bit more expensive than coca cola. I was
surprised at the admonition that the moss and algae gradually reduce
after the initial kill, but it seems to be true, the drive continues
getting cleaner for several months after application. I wait until
spring to apply it.

There is a product called Algon, which claims to be "safer" and
"organic" but they won't say what the active ingredient is. I wonder if
it is just a strong vinegar.



[/i][/color]
What about sugar free coke?