Videos regularly appear online showing people spraying carbonated drinks onto newly built walls or concrete structures. Various opinions exist regarding this practice: some consider it a method of strengthening masonry, while others see it as a way to remove residues of fresh mortar from bricks.
One viral video demonstrates people spraying a carbonated drink onto a brick wall designed for a new kitchen area. Users claim this is done to clean off splashes of fresh cement mortar. This process makes the original color of the brick appear cleaner.
This occurs because the phosphoric and citric acids contained in the carbonated drink break down the alkaline minerals present in the remnants of fresh mortar and cement. Since the particles of fresh mortar do not dry quickly and remain moist, this allows for easy cleaning of new walls by rubbing, without needing to purchase special acids.
Phosphoric acid in the carbonated drink can serve as a simple agent for light cleaning of cement deposits on bricks. Phosphoric acid helps dissolve cement dust and fresh residues of alkaline cement or mortar after construction.
There are also videos where carbonated drinks are sprayed onto fresh concrete of a new floor or slab. This raises the question of why this is done on concrete if no cleaning is required there. The reason is the same.
The carbonated drink slows down the hardening process of the top layer of cement. The drying process of the cement layer is slowed, allowing the upper part to harden slightly later, while the lower concrete continues to dry and gain strength normally.
After several hours, the top soft cement layer is then washed off using a high-pressure water jet. This reveals the small, attractive stones inside the concrete, giving the surface a beautiful appearance and good grip. This effect is called 'exposed aggregate finish,' and spraying carbonated drinks on wet concrete is also used to achieve this flooring finish.