While washing the floors last weekend, I noticed a rather syrupy puddle near the corner of my pantry. I can be a little absent minded from time to time, so I figured that maybe I had spilled something sugary in the past few weeks and did not do a very good job cleaning it up, although I was rattling my brains trying to figure out what I could have possibly spilled that could have left such a large and unnoticed mess. If I had spilled something I would have looked for a mess and found the puddle. But because I wasn't looking for it, this puddle went largely unnoticed for quite some time I'm supposing, because it is in the corner of the floor and it doesn't get a lot of traffic.
A few days later I noticed the puddle was reforming, and this time I knew I had not spilled anything. Now I had looked in the pantry the first time I found the puddle to see if something had been knocked over, but everything looked in order. This time I did a closer inspection. On the floor of my pantry I have two twelve packs. One of sugar based Pepsi and the other of sugar based Mountain Dew. They are two years old, and went undrank because they were out of sight and mind. Plus I typically don't drink cans, because one can is usually more than I have in a sitting.
This time when I did my close inspection, I was pulling things out and when I lifted up the Mountain Dew carton I found the source of my puddle. Somehow the pop from these cartons had managed to escape from the cans and had formed what was now a moldy puddle that was so large it had managed to drip over the lip of the molding of my pantry. Hey, that's pretty clever. It's not every day you get to use two different definitions of mold in the same sentence. And that should highlight the uniqueness of the situation.
After I pulled out the cartons and put them in my sink, I grabbed my camera. I was excited to see the cans. I had figured that the acid of the pop had managed to eat its way through the cans, and they would be reduced to splintery aluminium. I tried the Mountain Dew and reached for a can. But it was full. And I grabbed another. It too was full. Same with the next and the next. They all seemed perfectly fine. But then I grabbed one that gave way a bit in my hand. The can's walls seemed to be like a half-deflated balloon. You can't really grab it without it conforming to your hand. This can was about half full, but I couldn't find any holes in it. I tilted it around but nothing came out.
So I moved to the Pepsi. Again the cans seemed fine for the most part. Some of them had mold on the outside but that washed off and they looked good as new. Then I grabbed one can that appeared full but was too light. I shook the can and heard a swallow's worth of pop splashing around but the can itself was firm. I then got a pot, filled it water, and submerged the can to look for air bubbles. Nothing. I then squeezed it pretty good, but still nothing. Then I decided to be brave and squeeze it very hard. Then I managed to get some air to come out of it. Apparently there were micro holes on the can and I'm guessing this is where the pop leaked out. But I couldn't see holes with my naked eye. I could just tell they were there when I rubbed my finger over them and the air stopped flowing. And apparently they are small enough that they prevent the can from being easily crushed like most cans.
I'm still not sure how the holes formed. Maybe the sugar in the pop reacted with the other ingredients and caused a fermentation to occur which released some gas which eventually managed to escape through the weakest faults of the can. And from there the liquid followed. I suppose it's plausible, but I don't really know. Well, like I said, I had grabbed my camera, but unfortunately there were no pictures worth taking because all the cans looked tip top. I took one of the bottom of the Mountain Dew carton, but just imagine a very wet and moldy carton on the bottom and you'll get the idea.
I suppose this should compel me to look around elsewhere in my pantry or frig for those old condiments or other items I haven't used in a few years and give them a chuck. But like a 7 year old showing off his mud pie, I'd rather share this amazing messy story with you than get cleaned up.
A few days later I noticed the puddle was reforming, and this time I knew I had not spilled anything. Now I had looked in the pantry the first time I found the puddle to see if something had been knocked over, but everything looked in order. This time I did a closer inspection. On the floor of my pantry I have two twelve packs. One of sugar based Pepsi and the other of sugar based Mountain Dew. They are two years old, and went undrank because they were out of sight and mind. Plus I typically don't drink cans, because one can is usually more than I have in a sitting.
This time when I did my close inspection, I was pulling things out and when I lifted up the Mountain Dew carton I found the source of my puddle. Somehow the pop from these cartons had managed to escape from the cans and had formed what was now a moldy puddle that was so large it had managed to drip over the lip of the molding of my pantry. Hey, that's pretty clever. It's not every day you get to use two different definitions of mold in the same sentence. And that should highlight the uniqueness of the situation.
After I pulled out the cartons and put them in my sink, I grabbed my camera. I was excited to see the cans. I had figured that the acid of the pop had managed to eat its way through the cans, and they would be reduced to splintery aluminium. I tried the Mountain Dew and reached for a can. But it was full. And I grabbed another. It too was full. Same with the next and the next. They all seemed perfectly fine. But then I grabbed one that gave way a bit in my hand. The can's walls seemed to be like a half-deflated balloon. You can't really grab it without it conforming to your hand. This can was about half full, but I couldn't find any holes in it. I tilted it around but nothing came out.
So I moved to the Pepsi. Again the cans seemed fine for the most part. Some of them had mold on the outside but that washed off and they looked good as new. Then I grabbed one can that appeared full but was too light. I shook the can and heard a swallow's worth of pop splashing around but the can itself was firm. I then got a pot, filled it water, and submerged the can to look for air bubbles. Nothing. I then squeezed it pretty good, but still nothing. Then I decided to be brave and squeeze it very hard. Then I managed to get some air to come out of it. Apparently there were micro holes on the can and I'm guessing this is where the pop leaked out. But I couldn't see holes with my naked eye. I could just tell they were there when I rubbed my finger over them and the air stopped flowing. And apparently they are small enough that they prevent the can from being easily crushed like most cans.
I'm still not sure how the holes formed. Maybe the sugar in the pop reacted with the other ingredients and caused a fermentation to occur which released some gas which eventually managed to escape through the weakest faults of the can. And from there the liquid followed. I suppose it's plausible, but I don't really know. Well, like I said, I had grabbed my camera, but unfortunately there were no pictures worth taking because all the cans looked tip top. I took one of the bottom of the Mountain Dew carton, but just imagine a very wet and moldy carton on the bottom and you'll get the idea.
I suppose this should compel me to look around elsewhere in my pantry or frig for those old condiments or other items I haven't used in a few years and give them a chuck. But like a 7 year old showing off his mud pie, I'd rather share this amazing messy story with you than get cleaned up.
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