Pop Goes the Soda Can

Was looking in my pantry last night, and noticed the carpet was wet.

About three years ago I bought several twelve-packs of canned soda on sale for a party. I kept the leftovers, since I figured they would be used later. While I have slowly reduced the number, there were still multiple cans, still in the original boxes.

I first suspected the leak was either roof or plumbing. After all, I didn't expect cans to just spontaneously leak and there was no smell of decay. The wetness was only barely sticky.

However, the culprit turned out to be several cans of Diet Rite. No sugar means little fermentation and stickiness. The cans didn't leak around the pull tab, as you would expect. Instead, the entire tops of several cans partially or completely separated.

Bizarrely, one can was empty, but the top was intact; when I pulled the tab it still held pressure.

No other brands of pop leaked, though their boxes were wet on the bottom and had to be discarded.

The cans are all now rinsed, with the intact ones dried and put in a plastic bin. Those which leaked are in the recycle bin. Now I just need to shampoo the carpet. :-(