Want healthier plants? Water them with club soda

House plants are more popular than ever, as a quick scroll through Instagram will illustrate.

The Washington Post recently reported on the popularity of house plants with millennials, too. And all of those fiddle leaf figs, peace lilies, and succulents need careful care to stay healthy and blooming. Even if you’re not naturally gifted in the ways of keeping plants alive, here’s a tip that might help: Use club soda to water your houseplants.

Yes, club soda, the fizzy water often used in cocktails and to remove stains.

According to Lifehacker, the mineral content in club soda is key to helping plants grow faster, stronger, and happier. Phosphate, for example, can enrich the soil.

A study from the University of Colorado at Boulder showed that plants given carbonated water grew significantly more than plants given plain old tap water, hypothesizing that the carbonated water can help the plants absorb the nutrients more easily.

Real Simple advises that you actually wait until the club soda goes flat (read: not fizzy anymore) before you use it to water your spider plant or aloe. The carbon dioxide that causes the water to be fizzy actually has compounds that could stunt the plant’s growth.

And while you can of course buy club soda and then let it sit out until the bubbles dissipate, plant watering is actually a good use for leftover club soda, too. I know what I’m going to be doing with all of those half-consumed cans of La Croix I have sitting around my kitchen after a party!

For other tips on watering house plants, check out English Garden’s video:

And if you’re interested in more uses for club soda, we’ve got you covered. There are actually quite a few ways to utilize club soda in and around your home, including as a jewelry cleaner and pet urine remover.

The more you know!