Even when I have maple syrup on a plate after breakfast, it’s a pain to get off. But that’s nothing compared to what happens if you spill a few drops of maple syrup in your car’s cupholder and don’t realize until the next day. I ended up leaving it for a few more days because I couldn’t think of a way to get it out. Cleaning it up with a napkin wouldn’t work since it’s far too sticky; scraping it wouldn’t work because it would leave a thin layer behind; cleaning solution wouldn’t help a lot, either. Time for a new car?

Driving home tonight, the perfect solution hit me. Freeze it and then chip it out!

Most of us (myself included) don’t have access to liquid nitrogen, but we have something almost as good: cans of compressed air, meant for cleaning out computers and such. Held perfectly upside down, it sprays a liquid that can cause nasty frostbite.

It wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped, but it was the same general plan: spray a bunch of the stuff on to freeze the crap out of it, then go in with a knife and chip the deep-frozen maple syrup chunks off. (Warning: the stuff is dangerously cold. The can carries a frostbite warning. Don’t touch it!) The problem I ran into is that it would thaw out in a matter of seconds, meaning that I had to spray a ton and then very quickly chip it out. (Because there’s nothing like rushing while you’re weilding a knife and some unknown chemical that’s ridiculously cool.)

Nerd node: The Wikipedia page Gas duster covers the contents of this canned air stuff in great detail, and also mentions something I’m noticing after the fact: they put a bitterant in to keep people from huffing the stuff (I’m not sure why, since it’s toxic?), but it’s much stronger if you hold the can upside down (since you’re basically releasing the liquid before it expands, hence using a much greater quantity). So consider doing this in an open area. At the very least, don’t eat nearby, and whatever you do, don’t end up putting your fingers in your mouth. Trust me.