How to Get Tomato Sauce Out of White Table Napkins

Tomato sauce stains stand out on a white table napkin.

Tomato sauce stains create a two-part mess on your white table napkins. Since both oil and pigment from the tomatoes are present, you must tackle them both to effectively remove the stain. Lypocene in tomatoes is a natural chemical that produces that nasty orange-colored stain left by tomato sauce. Coupled with grease, the stains can become permanent if not treated correctly. You can get tomato sauce stains out of your white table napkins by using supplies and methods that treat both aspects of the stain.

Things You'll Need

• Spoon
• Talcum powder
• Laundry detergent
• Bucket
• Sponge
• White vinegar
• Stain remover solution

Instructions

1. Scrape off tomato sauce residue from the napkins using a spoon.

2. 

   Absorbent powder draws grease out of the fabric.

   Lay the white table napkins flat with the stains facing up. Cover the tomato sauce stains with talcum powder to absorb the grease. Leave the powder on the surface for 15 minutes before brushing it off.

3. Mix 1 teaspoon of laundry detergent and 1 gallon of warm water in a bucket. Place the white table napkins in the bucket and allow them to soak for 30 minutes to loosen the stains.

4. Remove the napkins from the bucket and wring them out. Wet a clean sponge with full-strength white vinegar. Dab the remaining tomato stains with the vinegar to remove the discoloration and grease.

5. Apply stain remover solution to the napkins and allow it to soak into the tomato sauce stains for one to two minutes.

6. Wash the white table napkins in warm water, adding laundry detergent to the wash cycle. Repeat these steps to remove any remaining stains before drying the napkins.

Tips & Warnings

• Substitute a diluted bleach solution for the laundry detergent soaking solution, if desired. Soak the napkins while the stain is still fresh to prevent absorption of color and grease.

• As an alternative method, lay a paper towel over the stained napkin and wet it with dry cleaning solvent poured through the napkin. Allow the fabric to dry and then launder as usual.

References

• Good Housekeeping: Stain Buster -- Tomato/Juice/Paste/Sauce
• Reader's Digest: 9 Ways to Remove Grease Stains
• University of Missouri Extension: Stain Removal from Washable Fabrics -- Greasy Food Stains
• University of Illinois Extension: Stain Solutions -- Tomato-Based Products