How to Remove Tomato Stains

Tomatoes are a common ingredient in many different dishes, and because of that, tomato stains will happen from time to time. While that spreading red spot on your favorite shirt might look alarming, chances are it will come out like magic if you know what to do to remove it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Liquid detergent
• Liquid bleach (for white or color-fast clothing)
• Laundry stain removal spray or gel

1. Lift any tomato chunks off the stained item of clothing with a fork or spoon. Be careful not to accidentally press against the stain and rub it deeper into the fabric.
2. Hold the back of the stain to a cold stream of running water to force the tomato out through the other side. This will also prevent the tomato stains from setting in any deeper than they already have.
3. Get some regular liquid clothing detergent and apply some to the tomato stains. Use just enough to cover it, but not so much that you can't see through to the fabric anymore.
4. Use a sponge to apply a little bit of liquid bleach to the tomato stains, if the article of clothing is white or made from color-fast, bleachable fabric. If in doubt, don't use bleach. It will completely ruin clothing it's not meant for.
5. Rinse the liquid detergent and/or bleach off the stain, and then repeat the process however many times you need to in order to make the stain disappear.
6. Remove any final traces of the stain by placing the item in the washing machine with some liquid detergent. Run it through a cycle, using water that's as hot as the garment can take.
7. Check to see if the stain is still there after it comes out of the wash. If so, apply more liquid detergent directly to the stain and drop the piece of clothing into a laundry tub filled with water. Let it soak for half an hour.
8. Spray the stain with a standard laundry stain-removing agent, which is readily available anywhere you can buy detergent. Wash the article of clothing in your washing machine again. That should remove even the peskiest of tomato stains.

Tips & Warnings

• Lemon juice and white vinegar can be added to any cleaning agent used to treat white articles of clothing. However, avoid using them to treat unbleachable garments, since they might cause permanent damage to clothing that isn't color fast.
• Always care for a garment according to the directions on the label. Never run fabrics that are not machine washable through the laundry--take them to a dry cleaner, where they belong.