How to Clean Tomato Sauce From Plastic

Tomato sauce has a tendency to dye plastic containers orange or red. If you frequently store pasta, chili or other foods that contain tomato sauce, you may find an alarming number of containers in your home sporting these unsightly stains. Though they cannot be removed in the standard manner, tomato sauce stains can be removed from plastic with various methods.

Things You'll Need

• Dish soap
• Baking soda
• Bleach

Instructions

1. Wash the container first with cold water, then with hot soapy water. For a minor stain, this may remove the red tint completely.

2. Make a thick paste of baking soda and water. Rub this on the stain and let dry. Rinse off the baking soda mixture and wash the plastic container as usual.

3. Remove stubborn stains by setting the plastic out in the sun for several hours. The natural bleaching effects of the sun can help get rid of the tomato sauce stain. Do not leave the plastic outside for too long, however, as it may become brittle.

4. Soak plastic containers that still have tomato stains in a sink or bucket of bleach diluted in water.

Tips & Warnings

• To prevent tomato sauce stains from forming in the first place, spray plastic containers with cooking spray before storing foods that contain tomato sauce.

References

• Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains
• Messy Gourmet - Food Stains