How to Get Tomato Stains Out of Plastic Bowls

Cleaning tomato stains from your plastic storage containers may take several steps, but most often, with a little effort, your containers will come out looking new. There are both natural and chemical ways to remove these stubborn stains. Most often, these stains will appear after storing a cooked tomato product, such as spaghetti sauce.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sunny spot in your yard
• Bleach
• Vinegar
• Denture tablets
• Cascade plastic booster

Removing Tomato Stains from Plastic

1. Set the plastic container out in the sun for at least seven to eight hours. Make sure the stain is directly exposed to the sun as the sun shifts throughout the day.

2. Add a tablespoon of dish soap and then fill the rest with hot water. Let it sit overnight. Rinse and repeat if the stain persists.

3. Combine one part bleach to three parts water in a plastic container that has been stained. Let it sit for a couple of hours then rinse. Wash with soap and water then rinse again.

4. Combine one part vinegar to one part hot water in your plastic container. Let this mixture sit in the plastic overnight to remove the stain.

5. Drop a couple of denture cleaning tablets into your stained plastic container, then fill it with water. Once this has soaked into the plastic overnight it should be clear of any stains.

6. Purchase a plastic cleaner meant for plastic stains, such as Cascade's Plastic Booster. This product is meant to clean plastic stains completely.

Tips & Warnings

• Spray a non-stick cooking helper, such as Pam, onto your plastic ware before storing a cooked tomato product. This should help prevent much of the tomato staining.
• Be sure to clean out any chemicals you have used to clean your plastic ware before using it for food.

References

• Thrifty Fun
• Recipe Secrets

Resources

• A source for information on a commercial plastic cleaner.