How to Remove Tomato Based Stains From Clothing

Tomato-based stains are difficult to remove.

Tomato-based stains can be difficult to remove. Often, a tomato stain is really from a combination of substances such as tomato sauce, which contains both fat or oil and the red coloring of the tomato. The trick to removing a tomato-based stain from clothing is treating the stain as both an oil and a dye stain.

Things You'll Need

• Laundry detergent
• Borax
• Oxygen bleach

Instructions

1. Rub liquid laundry detergent on the stain to pre-treat it. Allow the detergent to stand one minute before laundering.

2. Fill the washing machine with hot water.

3. Pour in ½ cup borax for a full laundry load or 1 tbsp. per gallon of water for smaller loads.

4. Pour in oxygen bleach. Follow the directions on the product label regarding the amount.

5. Add laundry detergent. Follow the directions on the product label regarding the amount.

6. Wash the garment, following the manufacturer's suggestions for the wash cycle.

Tips & Warnings

• If the stain contains a protein, launder in cold water because hot water will set the stain.

• Treat the stain as quickly as possible.

• Borax and Oxygen bleach are usually found in the laundry detergent aisle of grocery stores.

• Read the fabric care tag on the clothing item and follow all warnings.

• Heat sets stains. If your stain has been through the dryer, the stain may be impossible to remove.

• Do not use dishwasher detergent on your clothes because the chemical makeup is not designed for the delicate nature of clothing.

References

• University of Illinois Extention: Stain Solutions
• Ohio State University Extention Information: Quick 'n Easy Stain Removal
• Borax: In the Laundry