How to Remove Tomato Sauce Stains From Clothing

Remove tomato sauce stains from clothing as soon as possible to prevent the stain from setting.

Tomato sauce can leave behind an unpleasant red or orange stain on your clothing. Once you notice the tomato stain, you need to treat it as soon as possible to prevent it from become a permanent addition to your clothing. Since tomato sauces contain a variety of ingredients, you can remove the stain by focusing on the tomato because it is the main ingredient used.

Things You'll Need

• Liquid laundry detergent
• Spray bottle
• Vinegar
• Sponge
• Chlorine or color-safe bleach

Instructions

1. Flush the back of the tomato sauce stain with cold water.

2. Apply a liquid laundry detergent to the stain to pretreat it. Tamp it onto the stain and allow the detergent to sit for three to four minutes. Rinse the detergent off the stain thoroughly.

3. Fill a spray bottle with vinegar. Soak the stain with the vinegar and then blot it with a sponge. Rinse the area with water.

4. Reapply the liquid laundry detergent and vinegar to the stain until you remove as much as possible.

5. Wash the clothing according to the care label. Do not place the clothing in the dryer because it can cause the stain to become permanent. Hang the clothing up to dry.

6. Apply a liquid laundry detergent to the stain again if it remains present. Soak the clothing in warm water for 30 minutes.

7. Wash the clothing with either chlorine bleach or color-safe bleach. Only use chlorine bleach on white clothing. Follow the directions on the product to determine how much to add to the load.

References

• Mrs. Clean: Clothing Stain Removal: Tomato Sauce Stains
• Good Housekeeping: Stain Buster: Tomato/Juice/Paste/Sauce
• Reader's Digest: Stain Removal Solutions