How to Get Rid of Plastic Food Container Odors

Plastic containers will develop stains and odors over time.

Odors caused by food storage -- such as onions or fish -- can become trapped in plastic storage containers. These odors can transfer to other items stored in the containers and alter the taste of those items. These offensive odors can last for months, and merely washing the containers does nothing to remove them. Fortunately, there are several methods that will remove the odors from plastic containers while using only a few inexpensive household items.

Things You'll Need

• Baking soda
• Liquid dish soap
• Cloths
• Towels
• Newspapers
• Charcoal briquettes
• White vinegar
• Sponge
• Tomato juice

Instructions

1. Fill the sink with warm water. Add ½ cup of baking soda and one to two drops of liquid dish soap to the water. Submerge the plastic container into the water and allow it to soak for 30 minutes. Wash the contianer with a cloth. Rinse clean with cool water and towel dry.

2. Fill clean container with newspapers that you have crumbled into balls. Secure the lid on the container. Allow the newspaper to sit inside the container overnight. The newspaper will absorb the odors. Alternatively, fill the container with charcoal briquettes.

3. Wash the containers in equal parts warm water and white vinegar. Vinegar is an all-natural deodorizer that will eliminate difficult to remove odors. Rinse the container in cool water and towel dry.

4. Wipe the container with a sponge saturated in tomato juice. Scrub the inside of the container gently with the saturated sponge. Wash the container as you normally would and rinse with cool water. Towel dry the container and place in the freezer for two days.

References

• Senior Living: Deodorize Plastic Food Containers
• The Sneaky Kitchen: Stains & Odors In Your Tupperware
• Site Impressions: Tupperware Tips & Tricks
• Reader's Digest: Simple New Uses for Tomato Juice