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Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

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Date: 05/14/2009 Topics: Cleaning > Dishes | Readers Request > Cleaning  
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Ever use a rubber spatula on food items like spaghetti or tomato sauce and have the spatula get stained? Or ever use a plastic food container for leftovers which stained the container? I dreaded using my Pampered Chef white spatulas when I needed them for spaghetti. I also did not want to have my containers stained. Now when I have any type of food stains, I rinse and place the item outside when the sun is shining. Presto! After a few hours my items are stain-free and like new.

By mfeld from Twin Cities, MN

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By OliveOyl (209) Profile Contact
I soak the tomato stained plastic items in warm soapy water to which a little bleach has been added. This works well and quickly.

Posted on 05/14/2009 | Report Spam or Abuse

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Request: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

Archived on 05/14/2009

How do I get tomato sauce stains from plastics?

Mary from Mass

Feedback:

RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

If you have a dishwasher, you fill the reservoirs up with baking soda then add a dab of liquid soap like Ajax or Dawn. They will come out squeaky clean.

If not, just sprinkle the baking soda on the plastic rub it on then wash as you normally would. (02/28/2007)

By Medtaz165

RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

I put a new plastic bowl that my husband microwaved lasagna in. I had heard about using the sun. So I left it on my porch while I was at work. When I got home all the stain was gone. Good luck. (02/28/2007)

By anniebok

RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

They make a product used to clean stained tea/coffee cups and pots. I don't remember what it's called but it comes in a turquoise box and is sold in the grocery store where the coffee filters are sold. Works like a dream, fast and cheap. Also removes koolaid stains from pitchers. (02/28/2007)

By Debbie in SC

RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

If you leave it in the sun for a few hours, the stains will be gone (02/28/2007)

By Jenny

RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

I'm currently trying to replace all my plastic food storage containers with glass (a few pieces at a time, of course). Way too much new info on the leaching of chemicals from plastics for me to feel comfortable using them. That said, I like the sun solution the best so far. Thanks for sharing that. I'll give it a try. (04/06/2007)

By Kat63

RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

To remove such stains, it helps to let them soak in a little bleach water. To help prevent tomato stains, it helps to spray or apply cooking oil to the utensil first. This also works well when baking with ingredients such as margarine or peanut butter, to spray the measuring cups or spoons first, or dip them quickly in cooking oil for a light coverage. Or if the recipe calls for equal parts of cooking oil AND these other ingredients, measure the oil first. The gooey stuff slides right off. (04/06/2007)

By tismom

RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

What ever you do to clean your plastics, DO NOT put dish detergent in a dishwasher with your plastics or anything for that matter. Dish detergent does not belong in the dishwasher. The person who recommended this just wants to laugh when you have suds coming out of the dishwasher like crazy. Tried it once when I was younger, but never again. (01/18/2008)

By Lilly

Editor's Note: The original comment was to just put a "dab" of liquid in the dishwasher. If you use too much, you will have a mess so be cautious if trying this technique.

RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

Anyone know what to do with similarly annoying curry stains? Heated up a lovely lentil soup in a plastic container and now it's gone all fluorescent! (06/12/2008)

By unatuna

RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic

I want to thank those who suggested the baking soda paste.

The use of the sun also, as Linda mentioned, is very important. My family has always put our cutting boards out in the sun to beach, even if we have just used chlorine. The sun's UV has its own power to kill germs: the air "scrubbers" used by the CDC in hot zones pass the air though an ultraviolet radiation chamber, killing everything. (The sun giveth, the sun taketh away.)

I prefer to wash plastic in the dishwasher as much as possible, since oil seems to love to cling to plastic; try as I might, if the plastic item is not one of the very first items washed, some of the oil not bonded to detergent sticks to the surface of the plastic.

Plastic is problematic. I worked at a restaurant where we ground our own black pepper, and put it into a Styrofoam cup. The next day I noticed that the plastic was pitted, just above the level of the pepper. The oils had formed corrosive compounds on contact with the air, as there was no damage to the plastic below the level of the pepper. The chef said "OK. We go to ceramic".

It seems the stains mentioned are from dyes that bond easily to oil, like the iridescent yellow from the turmeric in the curry, so not putting oily, brightly colored food in plastic is perhaps the best remedy, or would be in a world where we all have the money to buy nice glass and ceramic and the time to always pick the right container for the job. (02/24/2009)

By Linden

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Tip: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic Containers

Archived on 09/16/2004

Clean tomato sauce stains from your plastic containers using hot water filled to the top and plopping a couple denture tablets in.

By Rhonda

More Tips:
Removing Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic 06/25/2004
Instead of buying cleaner for colored stains on plastic, like tomato sauce, etc. I submerge the item in really hot water for several seconds before I put on the soap and then I wash and rinse in hot water again. It comes out like magic!
By tiny bop
Bleach 09/15/2004
To remove tomato stains or any other stains from plastic containers use the following method:

Take about 1 cup of bleach & add 3 cups of water. Place this solution into the container that is discolored. Leave in place for about 2 hours. Rinse well with plain water being especially careful not to let the solution touch or splash on your clothes. Happy bleaching.

By joesgirl
Denture Tablets 11/07/2005
Clean tomato sauce stains from your plastic containers using hot water filled to the top and plopping a couple denture tablets in.
By Rhonda
Cooking Spray 11/07/2005
I don't know if this will work at all times, but try putting cooking spray in the container BEFORE putting your food in there. If you eat it all straight away, 99% of the time, it won't stain. However, if you keep it overnight, I think it will.
By KLS8800 (Guest Post)
RE: Cleaning Tomato Sauce Stains from Plastic Containers 11/07/2005
I mix baking soda and dish soap into a paste to clean my bowl. If the red isn't gone I set it in the sun and let it bleach out naturally.

Love & Prayers,
Linda

By lindaljh1
Pitted or Scarred Containers 11/08/2005
Just a warning... if the container is pitted or scarred throw it out! The chemicals in the plastic can leetch from the damaged plastic into your food and who knows what damage those chemicals can do to a person ... Rather to be safe than frugal?!?

That being said, a baking soda paste and a short "soak" works well on my plastics!

By Madelynnsmama

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