Here’s how to get red sauce stains out of plastic containers

Leftover pasta or stew for lunch is great, but there’s nothing worse than trying to remove red sauce stains from plastic containers. We’ve all experienced that disappointing moment when you open the dishwasher to retrieve your Tupperware to find it still has the same ring of greasy red oil that it had when you put it in there. No matter how hard you try, whether you let it sit in warm, soapy water overnight or scrub vigorously, the stains never seem to budge. The good news is, we may have found a way to say goodbye to greasy red oil stains for good!

White vinegar

White vinegar is a very effective cleaning agent. All you need to do is mix equal parts water and vinegar, then let the containers soak in the solution for a couple of hours. After soaking, wash the containers and dry as normal. Thanks to its acidic properties, white vinegar is the perfect cleaning tool. It’s also great for removing stubborn coffee stains from mugs.

Baking soda

It’s commonly used in baking to help the dough rise and create an airy texture in your favourite cakes, but baking soda is also fantastic for cleaning. To remove the leftover pasta sauce from your plastic containers, simply make a paste with baking soda by adding water. Apply it to the stained areas of your containers and let it sit for a couple of hours before scrubbing with a sponge. Wash the containers as normal and let dry.

Lemon

It turns out lemon is a great cleaning ingredient because it contains citric acid, which acts as a natural bleach. All you have to do is rub lemon juice on the stained areas of the containers and leave them outside in the sun for one to two days. The sun and the lemon juice work together to remove the stains. In fact, the sun has been used for centuries to remove stains.

Magic eraser sponge

If all else fails, why not try a magic eraser sponge? From grout to oven doors and even your old running shoes, a magic eraser sponge can clean just about anything. Yep, even greasy red pasta stains are no match for these little miracle pieces of melamine foam. All you have to do is give the containers a good scrub and they’ll be good as new!