Summer is synonymous with picnics and barbeques. And if you don’t come home with a few rich-red splutters of tomato sauce on what you’re wearing, did you even go out?
Tomato sauce stains can be notoriously stubborn because they are both tannin and oil-based in nature, discolouring clothes instantly and requiring a bit more effort to remove than a straight-forward dye-based stain like strawberry or tomato (the fruit, not the vegetable).
Successfully erasing the remnants of the weekend’s lunch from your top will rely on using the correct cleaning products, a little bit of effort and the right process. Like with all stains, they will be easiest to remove when you get to work on a fresh stain as soon as it happens. If you miss the spot and don’t notice it until laundry day, the same process will work, it may just require a repeat.
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Stain type: |
Tannin and oil based |
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Detergent type: |
Enzymatic laundry detergent |
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Water temperature: |
Warm (40-degrees) |
What you’ll need to get rid of tomato sauce stains
- An enzymatic laundry liquid like our Advanced Wash or Laundry Detergent
- Stain remover
The 1-2 combo of detergent and stain remover is critical because you need to first remove the oil part of the stain (which is best tackled with the enzymes in our laundry detergent), before you can address the tannin stain from the tomato (best tackled with the hydrogen peroxide in our stain remover).
How to get rid of tomato sauce stains
- Remove any thick or chunky bits of sauce by using the back of a butter knife or a spoon.
- Rinse the clothing in cold water to flush out as much of the sauce as possible.
- Spot treat the stain with an enzymatic laundry liquid like Dirt to break down the oils in the stain.
- Apply stain remover on top of the squirt of Dirt and allow it work its magic (it needs between 5-30 minutes).
- Wash at 40-degrees. It’s the optimal temperature for product performance, but cooler temps will also work. Avoid hot temperatures - they set stains.
Shop Dirt laundry detergent and stain remover.