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Why tomato sauce stains plastic, and the 30-second fix [1]

['Ellsworth Toohey']

Date: 2026-08-01  

Delish food editor Brooke Caison explains why tomato sauce turns plastic containers orange. Cooked and canned tomatoes are loaded with lycopene, a heavily pigmented antioxidant that repels water. Plastic repels water too, so the pigment bonds to the container.

Hot leftovers make it worse. The heat opens the pores in the plastic, and the pigment seeps in.

Her fix: fill the stained container halfway with warm water — the warmth reopens the pores — then add a few drops of grease-cutting dish soap and a crumpled paper towel. Put the lid on and shake for about 30 seconds. The soap grabs the grease without clinging to the plastic, and the paper towel scrubs. Rinse.

To keep it from happening again, let food cool to room temperature before it goes in the container, so the pores stay shut. Or switch to glass.

Previously:

• Have you ever tried cleaning kitchen grease with Coca Cola?

• Remove ink stains with Amodex

• Black plastic take-out containers may be toxic

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