How to Clean Tomato Sauce Stains

by Alden Smith

It seems like every time you go to a party, or to a nice restaurant with your spouse, inevitably you get tomato sauce on your clothing. If you have children in the home, they constantly make messes that you have to clean up. Food spilled on carpeting and upholstered furniture can not only be an unsightly mess, but takes value away from the furnishings. Here is what you can do to eliminate food stains on clothing, furniture, and carpeting.
 
Always make every effort to rinse a stain while still fresh. To remove tomato based sauce stains from clothing, quickly blot as much of the stain as possible from the garment.  Do not attempt to rub in any fashion, as this only embeds the stain further.  Run the stain under running water, doing so from the back side.  This forces the stain back out through the fabric.  Then, rub a little liquid detergent into the stain, being careful to do so gently.  If the garment is white, you can use a bleaching agent such as hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar to further reduce the stain.  Lemon juice is also known to work, too.  Launder the garment per care label instructions. Be sure to check the stain before putting in the dryer.  If the stain is still present, don't dry it - the dryer will set the stain further. If the stain is persistent, use a pre-treatment stick to remove.  Carpeting can be cleaned by flushing the stain with cool water, blotting up excess with a motion from the center of the stain to the outside. Pour a little lemon juice or rub with a slice of lemon to remove stain.  (Be careful on wood!) Flush with cool water, and blot up excess.  If the stain persists, use a wet spotter on the stain.  Cover with an absorbent pad that is moistened with the wet spotter, and keep an eye on the stain.  Keep the pad moist until the spotter has had a chance to eradicate the stain.  Blot clean with cool water and a white cloth to remove residue.

Just about any stain can be removed if the proper method is followed.  It is always very important to try to remove the stain before it dries if at all possible.  Be sure to always test any fabric or carpeting in an unseen place before attempting to remove any stain.