A new cleaning tip says sunlight, not just soap, is the real secret to removing stubborn tomato sauce stains from white clothes.
The trick comes from journalist Victoria Turk, who wrote about it in the Guardian. She had tomato sauce stains from a lasagne stuck on her one-year-old's white baby vest, and nothing seemed to work until she tried a method she found online.
Turk first used an old toothbrush with a bit of washing-up liquid and water to scrub the stain and lift away any oil. Then she washed the vest as normal with a load of whites, using a detergent that contains enzymes. The orange marks were still there after that wash. So she hung the vest outside on a garden chair to dry in the sun.
She explained that tomatoes get their red color from a pigment called lycopene. That is just a science word for the natural coloring in tomatoes. Sunlight, even on a cloudy day, breaks down this pigment through UV light, acting like a natural bleach. Turk said the stains vanished completely, even though the day was overcast.
Another method making the rounds online comes from cleaning content creator Chantel Mila on TikTok. She shares steps for brightening white clothes, linens, socks, and towels that have gone dull or stained.
What this means for you
If you are dealing with sauce stains on whites, you do not need fancy products. Sunlight and a few household items can do the job.
- Scrub the stain gently with an old toothbrush, washing-up liquid, and a little water to loosen any oil.
- Wash the item as usual with a detergent that contains enzymes.
- Hang the item outside to dry in natural light, even if it is cloudy, and let the sun fade the stain.
For deeper staining or dingy whites, Chantel Mila's method is another option. Soak the clothes in warm water with half a cup of hydrogen peroxide, half a cup of baking soda, and a tablespoon of washing-up liquid for an hour. Then run them through a regular wash cycle.
This site exists to explain everyday topics like this in plain words, so you never need a dictionary to understand the news. You should not need a chemistry degree to get a stain out of your clothes either.
Next time sauce hits your white shirt, try the toothbrush and sunshine trick before giving up on it for good.
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