You can almost bet that anytime tomato sauce is being used there will be a tomato stain on something or someone. Inadvertently tomato sauce ends up being worn. The quest now is to rid the garment of this very visual culprit without damaging your clothing.
The easiest and safest way to be rid of a tomato sauce stain is to have your clothing professionally cleaned. This can be expensive, costing more than what the garment is worth, so this may not be an option for you. If you choose to try to remove the stain yourself, perhaps these suggestions will help you.
1. Always be sure your clothing can withstand any type of stain removal. Check the label. If the material is made with delicate materials, such as silk or linen, anything used outside of a professional cleaning can permanently damage your item.
2. After you determine your fabric is sturdy enough for you to attempt the stain removal, get rid of the excess sauce first. You can do this by using a damp rag and gently dabbing at it or by scraping it off with a non-sharp object, like a butter knife or back of a spoon. Run under cold water to see if the spot washes away. If it doesn’t work, another approach is in order.
3. Try using your liquid laundry detergent as a pre-treat. Apply a small amount of detergent to the stain, rubbing it in gently. Let sit for a few hours or over night. Launder according to directions. Once washed, check the item to see if the stain has been removed. If it hasn’t been removed adequately enough, “Do Not” dry the item. Heat will set the stain.
4. Your next step could be to try a pre-treater. Spray or rub the stain with the pre-treat generously. Remember you’re dealing with a tough stain use liberally. Follow directions according to what is on the back of the pre-treat product. Again, if after the garment is laundered and the spot remains, “Do Not” dry.
5. Some methods tried by consumers, but not marketed as spot cleaners, have been household cleaning products and hair products such as (Mr Clean All purpose Cleaning Spray) and (Hairspray). Spray the tomato sauce stain with whichever product you choose to use. Let sit for about thirty minutes. Run the stained area under some cold water to see if the stain has lightened or has been removed. You might need to repeat this process a few times. Launder as directed on your clothes label. Be sure you’re willing to chance this method before attempting.
6. If your garment is white, simply bleaching it might rid the stain. Be sure to throw the garment in with like colors or you’ll damage colored clothes with bleach stains.
Most tomato sauces have an oiled based background. Be sure to treat the oil part of the tomato sauce as well with a degreaser. Dawn dish soap has a mild degreaser in it, you might try this before you use a harsher based chemcial degreaser.
You can’t avoid getting stains at time. What you can do, when you do get a stain, is find a method of cleaning which works well for you. Hopefully these suggestions will put you on the right coarse for ridding your clothes of tomato sauce stains.
