Whether it’s fresh tomato in a salad, tomato sauce in a burger, or tomato paste in a pasta dish, tomato is a delicious and diverse fruit. If you spill it on yourself, these simple steps will help lift the stain in no time. 

• Fresh tomato 
• Dried tomato
• Tomato sauce

Fresh tomato 

Fresh tomatoes are pesky so don’t be surprised when you cut into one and its juices fly onto your clothes. Don’t panic though, because fresh tomato stains are incredibly easy to remove. 

To remove a fresh tomato stain you will need…

• Cold water
• A clean cloth
• Dish soap

To begin removing your fresh tomato stain rinse the stained area with cold water. This will help push out as much of the stain as possible and begin loosening the remaining stain from your clothes’ fibers. Make sure that you are using cold water to rinse the stained area as anything warmer will set the stain into your clothing. 

Once you have rinsed as much of the stain away as possible, dampen a clean cloth with cold water and apply a small amount of dish soap to it. Dab your stain with the soapy cloth, making sure that you are dabbing and not rubbing. Continue dabbing until a strong amount of dish soap has been transferred to your stain. 

Next, use your fingers to work the dish soap into your stain. Be firm but not rough whilst doing this as the aim is to penetrate the stain with the soap not cause damage to your garments’ fibers. 

Once you are satisfied that the dish soap has been adequately worked into your stain, rinse it off with cool water. As soon as you have rinsed off all of the soap, launder your clothing as you usually would. When your clothing has been washed, check to see if the stain has been lifted. If it has, then you can dry your garment, but if it hasn’t then you must repeat the stain removal process. 

Dried tomato 

Dried tomato stains are slightly trickier to remove because they have already set into the fibers of your garment. They aren’t impossible to remove though. 

To remove a dried tomato stain you will need…

• Cold water
• Laundry detergent 
• Ice cube 
• Clean cloth 
• Vinegar 

To begin removing a dried tomato stain rinse the stained area with cold water. Before you begin rinsing your stain, turn your garment inside out so that you are rinsing it from the back. This will help the water to penetrate the back of the stain directly, loosening and removing it from your garment. 

Once you have rinsed your stained area, apply a small amount of laundry detergent directly to the stain and leave it to sit for 15 minutes. During this time, the laundry detergent will penetrate the dried tomato stain and begin to loosen it from the fibers of your clothing. 

After 15 minutes have passed, take an ice cube and rub it over the stain for roughly 1 minute. The ice cube will help to work the detergent further into your stain. By the time the ice has melted it should look like your stain has completely, or at least partially, disappeared. 

Once your ice cube has melted, use a clean cloth to gently dab at the area, allowing you to better see if there is any remaining stain. If there is a stain remaining, spray the area with vinegar and blot at it with a cloth. Continue doing this until the stain has completely lifted. 

Finally, launder your garment as usual and dry. 

Tomato sauce 

Tomato sauce makes pasta delicious but won’t make your clothing taste any better. When you notice a tomato sauce stain, act quickly for the best results.  

To remove a tomato sauce stain you will need…

• A spoon 
• Baking soda
• Cold water
• Toothbrush (optional)
• Dish soap 

To begin removing your tomato sauce stain use a spoon to scrape as much of the sauce from your garment as possible. Be careful when doing this as you don’t want to push the stain further into the fibers of your clothing, or spread the sauce to other areas of your garment. 

After you have removed as much of the sauce as possible, make a paste from 1-2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1-2 teaspoons of cold water. Once you have made your paste, lay it directly over your stain and use a toothbrush, or your fingers, to rub it in. Make sure that you are rubbing hard enough for the paste to penetrate your stain, but not too hard to damage the fibers of your garment. After rubbing the paste into the tomato sauce stain, leave it to sit for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, rinse the paste from the stain using cold water. Make sure that you are rinsing from the back as this will aid in loosening and removing the stain from your clothing. Continue rinsing until all of the paste has been removed. 

Next, work in a drop of dish soap with your fingers. Dish soap is particularly good at tackling greasy stains, so it will help to lift the remaining stain not reached by the laundry detergent. 

Once you have adequately worked the dish soap into your stain, launder your item as you usually would. When your clothing is cleaned, check that your stain has been removed. If it has, you can continue to dry your garment, but if it has not then you will have to repeat the stain removal process. 

The best way to lift a stain is by letting Laundryheap lift it for you. To book your Laundryheap order today head to the Laundryheap website or download the free Laundryheap app.