Baking soda paste or sunlight: the only two stain removers you need

The easiest way to get tomato or turmeric stains out of plastic is a paste of baking soda and dish soap — or, if you have time, just leaving the container in the sun.

Baking soda is a mild abrasive, so it lifts the colored gunk without scratching the plastic. Dish soap breaks down the oils that both tomato sauce and turmeric cling to. Mix a little of each into a paste, rub it over the stain, wait ten minutes, then rinse. That handles most fresh stains.

If it’s an old stain that’s had time to set, don’t fight it. Rinse the container, wipe it dry, and set it outside in direct sunlight for a few hours. UV light breaks down the curcumin in turmeric and the lycopene in tomato sauce. That’s how plastic gets bleached back to normal. Bonus: zero effort on your part.

One thing to avoid: steel wool or those harsh scrubby pads. They leave scratches, and scratches are where food colors love to hide next time.

Your lunch container isn’t ruined. It just needs a little sun.