Baking soda plus sunlight beats any spray

The most effective way to get garlic or curry smell out of a plastic lunchbox is a baking soda soak followed by real sunlight.

Wash it with normal dish soap first to get rid of oils. Then fill it with warm (not boiling) water and a couple tablespoons of baking soda. Let it sit overnight. Rinse it out and leave the lid off in direct sunlight for a few hours. The baking soda neutralizes the odor, and the UV light breaks down the smelly molecules that are stuck in the plastic. That combination works better than any “odor eliminator” spray I’ve tried.

If you’re in a hurry, make a thick baking soda paste, scrub the whole inside, let it sit 15 minutes, rinse, then give it some sun. For really nasty cases, a bleach soak (a tablespoon per gallon of water) also works, but you have to rinse very well and it can leave a smell of its own. Don’t use boiling water on thin plastics—you’ll warp the container.

I’ve also heard vinegar works, but it leaves a pickle-y ghost of its own and takes longer to fade. Sunlight is the real magic. Just don’t skip it.

Your lunchbox will smell like nothing—which is the whole point.