Sunlight is the real stink-killer for plastic lunch boxes.

A baking soda soak gets most smells out of a plastic lunch box, but the thing that actually kills the stink is sunlight.

Wash it normally with dish soap first. Then make a paste of baking soda and water, coat the inside, and let it sit for a few hours. Rinse it off. That handles 80% of cases.

For the stubborn stuff — curry, fish, anything spicy — skip the extra vinegar tricks and put the box in direct sunlight for an afternoon. UV light breaks down the odor molecules in a way soap and baking soda can’t. It sounds like a grandma hack, but it genuinely works.

One thing to avoid: boiling water or the dishwasher’s heavy cycle. High heat degrades plastic and can actually make it absorb more odor, plus it sets the smell in faster. Warm soapy water is fine; boiling is not.

Future lunches will taste a lot better without the ghost of last Tuesday’s curry.