Removing Tomato Stains From Clothes, Upholstery, Carpet And More

Tomato stains are quite common, because they are such a popular food, and they stain things so easily.

The key with almost any stain is to act as quickly as possible, but this is especially true for stains caused by tomato because of the difficulty in removing them, otherwise.

Of course, just because tomatoes are food doesn't mean that they only stain your clothing, but they are just as likely to stain your upholstery and carpet, especially at a party or other event where people are carrying food around with them.

Below are instructions for removing tomato juice stains, tomato sauce stains, tomato soup stains, tomato paste stains, and other stains caused by tomato, from fabric, upholstery and carpet.

Removing Tomato and Tomato Soup Stains From Fabric

Step 1: Scrape off any excess tomatoes from the fabric, being careful not to spread the stain more.

Step 2: Run the fabric under cold running water (not warmer water), letting the water run over the back of the stain so it does not spread it further or cause the stain to travel through the garment.

Step 3: Pretreat the stain with liquid laundry detergent, barely rubbing it in, but more like just coating the stain, and then let it sit for several minutes.

Step 4: Rinse well.

Step 5: Use a white cloth to sponge white vinegar onto the stain caused by the tomatoes, and then rinse thoroughly.

Step 6: Repeat steps 3-5 until you have removed as much of the tomato stain as possible.

Hint: The sooner you do this after the stain occurs, the easier it will be.

Step 7: Pretreat with a laundry stain remover and wash as normal.

Step 8: Make sure before you place the item in the dryer that the stain is completely removed. If it is not then do not place in the dryer, as it will set the stain.

Step 9: If step number 7 did not get out the stain again coat the stained area with liquid laundry detergent and let it soak in warm water for around half an hour. Then, launder again, using either color bleach or chlorine bleach if safe for the fabric.

How To Remove A Tomato Or Tomato Paste Stain From Upholstery

Step 1: Scrape off any excess tomato or tomato juice, paste or soup from the upholstery.

Step 2: Mix a solution of two cups cool water and one tablespoon dishwashing liquid.

Step 3: Using this solution, sponge the stain caused by the tomatoes with a clean white cloth.

Step 4: Next, blot at the stain until the liquid is absorbed.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3-4 until the tomato stains are removed from the upholstery.

Step 6: Now that the stain is removed you should get plain cold water and a new white cloth and sponge the area to remove the cleaning solution, and then blot dry.

Hint: Be sure to get the upholstery only as wet as necessary to remove the stain.

You can also try vinegar for tomato stain removal, but be careful on upholstery to test first in an inconspicuous location to make sure the vinegar will not discolor the upholstery fabric.

You can get more information on how to clean upholstery here.

Tomato Stain - How To Remove From Carpet

The instructions for removal of stains caused by tomatoes from carpet is the same as for upholstery.

However, if you don't have luck with this stain removal method above you can also do something additional with the carpet stain, which is to mix a solution of one tablespoon of ammonia with two cups warm water.

CAUTION: Since vinegar is an acid and ammonia a base using one after the other in attempting to remove stains will just neutralize the effects of both. To avoid this make sure you thoroughly rinse one stain removal solution out of the fibers before using a different stain removal solution.

Removing Stains Caused By Tomato From Plastic

It seems like everyone who saves leftovers that contain tomatoes as an ingredient knows about plastic stains caused by tomatoes.

Even after the bowl or container comes out of the dishwasher it seems to retain an orange stain on it.

Check out this tip for how to remove stains caused by tomato from plastic to learn some ideas for getting those containers clean and stain free.

Recommended Tomato Sauce Stain Removers

Perhaps you don't want to make your own stain remover, but instead want to use something designed to to remove tomato stains (like this tomato soup stain to the right).

Here are some articles and reviews on this site from readers who shared what products worked for them to remove these stains, or which discuss products that are designed to remove them:

Tide To Go Pen Review - Used It To Remove Tomato Sauce Stain	Uses For Borax Powder For Laundry Stains	Carbona Stain Devil #2 For Condiment Stains	Swash Get It Out Stain Removal Pen	Soft Scrub Gel With Bleach Got Rid Of Tomato Sauce Stain On White Countertop

Seventh Generation Natural Laundry Detergent Got Out Spaghetti Sauce Stain	Finish Powerball Tabs Cleaned Up Tomato Sauce Stains Inside Dishwasher	Blue Magic Upholstery Cleaner Got Rid Of Tomato Sauce On Couch Cushions

You can also share your own stain remover reviews here, telling me what remover worked well for you to get out stains caused by tomatoes, or anything else.

Fun Tomato Facts

There's nothing like a ripe tomato from the garden. When I get some really good tomatoes I like to do as many things as I can with them, including a really simple but tasty tomato sauce. Check out this recipe for how to make tomato sauce from my friend Debbie!

Just remember, if you get a stain, just come back here for more tips for removing tomato stains!

Submit Your Own Stain Removal Tip For Tomatoes

Do you have your own stain removal tip for removing stains from tomatoes? If so, submit your tip about removing stains caused by tomatoes here, or read even more tips already submitted.

Get Even More Stain And Spot Removal Help Here

Are you a stain magnet like me? If so, check out the A to Z Stain Removal Guide which gives directions for how to remove over 100 types of stains from all kinds of surfaces.

Below are examples of the most common stains discussed in the Guide.

Click here to visit the Stain Removal Guide

First photo by Muffet, second photo by xelusionx and third photo by JakesDad

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only, and Stain-Removal-101.com provides it as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some stain removal methods can harm your item, so if the stained item is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.