As delicious as tomato-based sauces can be, a single stray meatball or strand of spaghetti can end up causing a right old mess on your top if it plops off the plate. It's important therefore that all pasta lovers have a fail-safe cleaning tip up their sleeve, should they end up with more sauce on their front than in their tummy by the end of the meal.
One exasperated cleaning fan decided to turn to fellow members of a Mrs Hinch Facebook group for tips on how to get tricky tomato stains out of her clothes, explaining that she'd tried a variety of methods to no avail.
Taking to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page, the fed-up cleaning aficionado wrote: "Splashed tinned tomato juice on my lemon sweatshirt.
"Tried shaving foam, then white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda, been two days and then washed with Vanish in washing powder and still stained, any tips would be good."
Fortunately, there was no need to despair, and one of the most popular methods suggested by group members turned out to be as free as fresh air: good old-fashioned sunlight.
One person advised: "I married into an Italian family, resulting in lots of tomato stains (love pasta sauce). Always goes if you leave freshly laundered fabric in the sun, even in the UK."
Another commented: "The sun is the best solution for tomato-based stains. Wash as normal and peg out on a sunny day (if you’ve got one due in your area). It's like magic."
A third individual agreed: "Definitely get it out in the sunshine, that stuff is magic on stubborn tomato stains."
UV rays from the sun break down tomato stains, helping to budge them, and acting as a "natural bleach" according to textile care company Steamery.
If you want to give this hack a try for yourself, simply wash your clothes as usual and leave them out in the sunshine, with the stain side facing up.
Do you have a cleaning tip to share? Email us at julia.banim@reachplc.com
