How to Remove ketchup stains from fabric

Someone dropped a plate of spaghetti sauce at your dinner party. So their clothes and your tablecloth are covered with food. How to remove this stain? Many ketchup, marinara sauce, and other ingredients contain oil and tomatoes — both of which are difficult to clean. Also, if you have old ketchup on your clothes or tablecloth, you may want to learn how to remove new or established stains. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Table of Contents

Cleaning acrylic, nylon, ppyester, spandex ^{fabrics [2] X Research Source}

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Scrape the ketchup from the fabric. Act as quickly as possible. Remove the sauce from the surface of the fabric without pushing the stain deep into the fabric. You can use a paper towel or rag to wipe the sauce off the fabric. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Use a sponge dipped in cool water to remove the stain. ^{[4] X Source of Research} Use a sponge to clean out from the center of the stain.

Rub lemon juice on the stain. You can either squeeze lemon juice onto a sponge to scrub it or rub a slice of lemon directly onto the stain.

If the fabric is white, you can use white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide directly on the stain instead of using lemon juice. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Use a stain remover. Look for a stain remover pen, spray bottle, or stain remover gel. Let the product stay on the stain for about 15 minutes.

Flush the stain with water and check if it’s clean. Place the back of the stain under cool running water to let the water run through. Look to the light to see if the stain is still there.

Soak the stain if it’s still not clean. Soak the fabric for 30 minutes in the following solution:

1 liter of water
1/2 teaspoon dishwashing liquid
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Drain the water and dry in the sun. Hang the fabric in direct sunlight with the stained surface on the outside. Sunlight will remove any remaining stains.

Fabric wash. Follow the instructions for use on the fabric and wash as usual.

Clean new stains

Scrape the sauce off the garment or fabric. You need to remove the sauce from the surface of the fabric as quickly as possible without allowing the stain to penetrate deep into the fabric. You can use a paper towel or rag to wipe off the sauce. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Place the stain under cold running water. Turn on the faucet to run water onto the back of the stain. You need to push the stain out of the fabric. Do not let the water run directly over the stain as the stain will be pushed deeper into the fabric. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Rub soap on the stain. Tomato sauce contains oil, so dish soaps like Dawn or Palmpive will work to remove stains. Pour enough soap to cover the stain and rub it in circles from the inside to the outside of the stain. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

If the material must be dry cleaned, skip this step. Take the item to a dry cleaner, show them the stain, and have them clean it.
Rub dish soap on a small, invisible part of the fabric to make sure it doesn’t harm the fabric. If you find that the fabric is damaged, you can use regular laundry detergent instead of dish soap.

Rinse thoroughly to remove soap. Drain the water from the back of the fabric to push the stain out of the fabric.

Gently blot the stain with a sponge (do not rub). Use a sponge or absorbent material such as a paper towel to remove the stain with cold water. If you’re dealing with white fabrics, you can dip the sponge in mild bleach, white vinegar, or hydrogen peroxide to remove stains. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Wash as usual and check to see if the stain remains. Examine the fabric under the light to see if it is clean. If it’s still dirty, use a stain remover pen, spray or stain remover gel. While the shirt is still wet, rub the stain remover over it and let it sit for at least 5 minutes, then wash it again. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Clean up ketchup stains for a long time

Dip water to wet the stain. This method is used to remove ketchup stains that have been on fabrics for a long time. You don’t need to wet the entire item, just wet the stained part of the fabric.

Rub dish soap (without bleach) onto the stain. Try rubbing dish soap on a hidden part of the item to see if the fabric has discolored or damaged texture, then you can gently rub the soap all over the soaked stain.

Rub ice water on dish soap. Continue using the stone to rub the soapy stain. Rub until the stain seems to be gone.

Blot the stain with a sponge dipped in vinegar. If the stain persists, dip the sponge in vinegar and blot to see if it comes out clean. The acid in the vinegar will help break down any remaining stains.

Wash and dry the fabric in the sun. Wash the fabric as usual according to the instructions on the product label. Dry the fabric in the sun, remembering to leave the fabric with the stain face up. Ultraviolet rays in sunlight will help break down any remaining stains.

Advice

You can use the white towel method to remove new stains after washing with water. Dab the clean part of the towel over the stain and check how much of the stain you have removed. Continue dabbing and moving to another part of the towel until the stain is no longer visible.
If possible, you should clean up the stain immediately. If you can’t remove the stain right away, you can still try again, but the sooner you treat the stain, the better the results will be.
Read the cleaning instructions attached to the fabric. For material that can only be dry cleaned, take it to a dry cleaning service for them to handle. Show them where the stain is.

Warning

Do not put the fabric in the dryer before the stain has completely cleared. Heat can cause stains to adhere to the fabric. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Steps

Cleaning acrylic, nylon, ppyester, spandex fabrics [2] X Research Source

Clean new stains

Clean up ketchup stains for a long time

Advice

Warning

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Cleaning acrylic, nylon, ppyester, spandex ^{fabrics [2] X Research Source}