For Easy-To-Clean Plastic Containers, Prep Them With This Pantry Staple

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We've all had at least one stained plastic food container in our homes at one point or another. Usually, it's one that held a tomato-based pasta sauce. Whether the food was in the container for a long time or not, the remaining orange hue on the plastic walls haunts you every time you store new food inside. Acidic foods, like your delicious spaghetti sauce, are far more likely to be absorbed into the walls of your plastic food containers than other leftovers. However, there are ways to prevent this stain, or at least make for easy clean-up that will actually remove it. The secret is a bit of olive oil. Rubbing a thin layer of olive oil on the walls of a plastic storage container with a paper towel before placing the food inside will shield it from the vibrant colors of your food.

This method is easy, and you can even get creative with which olive oil you use. Rubbing flavored oil on the inside of a food storage container may be one of the best ways to use infused olive oil. If you're storing something like a tomato-based pasta, basil olive oil may enhance the flavor. If you're storing chicken or vegetables like Brussels sprouts, a mushroom and sage-infused olive oil is a good option. If you're new to infused olive oils, try testing out a variety pack like the Viva Oliva olive oil gift set to taste a wide range of options. The olive oil method is flavorful and makes for easy clean-up, but it's not the only way to mitigate the risk of staining your container.

A food storage mistake you might be making with leftovers is putting them in a plastic container while they're still piping hot. Doing this will increase the likelihood of staining. The same goes for microwaving your food — instead of placing the container in the microwave, transfer the leftovers to a plate or bowl first. If a stain has already appeared on your container, add some warm water and dish soap before putting the lid on and shaking the contents around for a few seconds. Do this while your food is heating up in the microwave, and you can wash the container like normal with the rest of your dishes later.

The other ways to truly avoid staining are to either only store foods that won't stain, like non-acidic foods, or to omit plastic containers from your kitchen altogether. One nice thing about using glass containers for food storage is that they don't stain like plastic containers do. One of my favorite food storage containers is the Glasslock oven-safe containers. Not only does using glass prevent unsightly stains and lingering food odors, but it also stops any extra microplastics from potentially leaching into your food as you reheat it.