Pack up those leftovers in something that’s free of sauce stains and that, you know, doesn’t reek of garlic.
Erica Finamore is Real Simple's home director, sharing her knowledge on decorating, organizing, cleaning and DIYing. She has over 10 years' experience and favors statement sofas, gallery walls and organizing books in rainbow order. Ppr Female Threaded Elbow
There are two major holiday heroes come Thanksgiving—the person cooking the turkey and the food storage containers. While the chef typically gets a lot of kudos, we often forget about treating our long-suffering leftover holders. We fill them with turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce (anyone else getting hungry?), and then leave them in the fridge for far too long or give them a too-quick rinse that leaves them tinted and cloudy. This year, take a minute (or 10) to clean them properly and ban film, mold, odor, and stains from sticking around. You'll get a longer life out of your containers and the foods you're storing!
In general, speed is your friend here. As soon as you’re done consuming the contents, empty the container and rinse it with warm water and a drop of dish soap to soften left-behind sauce and grease. If you have a dishwasher, go ahead and put the container upside down on the top rack, sliding the lid vertically between the tines. If not, take a moment to wash the pieces in the sink right away.
For anything that’s already discolored (read: the plastic number that held your Bolognese dinner turned lunch), spray the area with Dawn Platinum Powerwash Dish Spray, which has strong solvents to attack tough stains. Let it sit for 30 minutes and rinse. If stains persist, mix two teaspoons of bleach per gallon of warm water. Drop in the container to soak for 15 to 30 minutes, then scrub with dish soap and a brush.Last-ditch effort? Place the container on a windowsill in direct sunlight—the rays may help brighten stains.
Those spicy string beans were delicious last week, but that doesn’t mean you want to smell them today! To destink plastic containers, which are more porous than their glass counterparts, do a quick rinse, then apply a DIY paste of one tablespoon baking soda and one cup water. After letting that sit for a few hours, wash the container with dish soap and water. For stinky silicone containers or gaskets, pop them into the oven. (Just make sure they’re oven-safe, and clean and dry them first.) Heat your oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the offending items for 20 minutes. They should come out smelling like, well, nothing!
If your once-clear containers look a little opaque, one of two things could be the culprit. The first: hard water, which can deposit minerals. Try adding a rinse aid to your dishwasher. We love Finish Jet-Dry Hard WaterRinse Aid. It’s formulated to remove residue caused by hard water and can help reduce spots on dry dishes. The other possible cause: baked-on grease and oil. Once again, try Dawn Powerwash or that baking soda paste.
Forgot about that turkey sandwich? D’oh! Wipe out as much of the contaminated food and mold as you can with a paper towel. (Do not use your sponge for this, as spores easily transfer.) You can then clean as normal, but to be extra thorough, let the container and lid soak in that bleach-and-water solution for 30 minutes. Use a straw-cleaning brush to get into lid grooves. Clean everything with soap and water after the bath to wash out any remaining bleach. And moving forward, keep containers in the front of the fridge—first in, first out. After all, a turkey sandwich is a terrible thing to waste!
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