Will this trick really remove your Tupperware stains?

Put tomato sauce in a clear Tupperware container just once. Soon you'll have a container that's stained red forever. It doesn't seem to matter how often you wash it. Changing soaps or cleaning techniques won't help either.

However, this TikToker, Pressie (@shpresseyyy), claims to have cracked the code. In a viral clip that has garnered over 5.4 million views, she reveals the trick that she says will teach people “how to easily remove grease stains from Tupperware.”

Fat is gone

“If your Tupperware has yellow stains that you can't get out no matter how hard you scrub, I'll show you a quick trick,” Pressie says at the beginning of the video.

She then explains the steps to follow when cleaning your Tupperware. In the clip, she holds a plastic container up to the camera.

“Fill it with a little water. You're going to need some soap. And you're going to need a piece of paper towel,” she explains. “Just throw the paper towel in and squirt some soap in.”

She places the dry paper towel in the small amount of water at the bottom of the container. Then she sprays it with a few quick pumps of liquid soap.

“It's that simple. OK, I'll get a lid,” she says, closing the container. “Okay, then put the lid on right after you get the paper towel, soap, and water.”

Pressie then begins to shake the container. “Literally just shake,” she says, reacting briefly to some water coming out of the Tupperware.

Shake, shake

“But just give it a good shake. But look, you can see it, brother, look,” says Pressie. “You can see it disappearing.”

She claims that the stains are removed by the paper towel.

Pressie then holds the bottom of the Tupperware up to the camera. The soapy water makes the paper towel seem to have absorbed some of the stains.

“There are grease stains all over it. OK, let me show you. Let me rinse it off. To show you that I'm not lying, I'm going to pour it in here,” she says, bringing a bowl into the shot.

“I'm going to pour it all in here,” she says, holding the Tupperware over the large white bowl. “And then I'm literally going to rinse it. Look at the end result.”

Then she takes another cup of water and starts clearing the soap out of the Tupperware.

“Look at this damn final solution,” she says, showing the freshly cleaned container. “It's literally perfect. You don't have to scrub for 40 hours before your sponge gets it clean.”

@shpresseyyy How to easily remove grease stains from Tupperware #Tupperware #Fat #Clean #Hack #Cleaninghacks ♬ Original sound – Pressie

How does it work?

TikToker @facesbyadi also made headlines in 2020 when he shared this exact stained Tupperware tip. Other media outlets were baffled by the hack, such as NowThis Impact, which posted it on its YouTube page. The video garnered 327,000 views there and a whopping 4.5 million on TikTok.

@facesbyadi This hack has saved so many of my Tupperware friends. Try it!!!! #fyp #cookingvideos #cookinghacks #lifehacks #hacks #stainremover #foryou #foryoupage ♬ Original sound – FacesByAdi

Tasting table also provided a pretty good explanation as to why this trick seems to work better than others. Due to the nature of grease/oil and their lack of compatibility with water, traditional cleaning methods rarely work. However, the torn sheets of a paper towel seem to be the key factor. These strips, coupled with soapy water and shaking, are enough to loosen the grease. Plus, the porous nature of the paper towels makes them a great magnet for the loosened grease stains. So the dirt sticks to the cloth, and you're left with clean, see-through Tupperware again.

TikTokers were impressed

One user reiterated the above explanation about the role of the paper towel in this cleaning trick.

“The soap draws the grease to the surface and the paper towel is the last surface the grease settles on. The sponge/rag just pushes the grease around. Paper towels are quite absorbent,” they wrote.

But many people believed in the power of the damp paper towel.

“A paper towel will absorb the grease, and soap will make it easier to remove from the container. The same goes for a greasy soup: just put a paper towel over it,” one said.

Another chimed in: “The cloth absorbs oil and grease, so if you don't use a cloth, it has nowhere to stick!”

Some people doubted the trick's effectiveness on stubborn stains. “And what about 5-year-old spaghetti sauce stains?” asked one.

Others were just happy to have discovered this knowledge. “I'm currently teaching my mom how to clean Tupperware. How things have evolved,” they said.

The Daily Dot reached out to Pressie via TikTok comment for more information.

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