Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : July 20, 2016 7:43 PM IST
Read this in Hindi.
There are a variety of colourful lunch boxes that you get in the market these days. They look cool and up your style quotient too. However, there can be times when your lunch box can turn to be an embarrassment at your desk or while having lunch with your colleagues in the canteen. These boxes can become smelly and contain the stains of the previous meal that don't go, no matter how hard to try to scrub them off. Well, the harsh reality about plastic containers is that they call for some amount of effort for maintenance. Read to know if it is it healthy to have rice during lunch and dinner.
How to get rid of stains
Step 1: Rinse your lunch box with water as soon as you finish your food. If that isn t possible, do it as soon as you reach home. Cold water isn t effective on stains and grease, but can make it easy to remove them without too much fuss.
Step 2: Once you wash the container with water, use a tissue paper or newspaper to wipe out the grease or stains manually. Read to know if your kitchen containers are making your sick.
Step3: Wash the boxes again with lukewarm water and use a mild soap solution and a sponge to clean it inside out. Avoid using harsh detergent and a scrub for plastic tiffin boxes. They would hardly help in removing the stains. Here is a simple guide to wash your fruits and vegetables the right way.
Step 4: If you are dealing with stubborn stains that refuse to go even with lukewarm water and soapy solution, try some kitchen ingredients like vinegar solution. In one cup of lukewarm water, add two teaspoons of vinegar to prepare the washing solution. After cleaning your box with lukewarm water and soap solution, wash it all over again this vinegar solution. Vinegar works as a stain remover and works on even the toughest turmeric stains and that of tomato sauces. Here are six myths about food handling and storage busted.
Step 5: If you don t have vinegar with you already, you can try using lemon wedges for the same. Squeeze half a lemon and rub the lemon juice on the entire box and leave it for around 15 minutes on your kitchen sink. You can also mix lemon juice with a mild detergent to rub on the stains. Next, wash it with lukewarm water and a mild soapy solution. Know how to store your cut vegetables the right way.
Step 6: Make a thick paste of baking soda and warm water and apply it all over the container or places where the stain sits stubbornly. Leave it for a day and wash it with lukewarm water the next day.
Step 7: If you want the stains to vanish naturally, the best would be to wash them as described in step 2 & 3 and leave them in the hot sun to dry off. The sun rays can help banish the stains. However, they can also make your box become discoloured if left for too long. Here is how you can clean your microwave naturally.
How to get rid of smell
If you had carried fish curry in your lunch box, chances are it might still have a pungent smell in it when you pack sandwiches in them the next morning. While you can try all the ways mentioned above to get rid of the curry stains and smell, here are a few more things you can do to kill the smell.
Step 1: In the night, after you wash your lunch box, sprinkle some salt on it and keep it sealed. This will help to get rid of the smell and keep the lunch box germ free too.
Step 2: Alternatively, you can also place coffee beans in the container and leave it overnight or till the odour is gone.
Step 3: Keeping a rind of lemon in your airtight box after thoroughly washing it will also help to fight the odour.
Step 4: Crumble a newspaper and stuff it into your lunch box and close the lid. Leave it overnight or till the box stops stinking.
How to avoid stains and smells
Here are a few things you can do to lessen your effort in cleaning and scrubbing your lunch boxes to get rid of attains and smell
P.S.: While buying plastic lunch boxes make sure you pick up the ones that are BPA free. Remember, BPA or Bisphenol A is a chemical commonly found in plasticware that comes with toxic health effects such as disruptions in the endocrine system. Exposure to such chemicals also increases children's risk of learning disabilities and may even lead to impaired brain development according to some studies. It also ups your risk of polycystic ovary syndrome and even some cancers like breast cancer and prostate cancer . So, better be safe than sorry.
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Reference:
Vogel, S. A. (2009). The politics of plastics: the making and unmaking of bisphenol a safety . American journal of public health, 99(S3), S559-S566.
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