How To Clean Smelly Tupperware

To start, give your smelly tupperware a good cleaning. I like to take some warm water and dish soap, like Dawn and scrub down the container.

Make sure you use a sponge or dishrag to clean around all of the crevices and edges to get any bit of food. You never know what kind of food is stuck in the edges or crevices. By really getting in there to clean it you will remove everything.

A good soap like Dawn will also help clean up any grease that is stuck on the plastic container.

Soak the Smelly Plastic Container

Once you are done cleaning it with soap then you can rinse the tupperware and set it in the sink. Fill the container with a mix of 50% water and 50% vinegar.

I highly recommend using just a standard white cleaning vinegar. You don’t want to risk staining your plastic container with an apple cider vinegar. I buy this vinegar in the big jugs and use it to clean just about everything.

Use a small bowl or container to soak the lid in a vinegar/water mix. You want to make sure that the lid is completely submerged. If your Tupperware lid is anything like mine it has a flexible plastic seal that can really soak up the odors.

Vinegar, as bad as it smells, will actually help get rid of odors that are lingering in the container.

Just let the containers sit with the vinegar mix in them for about 3-5 minutes.

Once you are done letting the vinegar sit then rinse the containers and wash them again with some warm soapy water. Again make sure you use plenty of dawn soap and a scrubby or dishcloth.

Let the container air dry. If the smell is gone then you can just wash it like you normally would. I prefer to clean all my tupperware on the top shelf of the dishwasher.

If the Smell Lingers

Next, if the smell isn’t gone then you can add about 1/4 cup of baking soda to the tupperware. Then, put the lid on the container and let it sit for about 24-48 hours. The worse the smell the longer to let it sit.

The baking soda will help absorb any odors and make the smelly tupperware smell fresh again.

After that throw the baking soda away, and scrub down the container with warm soapy water. Next, let the tupperware dry. Again, wash it like you normally would (probably the dishwasher) and let the plastic container completely air dry.

Your tupperware should be free from bad odors and ready to use again.

With these simple tips on how to clean smelly tupperware you can get your plastic containers free from smells and back in to regular use. Don’t throw those containers out, just get them clean again.

Want some other easy cleaning tips? Check out how to deep clean a kitchen without spending a ton of time. You will love these amazing easy cleaning tips.