How to Wash, Disinfect & Remove Smelly Odors from Lunchboxes

When a long lost lunch box is suddenly found, it’s time to get it clean and odor-free again. Whether your lunchbox is hard plastic, metal or soft insulated vinyl fabric, Clorox® gets the job done.

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By Clorox Cleaning Team

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Use as directed.

Lunchboxes get dirty easily, and are just as easily ignored. At least until they develop smelly odors. Since they hold the food your kids are eating, it’s important to sanitize or disinfect lunchboxes regularly. The Clorox® Free & Clear trio of products are safe to use around kids and food when used as directed, and don’t require rinsing, which makes cleaning easy.  

A good routine is to check lunchboxes daily. If there’s no visible soil, just spray them with Clorox® Free & Clear Disinfecting and Sanitizing Mist to help keep them odor-free. While routine cleaning will avoid a lot of problems, lunchboxes can get lost then found days later, and will require a more thorough cleaning.

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What you need

Steps to wash a lunchbox

  1. Shake out crumbs

    Open the lunchbox upside down over the sink and give it a good shake to get rid of any loose crumbs.

  2. Wipe clean

    Use Clorox® Free & Clear Compostable* Cleaning Wipes to wipe the inside and the outside clean.

  3. Spot clean stains

    For grimy build up and stains, spray Clorox® Free & Clear Multi-Surface Spray Cleaner onto lunchbox surfaces and wipe clean with a paper towel or microfiber cloth.

  4. Sanitize soft surfaces

    To sanitize an insulated vinyl fabric lunch box, after pre-cleaning, hold Clorox® Free & Clear Disinfecting and Sanitizing Mist 6-8 inches from the surface and lightly spray until the surface is visibly wet — do not saturate.

    Tip

    Fabric and other soft surfaces must remain wet for 2 minutes to sanitize.

  5. Disinfect hard plastic or metal surfaces

    To disinfect a metal or plastic lunchbox, spray Clorox® Free & Clear Disinfecting and Sanitizing Mist onto all the components, including the handle, until visibly wet.

    Tip

    Hard, nonporous surfaces must remain wet for 2 minutes to disinfect.

  6. Allow to dry

    After the required time for sanitizing or disinfecting is complete, surfaces can air dry, hang dry or be wiped dry with a clean microfiber cloth or paper towel.

    Tip

    No rinsing is required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you put a lunchbox in the washing machine?

Some plastic lunchboxes are dishwasher safe, usually on the top rack, but should not be washed in a clothes washer. Metal lunchboxes should be hand washed. Soft-sided insulated vinyl lunchboxes and plain fabric lunch bags may be machine washable in the clothes washer; check the care instructions from the manufacturer.

Can you put a lunchbox in the dryer?

Soft sided insulated lunchboxes should not go in the dryer. Instead, let them air dry or wipe dry with a paper towel or microfiber cloth. With plain fabric lunch bags, check the care label to see what the manufacturer recommends.

How do you get stains out of a lunchbox?

Treat typical lunchbox stains using the steps above with Clorox® Free & Clear Multi-Surface Spray Cleaner and then wiping with a microfiber cloth to remove them. For mold and mildew, use Clorox® Clean-Up® Cleaner with Bleach on hard, nonporous bleach-safe surfaces, including vinyl sided insulated lunchboxes.

  • *

    For home composting only.