How to Remove Water Stains from Plastic & Tupperware

The white on plastic is the dried film the water left, and it shows most on black or dark plastic. Start with the same blotting and mild soap wash, keeping the cloth damp rather than wet so you don't leave more water behind.

Let the spot dry fully before you judge it, since a damp finish can look white even when it's clean. If a faint ring is still there, repeat the wash once before moving on.

Trim on a car or a house takes the mild soap wash well, and it's the first thing to try on any ring or spot. Work along the length of the trim rather than across it, so the cloth doesn't catch on the edges.

Use the plastic or nylon pad only on a textured section that won't come clean with the cloth alone. If the trim is on a car and sits over paint, the Car Paint & Exterior guide covers that finish.

A bottle counts as a container, so the hot soapy hand wash described above applies, with extra attention to the neck and the inside. A soft cloth pushed through the neck is enough for most bottles.

Rinse thoroughly so no soap film is left inside, since it can look like a new ring. Let it dry upside down with the cap off so water can't pool inside.

Buckets get the hot soapy hand wash on the inside and the mild soap wash on the outside. Use the plastic or nylon pad only on a ridged rim or a stubborn ring, and rinse well afterward.

Check the bottom edge, where water tends to sit and leave a line, and dry it before you store the bucket.

Containers and tubs get the hot soapy hand wash described above, with extra attention to the rim and the lid seal where water collects. Use a soft cloth in the seal grooves so no film builds up there.

Let the lid and base dry fully before you stack or close them, so trapped water doesn't leave a new line.

Outdoor and patio chairs usually need only the mild soap wash, worked over the seat and back in long strokes. Use the plastic or nylon pad only on textured or ridged areas where the water left a line.

Let the chair dry in the shade, then check the spot from a low angle, since light shows a faint ring best that way.

Wipe the outside and the area around the spigot with the mild soap and warm water wash, paying attention to the drip tray where water pools. Keep the cloth damp rather than wet so you don't add more water.

Rinse off all the soap afterward so none is left on the surfaces you touch, then dry them with a soft cloth.

Plastic glasses and pitchers get the hot soapy hand wash described above, with a soft cloth for the inside of the pitcher. Work around the rim and handle, where water tends to dry in a line.

Let them dry fully before you pour into them again, since a damp finish can look like a ring.

Plastic windows are often acrylic, so keep to the mild soap and warm water wash on a soft cloth. Wipe in one direction with light pressure, then dry with a soft cloth to avoid haze.

If the spot won't lift, stay with the mild wash and give the surface time to dry before deciding it's still there.

Start with the mild soap and warm water wash, which handles fresh water spots well. If the bumper is painted, the Car Paint & Exterior guide covers that finish.

Spots the sun has baked on are harder to lift, so wash the bumper in the shade and don't let it dry in direct sun.

A plastic shower curtain takes the mild soap wash well, but check its label before you soak it. Rinse it fully so no soap film is left on the folds.

For glass shower doors, the mild wash is still the start, but the Showers & Glass Doors guide covers glass in more detail.

Treat a plastic dip container the way you'd treat any container, using the hand wash described above on the outside and the rim. Dry it fully before you put the lid back on.

If the spot is still there after one wash, stop there rather than adding force. Spots this light usually lift in one wash, so a second try is about the most you need.

There's no stronger remover that is safe on plastic for these marks, so the safe start is the same mild soap wash. Test it on a hidden area first, since dark plastic can show a change in color more readily than you'd expect.

If the wash doesn't lift the mark, a plastic or nylon pad is the most you should try, and it may take a few tries rather than more force. If it still doesn't lift, leave it rather than forcing it.