The present invention is a process to reduce the fouling of equipment for processing petroleum feedstreams. The fouling is reduced by reducing the presence of peroxides and hydroperoxides in the feedstream. The steps of the process include mixing the feedstream with an aqueous phase containing a base and a phase transfer catalyst. The base reacts with the peroxides and hydroperoxides. The oil phase can then be further processed with minimum fouling of the equipment. The aqueous phase is recycled for reacting with fresh petroleum feedstream.