Chocolate is undoubtedly delicious, but, if on your clothes, can be difficult to remove. This is how you can remove a chocolate stain.
- New chocolate stains
- Old chocolate stains
- Dry clean only clothing
New chocolate stains
Regardless of the type of stain, it is always best to treat it as soon as possible. Chocolate stains are no different.
To treat a new chocolate stain you will need…
- A butter knife or spoon
- Heavy-duty laundry detergent or dish soap
- Stain remover gel or spray
- Cold water
Begin removing your chocolate stain by using a butter knife or a spoon to remove any excess chocolate. Be careful whilst you are doing this. If you push too hard you can damage the fibres of your clothing and cause rips in the cloth. Be wary of spreading the chocolate to clean parts of your garment, you don’t want to accidentally make your stain bigger than it is.
After you have removed as much of the excess chocolate as you can, rinse your stain with cold water. Make sure that you are running the cold water through the back of the stain so that the chocolate is pushed out through the fabric and not embedded deeper into it. Do not use warm or hot water during this step as that will only set the stain deeper into your fabric.
Once you have flushed out your stain with cold water, gently rub a heavy-duty laundry detergent, or dish soap if you do not have laundry detergent, into the stain. Allow your stained garment to sit for 5 minutes and absorb the detergent or soap, before soaking it in cold water for 15 minutes. Whilst your stained clothing is soaking, gently rub the stained area between your fingers every 3-5 minutes to loosen the stain.
Finally, using cold water, rinse out the stain, and wash your clothing as you usually would. If your stain is still present after you have washed your garment, try using a stain remover gel or spray on the stain, and repeat the previous steps.
Old chocolate stains
Chocolate stains will set with heat and time. If you notice a dark brown stain on an item of clothing, this could be an old chocolate stain. Despite the fact that these are harder to remove than fresh chocolate stains, it is not completely impossible.
To treat an old chocolate stain you will need…
- Heavy-duty laundry detergent or dish soap
- Cold water
- Colour-safe non-chlorine bleach
- Mild bleaching agent (if your stained clothing is white)
To begin removing your stain, rub some heavy-duty laundry detergent, or dish soap, directly onto the stain, and soak your garment in cold water for 30 minutes. Repeat this process until your stain becomes lighter in colour.
Once you have completed soaking your stain, wash your garment with colour-safe non-chlorine bleach. If your stained item is white, you can use a mild bleaching agent, such as lemon juice.
After your garment has been washed with your bleach, completely rinse your item, and wash it as you usually would. If your stain has not lifted, repeat the process.
Dry clean only clothing
If your stained item states that it is dry clean only on its care label, then seek the help of a professional dry cleaners.
When you book a Laundryheap service, simply tell us which item(s) is stained and where the stain(s) is, and we will take care of the rest.
To book your Laundryheap service, simply head to the Laundryheap website or download the free Laundryheap app.
