If you are a chocolate lover, then you’ve likely had the unfortunate experience of getting it on your clothes. Chocolate melts rather easily and no matter how hard you try to avoid it from dripping or smearing it just seems to find its way onto your clothing.
Chocolate stains have the potential to ruin your clothes, especially if you let the stain settle. Lucky for you, we’ve put together a list of helpful steps you can explore to help salvage your stained clothes and remove chocolate stains.
Professional Dry Cleaning
The best action to take to remove a chocolate stain is to take your stained garment to a professional dry cleaner and let them know where your chocolate stain is and how long it’s been on your garment.
A dry cleaner will not only attempt to remove the chocolate stain, but they will also professionally clean the entire garment.
To remove chocolate stains and dry clean most garments, cleaners will use chemical solvents, a special vacuum, and/or heat to try and remove the chocolate stain from your garment. Afterward, your garment will be placed into a machine and submerged into a non-water based solvent. Your garment will then be rotated so that the solvent is applied steadily throughout the garment.
Once this process is complete your garment is spun around to get rid of any excess solvent and warm air is released to help dry the garment.
Leaving your clothes in the hands of professional dry cleaners, such as Rinse, gives you the best chance to successfully remove chocolate stains because their tools and knowledge are no match for at home solutions.
Steps You Can Try At Home to Remove Chocolate Stains
- Remove Excess Chocolate - First and foremost, you want to clear your garment of any excess chocolate by using a spoon or a utensil that isn't too sharp. Avoid sharp objects such as knives so that you don’t damage or rip your clothes. If the chocolate stain has dried, then it might be too late to try removing the stain at home. You will want to avoid having to peel or scrape dried chocolate from your garment as this can make things worse.
- Carefully Rinse the Stained Area - Use cold water to carefully rinse the back of the stained area. By rinsing from the back, you allow the water to flow back through the garment and limit the stain from traveling to other areas of the garment. Do not use warm or hot water as it may cause the stain to settle.
- Apply Laundry Detergent - Apply liquid laundry detergent on the stained area and allow the garment to sit for 5 minutes. You may be tempted to immediately rinse the detergent but refrain from doing so. After 5 minutes, soak the garment in cold water for 15 minutes and rub your fingers gently across the stained area to try and loosen the stain. Repeat the rubbing process every 3 to 5 minutes. Continue to repeat soaking and rubbing until the stain is removed and then completely rinse the stained area. Lastly, you will want to wash the garment according to your care label instructions.
In addition to the steps above, you may find success removing a chocolate stain with a stain remover pen or spray. Be sure to read the care label on your garment and any instructions included with the stain remover before proceeding. We hope you find these tips and tricks useful!