Chocolate Meltdown - How to Remove Chocolate Stains

Getting Chocolate Stains Out of Clothing

Whether it was those chocolate covered pretzels or the candy bar that got on your fingers, smearing chocolate into clothing happens more than you think. Getting it out can be a challenge, but it’s often possible.

Some people get lucky with just washing their clothes, but we will caution that. If the stain doesn’t come out and the fabric gets thrown into the dryer, the stain could get worse and become impossible to get out.

The best practice is to soak your clothes in a bowl of color-safe bleach or liquid, lemon juice, or vinegar. These solutions help break up the chocolate material so it can be extracted. Make sure to rinse the area after about 5 minutes.

Run water over the reverse side of the stain while you also lightly scrub it with dish detergent. Once the area is clean, you may be able to machine wash the clothing.

If the stain persists, you may need to call upon the experts and take it to the dry cleaners.

Getting Chocolate Stains Out of the Carpet

Dinner parties and holiday events often hide unwanted messes until the next morning. If you notice a chocolate stain on your carpets, here’s what you can do:

Start by taking a butter knife to carefully remove any chocolate residue that you can. All the little flakes and bits you get out can be vacuumed up, as you don’t want to smear them into your carpeting during the next step.

Then take a damp cloth and rub the area with a safe-detergent, dish soap, or carpet cleaner. Try to scrub in slow, circular motions, starting from the outside and working your way in. This helps ensure that you’re not further spreading the stain by just scrubbing back and forth. Leave the cleaning product on the area for about 5 minutes, some solutions recommend otherwise though so be sure to check the instructions on yours. Afterword, clean the area with cold water.

CAUTION: Make sure your cleaning solution, even if it’s a carpet cleaner is safe for your carpet. Some solutions can cause discoloration or have chemicals in them that are unsafe for the environment. If the stain has not been removed, feel free to contact carpet cleaning professionals as we have the tools to treat even the toughest stains.