You may have accidentally spilled chocolate on your clothes and are wondering how to remedy the situation. Not to worry, using common household items, you can get chocolate stains off clothing. It’s always best to get rid of stains immediately. Old chocolate stains on clothing might be harder to remove.
How to Get Chocolate Out Of Clothes
Follow the following steps to get rid of chocolate stains from your clothes:
Method 1: Using lemon juice with water
With the aid of your lemon juice, lighten the chocolate stain by pretreating the affected region. Allow this to remain for a period of about 5 to 19 minutes.
Using clean water, rinse the affected region. This is to ensure that the acid present in the lemon juice you used in method two does not cause more damage to the cloth.
Method 2: Using a regular laundry detergent with a stain remover
Mix your laundry detergent with clean water to form a solution. Using this solution, wash the lower section of the affected cloth.Using your washing machine, wash the cloth thoroughly, paying attention to the cloth fiber while picking a laundry detergent for cloth wash.
Ensure that you examine the cloth for any lingering stains before you go ahead and machine dry. If you notice that the chocolate stains persist, make use of a stain remover to soak the affected region and allow it to remain for about 10 to 15 minutes, after which you can wash up the clothes as usual.
Method 3: Using Oxygen Bleach
If you still notice that the stain persists, an alternative would be to use oxygen bleach, for example, chlorine bleach. Ensure that you test this product first in an inconsequential location on the cloth to avoid cloth color damage while using this product.
Using warm water, carefully and meticulously rinse out the oxygen bleach applied in method 7. Note that the oxygen bleach used should not remain on the cloth for more than 2 minutes.
After carrying out the last procedure, wash the cloth as you would normally. Ensure to examine the cloth before drying it out. Where the stain still persists, employ the services of a dry cleaner.
Method 4: Using enzyme-based detergent
Follow these steps to remove a chocolate stain using enzyme-based detergent:
- Using your butter knife, scrape off any chocolate stain that dried up on the cloth.
- Using an adequate stain remover, soak the affected region and allow it to remain soaked for as long as possible. This is because the stain is old and would require a longer time to remove completely than a new stain.
- After the above step, wash up the cloth in water using a laundry detergent (enzyme-based). Ensure the water is moderately hot to remove the stain effectively. Again, pay attention to the label of the cloth you’re washing so as not to accidentally cause more damage to the cloth.
- After the above step, if the chocolate stain remains visible, repeat the above steps until you get your desired expected result.
- After you have done this, air your cloth and allow it to dry, after which you can then recheck to confirm that all the old chocolate stains are removed.
Method 5: Removing chocolate stains from clothes without washing them
You can get chocolate stains out of your clothes without washing them. Follow these steps to do so:
- Using your fingernail or credit card, scrape off the affected spot paying particular attention not to worsen the stain
- Using cold water, blot the chocolate stain from the inner left of the cloth, paying particular attention not to rub.
- Apply some hand soap to your finger and rub the affected region gently.
- Rinse off the hand soap using a paper towel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools would be required to remove chocolate stains from clothes?
If your clothes get soiled with chocolate, then locate your nearest store and acquire the following items. You will use these items in the process of removing the chocolate stain.
The items include a regular butter knife (this would be used when scraping), a laundry detergent (specifically enzyme based and natural), a detergent booster(a natural one), stain remover (specifically enzyme based), an oxygen bleach (this is rather optional), hydrogen peroxide which is usually used with dish soap (mild), lemon juice, vinegar.
What can you do to remove chocolate stains from the carpet?
To get rid of chocolate stains completely from your carpet, follow these steps:
- Try cleaning up the chocolate as much as you can by picking it up in such a way that it does not spread. Use your vacuum cleaner to clean up any other leftover chocolate droppings further.
- Blot the affected region with a napkin and stain remover to remove the chocolate stain. Be careful not to rub roughly so as not to worsen the stain.
- Rinse the affected area to clean up the leftover chocolate residue using clean cold water.
- If you notice that the stain remains, contact an expert in carpet maintenance.
What can you do to remove chocolate stains from upholstery?
To get rid of chocolate stains completely from upholstery, follow these steps:
- Scrape off the chocolate stain from the upholstery using a regular table spoon.
- Locate an ice cube. Hardening the chocolate residue left on the upholstery using the ice cube after scraping.
- Using a clean napkin, blot the affected area with a laundry detergent until you can successfully and completely remove the chocolate stain.
- Rinse off the detergent using another dry napkin to dap and blot the affected region.
- If you notice that the stain persists, contact an expert in upholstery maintenance.
What stain type is chocolate?
Chocolate stain is a mixture of three basic constituents. They include oil and tannin mixed with protein. The proteins are a derivative of animal droppings, specifical milk from animals. The oil is contained in the fat that is present in the butter in the chocolate, the oily surface on the cloth due to these fats is usually what makes the chocolate stain hard to remove.
The cocoa present in the chocolate has certain constituents, which include: the wood and bark of diverse plants, tannin, which is a natural produce present in the roots, rhizomes constituent, and fruit. The tannin usually present in the roots have a regular dark pigment. This dark pigment contributes to the difficulty in removing chocolate stains from clothes.
Can you use vinegar to get rid of chocolate stains?
Yes, vinegar can be a very effective tool to use when trying to get rid of chocolate stains in your cloth. Add part vinegar to water (one part) and mix. After this, immerse the affected area of your cloth in the solution and allow it to remain for about 11 minutes, after which you can then wash the cloth normally.
Can you use hydrogen peroxide to get rid of chocolate stains?
Yes, hydrogen peroxide can be a very effective tool to use when trying to get rid of chocolate stains on your clothes. Note that hydrogen peroxide is usually used with dish soap. Add dish soap (one part) to hydrogen peroxide (two parts) and apply it to the affected region.
This would help soften fat strength, lightening the cloth’s chocolate stain. Allow this to remain for about 9 minutes before washing it up.
Can you use OxiClean to get rid of chocolate stains on clothes?
OxiClean can be a very effective tool to use when trying to get rid of chocolate stains on your clothes. This can be particularly very effective when trying to get rid of tough old stains of chocolate.
Conclusion
You got your cloth soiled with chocolate, so what? Everyone makes mistakes, so don’t be so hard on yourself. Simply follow the procedures outlined above, and you will very well be on your way to solving this problem without having to dispose of your favorite cloth.