The best chocolates are rich in antioxidants and oh-so-delicious. Who can say no to this gooey goodness that melts right in your mouth? And when it comes to eating chocolates, age is just a number. A food cherished by every age group, chocolate is a wonderful treat.
Unfortunately, chocolate bars, pies and syrup have a tendency to stain if spilled. Whether or not you’re a messy eater, chocolate often seems to leave its mark on the carpet, the upholstery and especially your clothing.
Chocolate stains on fabric can be tough to deal with and often refuse to get off your favorite dress. But you don’t have to relinquish your love for chocolates to avoid chocolate stains.
You can take care of those inevitable stains using some simple cleaning agents. All you need to do is follow the correct strategy to remove chocolate stains from clothes.
One more thing – make sure that you don’t put the stained clothing through the dryer until you’re sure the stain is completely removed. The heat from the dryer can set stains into the fabric, making it more difficult to remove chocolate stains.
Below are four ways to easily remove chocolate stains from clothes, so that you can enjoy the yummy part to its fullest.
Contents
Method 1: Milk or Heavy Cream
Milk and heavy cream are natural and effective cleaning agents for removing chocolate stains from fabric, especially old and dried stains. These dairy products help dissolve the fat in the chocolate, allowing you to wash it out easily.
Milk can also be used to remove ink stains from clothes.
Things you’ll need:
- Milk or heavy cream (dissolves the fat in the chocolate stain)
- A dull knife or spoon
Step 1. Scrape the chocolate off the surface of the fabric
- Use a dull knife or a spoon to scrape off any chocolate that you can from the fabric. Make sure you don’t spread the stain any further than it already is while doing this.
Step 2. Soak the stained area in milk or heavy cream
- Pour some milk or heavy cream into a bowl.
- Put the stained area of the clothing in the bowl.
- Give the fabric a gentle rub in order to help the milk or heavy cream penetrate the stain.
- Let the stained area soak in it for 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 3. Rinse and wash
- Check if the stain is gone. If not, repeat the process and soak it for some more time.
- Rinse the milk or heavy cream out of the clothing.
- Wash the clothing with detergent to completely remove the traces of milk or heavy cream.
Method 2: Hydrogen Peroxide and Laundry Detergent
Hydrogen peroxide works like a charm when it comes to removing stains from fabric. Be it a coffee stain, a wine stain or a tough chocolate stain, hydrogen peroxide is good for all of them.
Try hydrogen peroxide mixed with laundry detergent the next time you happen to get chocolate sauce on your clothes.
Things you’ll need:
- 3% Hydrogen peroxide (natural bleach and stain remover) – 2 tablespoons
- Laundry detergent – 1 tablespoon
- Water
- A dull knife or spoon
Step 1. Scrape off the excess chocolate
- Scrape off as much of the excess chocolate as you can with a dull knife or a spoon. Take care not to further spread the chocolate stain or rub it deeper into the fabric.
Step 2. Mix hydrogen peroxide with laundry detergent
- Pour 1 tablespoon of laundry detergent into a bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide to it.
- Mix it well.
- Keeping the proportions same, you can make a greater quantity of the solution if needed.
Step 3. Soak the stain in the solution
- Soak the chocolate-stained area of the garment in the hydrogen peroxide and detergent solution for about 15 minutes.
- If the stain lingers, let it soak for 15 more minutes.
Step 4. Rinse and wash
- Rinse out the stained area and throw the garment in the wash to get the rest of the stain out.
Method 3: Bleach
When laundry detergent or hydrogen peroxide doesn’t seem to cut it, you need to take out the big guns. Bleach can easily remove chocolate stains from clothes by changing the chemical structure of the stain.
However, bleach works best with whites. Using bleach on colored garments may result in discoloration, so always do a patch test first. Also, check the care tag on the article of clothing to determine if the fabric is bleach-safe.
Note: Bleach can be harsh on skin. Wear gloves in order to protect your hands.
Things you’ll need:
- Bleach powder (powerful stain removal agent) – 1 teaspoon
- Water – 1 cup
- A dull knife or spoon
Step 1. Scrape off any excess chocolate
- Use a dull knife or a spoon to scrape off all the chocolate you can from the piece of clothing.
Step 2. Mix the bleach powder and water
- Put 1 teaspoon of bleach powder in a bowl.
- Pour in 1 cup of water.
- Give it a stir to dissolve the bleach in the water.
Step 3. Submerge the stained area in the solution
- Submerge the stained area of the fabric in the solution.
- Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes for the bleach to work the stain out.
Step 4. Rinse and wash
- Remove the fabric from the solution and rinse out the bleach.
- Put the garment through your usual wash cycle.
Method 4: Liquid Laundry Detergent
Liquid laundry detergent works well for a fresh chocolate blotch on your clothing. It can quickly remove chocolate stains before they can set into the fabric. You can also use liquid laundry detergent to get paint stain out of your clothes.
Things you’ll need:
- Liquid laundry detergent (degreaser and stain remover) – 1 tablespoon
- Water
- A dull knife
Step 1. Scrape off excess chocolate from the clothing
- As soon as possible, scrape off all the excess chocolate from the fabric with a dull knife or a spoon.
- Be careful not to spread the chocolate into other areas or rub it deeper into the fabric.
Step 2. Dilute the laundry detergent
- Fill a bowl halfway with water.
- Add 1 tablespoon of liquid detergent.
- Stir it well to dissolve the detergent in the water.
Step 3. Soak the chocolate-stained fabric in the solution
- Soak the chocolate stained area of the fabric in the detergent solution.
- Let it soak for 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 4. Rinse and wash
- Remove the article of clothing from the detergent soak.
- If the stain is gone, launder the clothing as usual. Repeat the soak if needed to completely remove chocolate stains from clothes.
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There were a couple of mini candy bars in the dryer, I do not know if they were mine or belonged to someone else because I live in an apartment and others use the laundry room However, when I went to take the clothes out of the dryer I noticed many brown spots on my clothes. I would like to know how to get the stains out of clothes that have been in the dryer and the stains formed there. Thank you for your help. Your service seems to be very knowledgeable and helpful.
Hi Patricia
It must be so annoying to get stained clothes out of the dryer. But don’t worry, simply pour some milk over the stain and use some elbow grease. Try to take as out as much as you can manually by rubbing the stain with a toothbrush. Now soak the cloth in laundry detergent for a while then, and launder as usual.
Hopefully, the stain will be gone in a wash or two, if not altogether at once.
Hope this helps
-FabHow
Dear FabHow,
I had a load of light-colored laundry dry along with a good-size chocolate Easter egg. I just read your advice to Patricia and it worked! Milk, who would ever guess? Thank you for saving a load of laundry for me!
Barb
Hey Barbara
We are super glad that we could be of help!
Stay tuned for more such useful & informative content.
Be careful with hydrogen peroxide as a spot treatment, it can also “bleach” some coloured fabrics, as I have unhappily discovered. Always try a hidden spot first.
I’m a chemist – Hydrogen Peroxide as you purchase it in the store is not really a “natural” product, check out Wikipedia to see how it is made. However, it is more environmentally friendly to use peroxide instead of bleach.