Jacqueline asked: How do I remove old chocolate stains from fabric? My daughter and I got messy with some chocolate ice cream. My hubby washed and dried our t-shirts, and did not pretreat the chocolate stains on the clothing first. Now, both t-shirts have been through the wash a couple of times with no luck getting the stain out. Help!
Chocolate
makes a wonderful treat, but when it lands on your clothes, the delight quickly turns sour. Fortunately, with a few simple steps, the chocolate can be broken down and removed. Here are several options to remove your chocolate stain for good.
You Will Need:
- Heavy cream
- Stain treatment:
- Laundry detergent
- Commercial Stain Remover (ex: Shout, Spray ‘n Wash, etc.)
- Enzyme Stain Remover (ex: Kids ‘N’ Pets, Nature’s Miracle, etc.)
- OxiClean
- Castile soap
- Ivory bar soap
- Dish liquid
- Spoon
- Small bowl
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Borax
Steps to Remove the Chocolate:
- If the stain is old, saturate the area with cream and allow it to soak for 20-30 minutes. Heavy cream makes the fatty components of the chocolate fresh and easier to remove. After soaking, rinse off the cream, then continue with step 3 below.
- If the stain is fresh, allow any clumps of chocolate to harden, then scrape away as much as possible using a spoon or dull knife. You can speed up this process by putting the item in the freezer or rubbing the back of the fabric behind the stain with a piece of ice.
- Apply a stain treatment to both the front and back of the stained area. Any of the above products will work fine.
- Allow the application to soak for several minutes.
- If the stain is large or ground into the fabric, allow the stained area to soak in a bowl filled with cold water and one of the detergents/soaps from the list above for an hour.
- Launder as usual with cold water. Avoid using warm or hot water as this can set the stain.
- Hang the clothing to dry completely and ensure the stain is removed before placing it in the dryer for future cleanings.
- If the stain is stubborn, try blotting it with hydrogen peroxide.
- Another option for stubborn stains is to mix some borax with water to make a thick paste, about the consistency of toothpaste. Put the paste on the stain and leave it for 10 minutes, then wash the item as usual.
Additional Tips and Advice
- Dish liquid, such as Dawn or Palmolive, has been effective in removing chocolate stains that are fresh as well as those that are set-in.
- If the stain is placed in the dryer, the heat can set the stain and make it difficult, if not impossible, to remove. (If you have already done this, you can still try the above steps though.)
Sources:
- Household Hints for Dummies by Janet Sobesky
- Stain Rescue by Stephanie Zia
- The Queen of Clean’s Complete Cleaning Guide by Linda Cobb
- Clean It Fast, Clean It Right by Jeff Bredenberg
- Joey Green’s Cleaning Magic by Joey Green
Amazingly, this worked. I used tape, the clear kind for wrapping packages from the post office. I used the sticky side like a blotter and it pulled off the chocolate from my cotton T-shirt. I then used my finger on the back side to stretch the fabric a little more and continued with fresh tape. The tape pulled off every bit. I showed it to my wife and she could not tell where the stain was. Amazing.
Tried Palmolive on my daughter’s brand new sweatshirt and it worked wonderfully. I was so glad I googled this.
The Palmolive soap worked! Thanks for that! I had tried Vanish, bleach, and detergent, but Palmolive removed three separate chocolate stains from white trousers completely!
I have found with my experience that soaking in cold water works best. Use whatever is indicated to remove the stain and soak in cold water. If the stain has a protein base at all, the hot water will set the stain. If you have some washcloths that get baby poo on them, cold water does the trick. Good luck.
I can’t believe this worked. Step 5 helped the most. I’m so glad I went in this site; this works.
I tried the Palmolive and I am amazed how well it worked. It brought out every trace of the chocolate stain on the dry fit running shirt.