I think Bridget Jones knows the most about removing chocolate from clothes and bed linen. There are so many adventures and experiences in her life that all the stress cannot be avoided without eating sweets. If you or your family are also fans of confectionery products made from cocoa beans, you probably have the same problems - how to remove a chocolate stain?
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My name is Natalya and I have been managing my home professionally for more than 15 years. Saving my extended family's favorite things; I protect our house from fleas, midges, bloodsuckers and other rodents; I find faithful electronic assistants in household chores. And I am happy to pass on this entire experience to you)
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Stains are not a reason to give up chocolate!
How to wash chocolate from clothes: basic rules
Despite the fact that there are a lot of types of fabrics and each one needs to choose its own cleaning method, several general rules can still be identified.
- A thin crust always forms on the surface of the chocolate stain. It is recommended to remove it with a blunt object that will not damage the fabric. A wooden spatula or a plastic kitchen spatula can easily play this role.
- Do not smear the contamination; it is removed with careful movements, working from the edges to the center.
- Do not immediately resort to using aggressive solutions. First, try using a drug prepared according to one of the folk recipes.
- Before washing an item, turn it inside out.
On a note! Fresh stains are much easier to work with. If the mark is outdated, then in most cases you have to clean the clothes many times. This is the only way to completely wash the item!
Method 1 - milk
This option is ideal for those who want to remove a greasy chocolate stain from light-colored cotton. In this case, you will need to act like this:
- First, you should spread the cotton in one layer so that the stain does not transfer to the back of the fabric.
- After this, pour two teaspoons of milk onto the stain itself.
- Now you need to blot the chocolate mark with a regular napkin, and then wash the item as usual in a washing machine or by hand.
Tip: if you can’t remove a stain from a white T-shirt with milk, take ordinary laundry soap and thoroughly wipe the dirty mark with it. After this, also wash the product.
How to remove chocolate stains from jeans
Denim fabric is very thick. It quickly absorbs chocolate, and it is impossible to get rid of such a stain in one go with regular washing. Take the following recipes into account.
- Dilute 25 g of kitchen salt in 50 ml of water. We treat the contamination with this concentrated solution if it is fresh. For old chocolate marks, use wet salt, which we leave on the contaminated area for about half an hour. The final stage is washing as usual.
- Take glycerin and raw yolk in equal proportions and mix until smooth. Cover the stained area with the mixture and leave for half an hour. We rinse the area with warm water, removing the product completely, and then iron it from the wrong side.
Helpful information
To avoid damaging the structure of the fabric and harming your health when removing chocolate stains, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:
- Before using the cleaning product for the first time, it should be tested on an inconspicuous area. If the fabric does not change its original characteristics, you can begin full processing.
- Before soaking, clean the stain with a brush. This is done in order to remove dust and excess chocolate from the fabric.
- You need to wear gloves when working with stain removers so as not to cause inflammation of the skin on your hands.
How to remove chocolate from colored clothes
When processing such things, it is important to preserve their original color, and therefore the safest possible product is required.
- We rub the contaminated area with laundry soap or soak the item in a soapy solution. We leave it for an hour, after which we try to wash off the mark manually.
- Mix glycerin and ammonia in equal proportions. Apply to the damaged area using a cotton pad. You can add the prepared preparation to water, soak your clothes and after a quarter of an hour try to wash off the trace of chocolate with your hands.
- Dishwashing liquid works quite well on fresh stains. We make a concentrated solution, beat it into foam and apply it to the contaminated area. After a quarter of an hour, rinse the item under cold water.
How to Remove Chocolate Stains from Dark Fabric
On dark fabric, stains are no less visible than on others, and therefore it is advisable to remove such stains as soon as possible.
- We take denatured alcohol and ammonia in a ratio of 3:1. We treat the area contaminated with chocolate from the back side, and be sure to place a clean napkin under the front side and leave it for a few minutes. The last step is to remove any remaining dirt in warm water and detergent. If the water temperature exceeds 40 degrees, it will not be possible to get rid of the stain - it will be absorbed even more into the fabric. This composition can only be used on things that do not fade!
- Combine glycerin, ammonia and water in a ratio of 1:2:2. Spread the mixture over the chocolate stain. After three minutes, use a cotton pad to gently wipe away any remaining dirt. Rinse the item in cold water.
Method 5 – glycerin
Such stains should be removed from colored clothing using glycerin. To treat fabric in such cases, it is recommended to use a special solution based on it. To prepare it you will need:
- 1 glass of water;
- 1 glass of glycerin;
- 1 teaspoon of ammonia.
You will need to mix these components until smooth, after which you should thoroughly moisten the stain with plain water, take a sponge, pour the solution on it and carefully walk over the stain with it. Next, all you have to do is rinse the product.
Video: Effective Home Remedies:
How to remove chocolate from white fabric
White fabric is the most finicky in terms of cleaning, since it clearly shows traces not only of the chocolate itself, but also of the fat contained in the product. In this case, you can use a number of means.
- Milk at room temperature whitens the stained area and removes chocolate stains. Apply to the problem area (do not rub!) and leave for 10 minutes. After the specified time, armed with a soft sponge, completely wash off the milk and apply it again. We repeat the procedure 3-4 times. When the mark becomes barely noticeable, it can be washed off with powder.
- Ammonia combined with a saline solution will help wash chocolate on durable fabrics. Completely dissolve 70 g of table salt in 150 ml of water, pour the mixture onto the stain and leave for a quarter of an hour. Then we wipe off any remaining dirt with ammonia. We soak the item, and after 5 minutes all that remains is to wash it completely as usual.
- Baking soda, ammonia and dishwashing gel remove old marks. For 50 ml of ammonia add 70 g of soda and half a spoon of gel. Dilute in 25 ml of water and mix. Place a clean napkin under the front side of the clothing and generously moisten the back side with the prepared product. After 10 minutes, you can wash off the remaining chocolate with powder.
- We dilute a solution of boric acid in an amount of 5 ml in half a glass of water and treat the contamination. After a quarter of an hour, wash the mark as usual.
- Soak the area contaminated with chocolate with hydrogen peroxide and leave for 10 minutes. Wash off the product with cool water. After the procedure, washing the item will not be difficult.
- Laundry soap contains alkali, which will remove traces of chocolate without damaging the white fabric. Wash the contaminated area thoroughly and leave for 10 minutes. Now you need to wash off the residue; to do this, intensively use three hands on the soaped area and rinse with water. Repeat the procedure.
- Whiteness is a reliable assistant in the fight against stains on white things. However, remember that the product is highly concentrated, and therefore is not suitable for treating fabrics that require careful handling. Wet the contaminated area generously and leave for 10 minutes. All that remains is to wash the item using regular powder in automatic mode.
- Vanish is another bleach, but less aggressive than bleach. We use the drug according to the instructions. In order to remove old stains left by chocolate, you will have to carry out two or three treatments.
Method 3 – salt
You can remove traces of chocolate from any fabric quickly and easily using table salt. It is extremely easy to use:
- To begin with, dissolve 2-3 teaspoons of salt in water.
- After this, you will need to treat the cloth in the dirty areas with this salted water. Immediately after this, the item will need to be sent to the wash.
- After this, rinse the product thoroughly and leave to dry.
Important: if you need to remove sweet traces from rough clothing, for example, jeans, you don’t even need to prepare a saline solution. It will be enough to simply rub the fabric with table salt and then wash it.
How to remove a chocolate stain on a sofa
If the upholstery of upholstered furniture has been stained with chocolate, you can use one of the products described above. When choosing, we take into account the upholstery material and its color and only then try to wash it. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- Using a plastic or wooden spatula, we remove particles that have not had time to be absorbed into the material;
- moisten a cotton pad in the selected composition and wipe the stained area with gentle movements;
- leave the product for 5–10 minutes so that it saturates not only the front, but also the back side of the upholstery material;
- after the specified time has passed, take a clean cotton pad, moisten it in an ammonia solution and apply it to the stain, wiping from the edges to the center;
- We complete the procedure by applying a saline solution to the contaminated area;
- let the fabric dry completely.
How to wash chocolate on synthetic items
Synthetics are considered a material resistant to various types of agents, including chemicals. However, keep in mind that polyester and rayon can be damaged by certain chemicals. Concentrated preparations that dissolve fats will destroy artificial silk, but polyester will not react to these mixtures at all.
- White spirit, which can be found at any hardware store, will help remove chocolate stains. Apply it to the stain, wait 10 minutes, then wipe the fabric with a solution of ammonia (3 parts water to 1 part ammonia). Finally, wash the item by hand.
- We take glycerin, soda and ammonia in equal proportions, mix and apply a thick layer to the stain. Leave for a quarter of an hour. Wash off the remains with water. If there is a small stain left, wash it additionally with laundry soap.
- Soak a cotton ball with gasoline or kerosene and wipe off the chocolate, moving from the edge to the center. Let it dry. We repeat the procedure, after which we treat the contamination with a solution of ammonia (1.5 tablespoons of water, 0.5 tablespoons of ammonia).
- Combine 20 ml of medical alcohol with 60 ml of ammonia. We place a clean napkin under the front side of the clothing, and from the inside we treat the chocolate mark with the resulting composition. Leave for 5 minutes. All that remains is to wash off the remaining dirt in the usual way.
Do not rush to throw away an item if it has been stained with chocolate. The problem area can be easily restored if you use one of the above remedies.
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Method 6 – ammonia and alcohol
If you need to remove stains from colored synthetic clothing, you will need to use a mixture of ammonia and alcohol taken in a 1:3 ratio. You should proceed like this:
- First, you should carefully lay the item on the surface, placing clean paper napkins under the stain itself.
- Then you will need to take a cotton pad, pour the solution on it and start treating the stain with it. You will need to walk over the dirt several times until it comes off completely. Please note that when processing the fabric, traces of the chocolate will transfer to the paper napkins underneath. Don't forget to change them regularly to avoid damaging the item.
- Next, the product should simply be rinsed well so that the smell of alcohol does not remain on it.
Tip: Use this technique to remove chocolate ice cream from fabric. In this case, it will be no less effective.