From ice cream to Easter eggs, we all know chocolate is a wonderful part of life. Chocolate stains? Not so much. Although chocolate has a reputation for creating permanent stains, simply follow a few careful steps to learn how to removing chocolate from clothes.
What are chocolate stains?
Chocolate stains are made up of proteins, oil and tannins. The proteins and oil come from milk and butter in chocolate and can leave oily spots which are tough to get out. The cocoa that gives the chocolate its delicious flavour contains tannins which are known for their dark pigments, also found in red wine, coffee, and tea and can make stains particularly hard to remove.
Before we start explaining tips to remove chocolate stains, always read the care labels on your clothes. This will give you an idea on whether or not the product or technique works with the specific material at hand.
Use a table / butter knife to scrape away any residual chocolate left behind on the clothes. If the chocolate is soft, like Nutella or liquidy like hot chocolate or chocolate mousse, pop the clothing in the freezer for a five to 10 minutes to let the chocolate harden before scraping.
Rinse the item under cold water from the back of the stained fabric to rinse away as much of the chocolate as possible.
Pretreat the stain by soaking the chocolate spot with Surcare liquid or mix Surcare powder with water to make a toothpaste consistency mix, and let it sit on the fabric for a few minutes.
Wash the garment in the usual way with Surcare. If the stain remains, repeat the pretreatment and rewash. Allow your garment to air dry and check it again when it’s dry. Gone? Good!
If it’s still there? Repeat the steps one last time—but don’t get your hopes up too high at this point.
