Chocolate stains are a bit of a mixed bag in terms of stain removal as there are several different types of chocolate stains. One can receive a chocolate stain from a hot cocoa spill, chocolate syrup, a bit of melt from a chocolate bar on the fingertips, or from a thick chocolate dessert. Each of these stains would require a slightly different treatment method, but the basics will remain the same.
Chocolate Stains – Treating a Hot Chocolate Stain
Since hot chocolate is a liquid, this type of stain is likely going to be massive. The best course of action is to immediately remove your clothing and proceed to a sink basin to rinse the shirt thoroughly with cold water. After this you will want to apply a spray or stick stain remover to your shirt or pants and scrub vigorously across the entire affected area. Rinsing and repeating this several times can be necessary depending on the severity of the stain.
Chocolate Stains – Treating Chocolate Syrup Stains
Chocolate syrup is smack dab between hot cocoa and solid chocolate in terms of technique. You are going to want to immediately (even before removing the clothing) take a spoon and as cleanly as possible remove as much leftover chocolate syrup as possible from the garment before it has a chance to run. Using a spoon is best as it will allow a quick scooping action whereas a napkin can and most likely will spread or smear the stain.
After this, take off the shirt and saturate the entire affected area and a surrounding radius with cold water and then scrub the stain with detergent or a stain removing product. Then, you will to rinse the shirt clean to ensure that no stain remains before laundering completely.
Chocolate Stains – Chocolate Candy Pieces and Desserts
Chocolate desserts and candies follow the same basic process as both mainly occur in a similar fashion: through contact with clothing through touching a garment with chocolate covered fingers or a small point of contact. If the chocolate has hardened to your clothing, scrape it off as best as possible, and then turn the garment inside out, rinse with cold water, and then scrub the stain from the back with detergent to remove as much of the stain as possible at one time.
Examine the front of your garment at this point to assess the stain. If some residue is still present, then you will want to rinse and repeat this process and use a stain remover spray or stick to add some extra oomph to the process.
Chocolate stains have a few different treatment options. The key is to be patient and always double check to ensure a stain is completely gone before washing.
Source for Chocolate Candy Tips:
http://housekeeping.about.com/od/stainremoval/a/stains_chocolat.htm. 12 March 2010.
