Celebrate National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
Everything is Better with Chocolate…Except Clothes and Linens! Five Tips for Chocolate Stain Removal
If you could cover anything in chocolate, what would it be? The experts say “So many foods improve when we dip them in chocolate. Businesses have been built on a foundation of dipping food into chocolate. Whether you pick up a chocolate fountain or order a bouquet of a beautiful arrangement of chocolate-dipped fruit, celebrate!
But fruit isn’t the only food meant for dipping in chocolate. Oh no. Other foods cry out for chocolate, too. Have you tried chocolate-covered peanuts, cashews, or walnuts? Pretzels undergo a divine transformation when dipped in chocolate, and they even have a national day of their own. Pound cake and gummy candies taste delicious with chocolate, too. If you love coffee, how can you pass up chocolate covered coffee beans?”
The thing is your pants, shirt, tablecloth and furniture is never improved with a coating of chocolate! Here at Oak Hill Dry Cleaner, we see people each week who have had a tasty but messy experience with chocolate. They struggle with the aftermath of their indulgence, and most marvel that just a few crumbles of chocolate could make such a mess.
Getting Rid of Chocolate
Few of us are happy to waste even a tiny bit of a chocolate treat, but it does tend to flake and break apart. This causes it to quickly melt into whatever surface it lands on, and that leads to smears, smudges and deep-set stains.
As another expert at The Spruce says, “Chocolate is an important part of life, is it not? It's smooth, delicious, and oh-so-lovable. Unfortunately, the reality of life is that our love of chocolate as evidenced by the stains on our laundry.” The good news, they also point out, is that chocolate is a tannin and fat-based stain, meaning it can be treated and even removed.
Typically, the steps to getting rid of any stain include:
· Eliminate any material that may be causing the stain, i.e. any chocolate on the surface of the item
· Pre-treat according to stain and then fabric types
· Clean at home, if possible; OR bring to professional cleaner to spot or dry clean
· Launder and dry
We suggest this method, too. It is a good idea to scrape away any excess chocolate with the back of a butter knife. Use white vinegar to break down the fatty stain, and then rinse with cold water after no more than five to ten minutes. Flush the backside of the stained area with “a solution of 1 tablespoon grease-dissolving dishwashing detergent and 3 cups of warm water,” can also help.
Only if the stain is entirely gone should you then machine wash. If it remains, it is time to head into Oak Hill Dry Cleaner where we can use special enzyme-based cleaners to remove the stain.
Celebrate National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
So, take some time today (or anytime) to indulge in a tasty, chocolate covered treat. Remember that it is not just fruits that taste good paired with chocolate. There are so many amazing foods that improve with a bit of chocolate coating, including pretzels, nuts, chips, and other salty snacks. However, you want to avoid chocolate-coating your garments or linens. If you do, you now know how to eliminate the problem, and to pay a visit when the basic stain-removal methods don’t work!