Ah, Valentine’s…roses, candy hearts, overpriced prix-fixe menus, and chocolate. Who doesn’t want to take a moment to just meditate on the wonder that is chocolate…rich, creamy, with that deep intoxicating aroma…I’m sorry, am I making you hungry?
However, when chocolate bombs on your shirt or your carpet instead of exploding deliciously in your mouth, what do you do? A solid that’s prone to melting, chocolate can seep deep into fibers and be impossible to get out if not treated immediately and correctly.
When it comes to any chocolate stains regardless of what kind of textile they’re threatening to ruin, scrape off as much as you can with a butter knife or non-sharp hard-edged tool. Be gentle and try to lift the chocolate up and off to avoid pushing it deeper in.
For clothing, use soda water or cold water to flush the stain out from the back. Again, if you do it from the front, you risk driving the stain deeper into the fibers.
For upholstery or carpet, put ice cubes in a ziplock bag or an ice pack over the stain to harden any chocolate residue.
Then blot—don’t rub!—your stains with dish soap until fully saturated and stalk for 15 minutes, blotting the stain every few minutes to keep flushing out the chocolate.
At this point, your clothing should be fine to go into the laundry, but if chocolate residue still remains, spray it with a stain remover before putting it in the wash.
For your rug or sofa cushions, use a sponge to remove any soap. If you have any remaining chocolate, sprinkle cornmeal over it for at least a half hour and then wipe away with a clean dry towel.
As a last resort, find a professional. Or next time, go for the vanilla? With that woody, delicate, mouth-watering flavor…
PopUP CleanUP wishes you a Happy Valentine’s Day! For all of your professional commercial cleaning needs, call today: (323) 538-0188.
