# How to get chocolate out of clothes

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**Source:** sweeties.net, online pick and mix sweet shop

## Summary

Scrape off what you can, rinse the back of the stain with cold water, treat it with liquid detergent, then wash. Do not tumble dry until the stain is gone.

## Description

Chocolate is made from cocoa solids and cocoa butter, and milk chocolate adds milk. That means a chocolate stain can be greasy, milky and brown all at once, which is why it can take more than one step to shift: see how is chocolate made?
Before you start
Check the care label, and do not use anything the label rules out. If you are not sure a product is safe for the fabric, test it first on a part that does not show. For delicate fabrics such as wool or silk, Persil suggests a spot test first, or taking the garment to a dry cleaner.
Step by step
This method follows Persil's advice for washable clothes:
Scrape off the excess. Gently lift away as much chocolate as you can. For sturdy fabrics, putting the garment in the freezer for about 30 minutes first hardens the chocolate and makes it easier to scrape.Rinse from the back. Turn the garment inside out and run cold water through the back of the stain.Pretreat. Rub liquid laundry detergent into the stain and leave it for about 5 minutes, so the enzymes in the detergent can start breaking it down.Soak. Soak the garment in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes, gently rubbing the stain now and then.Wash. Rinse, then wash as the care label says.Check before drying. Let it dry naturally, then check. If any stain is left, repeat the steps.
Hot or cold?
Here the advice differs. Persil says always use cold water, because warm or hot water can set the stain. The University of Georgia's extension service, which advises on textiles, suggests pretreating with a pre wash stain remover and heavy duty liquid detergent, soaking in warm water with a detergent containing enzymes, and then washing in hot water, with bleach if the fabric allows. Both agree on following the care label.
The one mistake to avoid
Both sources agree on this: do not put the garment in the tumble dryer until the stain has completely gone. Heat can set a stain, making it much harder to remove.
Other sticky situations
Sweets can leave other marks too. For gum, see how to get chewing gum out of clothes

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