The Best Ways to Get Chocolate Stains Out of Your Clothes

• Gently scrape off excess chocolate with a butter knife or spoon. Rinse the back of the stain with cold water to flush out the leftover chocolate.
• Rub laundry detergent or a mix of white vinegar and dish soap into the stain to break it apart. Let the garment soak in cold water for 15 minutes.
• Wash your clothes with a cold water cycle and let them air-dry. Repeat the process until the chocolate stain disappears.

Treating Chocolate Stains

Scrape off any excess chocolate from your clothing. Try to treat the stain right away so it has less time to set. Gently use the edge of a butter knife or spoon to get rid of any wet chocolate that’s still on the fabric. Try to remove as much as you can now so the stain is easier to clean. Try to avoid pressing the chocolate down, or else it will set deeper into the fabric and become harder to remove. If you’re dealing with gooey melted chocolate, hold an ice cube against it so it hardens. Then, break it apart and gently scrape it off.

Flush the back of the stain with cold water. Turn your garment inside-out and hold it under cold running water. Try to rinse out as much of the chocolate from the fabric as you’re able to. While warm or hot water can break apart the oils in chocolate, the heat may also cause the stain to set permanently on your clothes. Stick to using cold water while you’re removing chocolate stains.

Rub laundry detergent into the stain. Use your standard liquid detergent to pretreat the stain. Cover the stain with detergent and gently rub it into the fabric with your fingers. Work from the outside of the stain toward the middle so it doesn’t spread onto clean fabric. If you don’t have laundry detergent on hand, choose a liquid dish soap that's labeled “grease-dissolving” to more effectively break up the stain. Detergent works for fresh and set-in chocolate stains, though older marks may take multiple treatments or a dedicated stain pretreatment to remove.

Soak your clothes in cold water for 15 minutes. Fill your sink or a large container with enough cold water to submerge the stained clothing. Put your clothes in the water and leave them to soak. Every 5 minutes or so, rub the stain between your fingers to break it apart. If you still see chocolate stains after 15 minutes, apply a little more detergent onto the mark and leave it to soak for another 15–45 minutes.

Wash your garment with a cold water cycle. Choose the cold cycle on your washer so the stain is more likely to wash out. Use the standard amount of detergent for the load and run your clothes through the wash. Check the care label on your clothes to make sure they’re machine-safe. If the tag says not to machine-wash or if you aren’t sure, wash them by hand with cold water and laundry detergent to be safe. Avoid using a hot water cycle because it could cause the stain to set in permanently.

Let your clothes air-dry and check for the stain. Hang your clothes to dry because it can be difficult to notice stains when the fabric is damp. If you can’t see the stain anymore, then you can put your clothes away to wear another day. Avoid putting your clothes in the dryer because the heat could cause any residual stain to set permanently. Try repeating the process of using detergent and soaking your garment if the stain is still a little noticeable. If you still see the stain, professional dry cleaner Ayad Mirjan recommends “wash[ing] the fabric with regular laundry detergent and add[ing] ⁄2 c (120 mL) of chlorine-free, oxygen-based cleaner.”

Natural Cleaners for Chocolate Stains

Wet the stain with a white vinegar solution to break it apart. Mix 1 tsp (4.9 mL) of dish soap, 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of distilled white vinegar, and 2 c (470 mL) of warm water. Dab the solution onto both sides of the stain with a cloth. Rinse the stain with cold water and repeat the process until it’s completely removed. Wash your clothes as normal after you use vinegar to get rid of any residual cleaning solution. Work from the edges of the stain toward the center to prevent it from spreading more. Distilled white vinegar is colorless and it won't affect the color of your clothing. Even if you notice a strong odor at first, it will wash out easily.

Rub baking soda into the stain to lift out oily marks. Start by wetting the stain with distilled white vinegar or cold running water and dabbing it with a paper towel. Then, rub baking soda into both sides of the stain and let it sit for 15 minutes. After that, just rinse the baking soda and stain out with cold water. Baking soda works best to absorb fresh stains that are still wet. If you still see oily marks, professional dry cleaner Ayad Mirjan says to try “add[ing] baby powder to the dry fabric and let[ting] it sit overnight” to draw the stain out.

Soak the stain with 3% hydrogen peroxide to help lighten it. Pour the hydrogen peroxide directly onto the stain or dab it on with a damp cloth. Work from the edges of the stain toward the center. Rinse the stain out with cold water and reapply the peroxide if you still see marks. Add 1–2 drops of ammonia to help fight against the stain even more effectively. Just be sure to test it on an inconspicuous spot of fabric to make sure the colors don’t run.

Cleaning Chocolate from Dry Clean Only Clothes

Apply dry cleaning solution to the stained area. Place a towel or absorbent pad underneath the stain before you start. Wet a sponge with the dry cleaning solution and dab it onto the stain so the fabric is completely saturated.

Dab a mixture of mineral oil and dry cleaning solution on the stain. Combine 1 part mineral oil and 8 parts of the dry cleaning solution in a bowl. Dip a clean cloth in the solution and firmly press it against the stained area. Continue blotting the stain until you've removed as much of the chocolate as possible. Switch to clean sections of the cloth as it gets dirty so you aren't pressing the chocolate back into the fabric.Tip: If you don't have mineral oil, you can use coconut oil instead.

Remove any excess mineral oil by blotting the stain with solvent again. Wet another clean cloth with just dry cleaning solution and dab the stain again. This will help remove any leftover oil and chocolate residue. Avoid rubbing the stain because you could push the chocolate deeper into the fabric.

Take the stained clothing to the dry cleaners as soon as possible. Now that you've removed the stain, bring your garment to professional cleaners. The sooner you take it to the dry cleaners, the more likely they'll be able to remove any leftover marks. Let the dry cleaners know about the stain and how you spot-treated it already. They may use a different solution to get rid of the marks.