3 goof-proof tips to remove chocolate stains on clothes

Chocolate on your best shirt? Don’t panic! Here are three goof-proof tips to remove chocolate stains on clothes that are so good, you'll want to share them with friends.

Most of the time, a little cold water and a drop of soap will easily overcome a fresh chocolate stain.

• All you need to do is act quickly. However, if the stain isn’t recent, then the chocolate has had time to get embedded in the fabric. That makes it more difficult to get rid of—but not impossible.

To get out an embedded stain, first scrape off any dry chocolate with your fingernail or with a spatula. Then use one of the following solutions to soak the stain:

Vinegar: Make a solution of white vinegar diluted 2:1 with water. Pour onto the chocolate stain and leave it for a few minutes before rubbing towards the centre of the stain with a clean rag.

Lemon juice: Dab the stain with a lemon juice-soaked cloth until the stain completely disappears. Either fresh lemon juice or lemon concentrate can be used.

Toothpaste: First, wet the fabric with a little water. Next, apply a generous layer of toothpaste and gently rub.

Baking soda: Add some baking soda to the toothpaste mixture. After you have rubbed the toothpaste in, sprinkle a little soda on the stain, then rub it in until it has completely dissolved. Repeat if necessary.

Ammonia: Use a little diluted ammonia to clean particularly stubborn chocolate stains.

Whatever method you choose, wash your clothes in the regular cycle of your washing machine after treating the stain. All traces of the "crime" should disappear for good!

If you’re afraid of further damaging your clothes by trying to treat stains yourself, a visit to the dry cleaner may be your best bet.

Just keep in mind the next time you fall for a little chocolate temptation, a stain could be lurking somewhere in that yummy melting chocolate if you're not careful!