Chocolate stains are gone!

If you’ve ever discovered set-in chocolate stains, I know how you feel, with heart sinking as you pull clothes from the dryer. But don’t worry. All is not lost. Here are some tips for removing chocolate stains, which I found in my email “inbox” from Martha Stewart this morning.

Her email was quite timely, since just yesterday I pulled the jeans from the dryer, only to discover that my youngest child had hidden some Easter candy in her pocket. Of course, I discovered the contraband too late, and now everything was covered in a dried-on, gooey, chocolate/caramel mess.

Naturally, I was horrified at first, and not the least bit discouraged that a morning’s worth of laundry was all in vain. But armed with these tips for removing chocolate stains, I decided to take courage. Undaunted, I began the task of removing the stains. Here’s what I did:

1. Scraped all the chocolate mess I could from the clothes.

2. Spot-treated the stains with liquid laundry detergent, scrubbing it in with a toothbrush.

3. Let the pre-treated clothes sit overnight.

4. Ran the load this morning, adding a little vinegar and extra detergent in a one-hour soak cycle first.

Thanks to these tips for removing chocolate stains, even set-in chocolate stains, I solved the problem. In less than 24 hours, all the jeans are chocolate free!