Chocolate
Short answer: Scrape off the solid part, rinse cold from the inside and treat with washing-up liquid. Chocolate is both colour and fat, and the two parts need handling separately. Check the stain before the garment dries.
The solid part first
Let the chocolate harden, preferably with an ice pack on top, and then scrape it off with the back of a spoon. That way you avoid smearing it over a larger area. Soft chocolate smears and sinks into the fabric, while hard chocolate can almost be lifted off in one piece.
Why chocolate is two stains
Chocolate contains both colour and fat, so water alone is not enough. The colour can be rinsed away with cold water, while the fat needs a product that can bind it to the water. Treating the two parts separately gives a tidier result with fewer rounds.
The colour and the fat
Rinse cold from the inside against the colour, then add washing-up liquid against the fat. Leave it for about twenty minutes, so the product can work into the fibres. See women's bamboo pants if you want soft trousers for everyday life, where stains can happen.
Rinse from the inside
Turn the garment inside out, so the water pushes the colour out of the fabric rather than deeper in. Use cold water, because heat binds the colour and makes the fat harder to remove. Keep going until the water runs almost clear, and do not rub, as that presses the stain deeper between the fibres.
The wash
Forty degrees if the label allows it, otherwise thirty with a longer working time. Check the stain before the garment is hung up, because heat from drying makes the rest permanent. Always read the care label first. See bamboo tennis socks for women and bamboo sleepwear for women.
Should you rinse warm against the fat
No. Use a product first, then forty degrees in the machine if the label allows it. If you rinse in warm water before the product has worked, the heat can bind the colour and make the fat harder to remove. So let the product work for twenty minutes before you warm anything up.
If a shadow remains
That is the fat. Treat again with washing-up liquid while the fabric is still damp, and wash the garment as before. A chocolate stain often needs two rounds, and it is easiest before the garment has been in the tumble dryer. Check in daylight, so you can see even a faint shadow.
Chocolate on light fabric
Chocolate shows most on light fabric, but you treat the stain the same way whatever the colour. Scrape, rinse cold, use washing-up liquid and avoid heat until the stain is gone. With that order the result is even across all garments, and you do not have to guess.
A calm routine
Chocolate melts quickly in warm hands and on a warm table, so stains happen easily. If you have a spoon, a cloth and cold water close by, you can lift most of it away. A calm, fixed routine means the stain does not have to spoil your day.
Frequently asked questions
Why cool the chocolate first
Hard chocolate can be scraped off. Soft chocolate smears and sinks deeper into the fabric, so an ice pack over the stain makes it easier to lift the solid part before adding product.
Should you rinse warm against the fat
No. Use a product first, then forty degrees in the machine. Warm water before the product can bind the colour, so let washing-up liquid work for twenty minutes before you wash the garment.
What if a shadow remains
That is the fat. Treat again before the garment dries, because heat from drying makes traces permanent. Use washing-up liquid again and repeat if needed until the shadow is gone in daylight.
You can find the full range at Bamboo-Clothing.com.
