How to Remove Chocolate Stains from the Carpet

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and with it comes heart shaped boxes of delicious chocolate treats. Here are some tips in case those treats accidentally end up in your carpets.
First scoop up as much of the chocolate as possible with a spoon or napkin. If the chocolate stain has dried or has been ground into the carpet use a blunt knife such as a butter knife to gently scrape what you can from the carpet. Vacuum the area to ensure all loose dried particles have been picked up.

Second make a mild cleaning solution of 1/4-teaspoon gentle liquid dish soap and one cup of warm water.

Third test the cleaning solution on an inconspicuous are of the carpet to ensure it will not cause color bleeding or damage.

Fourth if the solution has proven safe on your carpets go ahead and apply to the stain working from the outside in toward the center. Be careful not to saturate the carpet. Let the cleaning solution sit on the stain for about five minutes.

Fifth Use a clean dry cloth to blot the stain until no more of the stain transfers to the cloth. Do not rub the stain as it could push it deeper into the carpet.

Sixth rinse with cold water to remove any trace of cleaning solution from the carpet. If the stain remains reapply the cleaning solution and repeat the process.

If there is still chocolate on the carpet try mixing a new cleaning solution of 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 cups of warm water. Repeat the process with the new cleaning solution. If the stain does not lift after trying both solutions contact a professional carpet cleaner.

After the stain is lifted from the carpet fibers place another clean dry cloth or several layers of paper towels on the wet carpet and weight them down with a heavy glass or ceramic item. Leave the towel to soak up any moisture overnight. Once the carpet is dry vacuum again to restore the carpet’s texture.

As always make sure to treat stains as soon as you find them. If the stain does not come out don’t stress call a professional and they can more than likely remove the stain. For more stain removal tips check out the home remedies page..