Cleaning and Stain Removal - Chocolate stain on Comforter
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Ted Heissner
12-23-06, 06:29 AM
My girlfriend left a bag of Christmas chocolate on our bed. Her dog got into the bag and ate all the chocolate. Fortunately he is OK, but our bed spread has a cholocate stain on in after going through the wash and dryer.
Anybody got any ideas how to get this off. Comforter is a bright yellow colour.
Ted
Anybody got any ideas how to get this off. Comforter is a bright yellow colour.
Ted
Shadeladie
12-23-06, 07:35 AM
Try soaking it in milk. The only problem is, having put it in the dryer may have set it permanently.
twelvepole
12-23-06, 08:22 AM
I believe it is the enzymes in the milk that often makes it a successful old-fashioned cleaner. Problem is you can be left with the proteins in milk in the fabric. The enzymes, even though fabric is washed clean and appears clean, will remain in the fabric and continue to work. As a result, a protein stain often appears at a later date.
This is what happens when we put clothing in storage, such as baby clothes. Seasonal clothing, when resurrected from storage, often have mystery stains on them. We have answered many posts about the mystery stains on baby clothing that has been stored until the next baby's advent.
Thus, if the secret is enzymes, an enzyme digester cleaner is recommended for organic stains. These are sold at pet stores for pet messes and marketed under a variety of names such as Out, OdoBan, Nature's Miracle, and others. The trick to using enzymes is to give them time to do their job of digesting, which requires keeping stains wet with cleaner. Enzymes can not be used on organic fabrics like silk and wool.
If you frequent health food stores, you can buy pepsin/papain digestive enzymes and grind them up and add enough water to make a paste. Rub on the stain. Let set for a few hours to give enzymes time to work before rinsing.
As indicated, because stains have potentially been set by the dryer's heat, removing the stain may likely be more challenging and perhaps impossible to remove. There is no one single method for successful chocalate stain removal.
Chocolate is a combination stain that contains proteins, tannins, and dyes. A general rule of thumb is to immediately soak in cold water to rinse out the protein from the milk used to manufacture the chocolate. Then, pretreat and/or soak with enzyme pretreatment to digest proteins. Soap is not recommended because it tends to set the tannin (also found in coffee and tea). Then, wash in warmest water possible with all-fabric bleach. For any type of stain, do not place in dryer until stain is removed because heat tends to set stains.
Pre-treatment and pre-soaking usually result in success for most laundry stains, including milk stains. BIZ is a powdered laundry detergent. It can be used for making a paste with water for pretreatment of organic stains and for pre-soaking items for several hours or overnight or longer until stains disappear.
This is what happens when we put clothing in storage, such as baby clothes. Seasonal clothing, when resurrected from storage, often have mystery stains on them. We have answered many posts about the mystery stains on baby clothing that has been stored until the next baby's advent.
Thus, if the secret is enzymes, an enzyme digester cleaner is recommended for organic stains. These are sold at pet stores for pet messes and marketed under a variety of names such as Out, OdoBan, Nature's Miracle, and others. The trick to using enzymes is to give them time to do their job of digesting, which requires keeping stains wet with cleaner. Enzymes can not be used on organic fabrics like silk and wool.
If you frequent health food stores, you can buy pepsin/papain digestive enzymes and grind them up and add enough water to make a paste. Rub on the stain. Let set for a few hours to give enzymes time to work before rinsing.
As indicated, because stains have potentially been set by the dryer's heat, removing the stain may likely be more challenging and perhaps impossible to remove. There is no one single method for successful chocalate stain removal.
Chocolate is a combination stain that contains proteins, tannins, and dyes. A general rule of thumb is to immediately soak in cold water to rinse out the protein from the milk used to manufacture the chocolate. Then, pretreat and/or soak with enzyme pretreatment to digest proteins. Soap is not recommended because it tends to set the tannin (also found in coffee and tea). Then, wash in warmest water possible with all-fabric bleach. For any type of stain, do not place in dryer until stain is removed because heat tends to set stains.
Pre-treatment and pre-soaking usually result in success for most laundry stains, including milk stains. BIZ is a powdered laundry detergent. It can be used for making a paste with water for pretreatment of organic stains and for pre-soaking items for several hours or overnight or longer until stains disappear.