How to remove chocolate stains on carpets and upholstery 

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There’s nothing quite like seeing your favourite friend’s face light up as you offer them a square of the smooth, creamy chocolate they were pretending not to notice you’d just pulled from your bag. Or the excitement of a child chomping down on their favourite chocolatey goodness. Chocolate is one of life’s great pleasures, but it’s also one of life’s great stain makers. 

Maybe you’ve found the missing last chocolate from the box your partner vowed they didn’t eat squished in a gooey pile between the sofa cushions. Maybe you’ve just watched a dollop of your child’s favourite chocolate ice-cream become well-acquainted with your new white carpet. Either way, we all know that runaway chocolate can leave some pretty impressive marks. 

And we get it, removing chocolate stains on sofas and carpets presents a unique challenge because you can’t just bung your entire sofa into the washing machine.  

But it’s OK — with the right know-know, it’s simple to clean chocolate stains. We’ve put together this guide on how to remove chocolate stains on carpets, sofas and upholstery, so you and your loved ones can enjoy your favourite treats safe with the knowledge that you can deal with any mishap that might occur.  

An easy method to remove chocolate stains from fabric sofas and carpets 

All you'll need to clean chocolate stains off carpets and upholstery is a few strong and absorbent Plenty paper towels, a stain remover (or dishwashing liquid) and some cold water.

Quick reactions help too. Remember, even though it can be difficult to leap into action when you are half-way through enjoying your favourite treat, if you catch a stain straight away then the chocolate won’t have time to work itself into the fibres. The sooner you act, the easier it is to remove chocolate stains from fabric. 

1. Gently does it. Use a dry paper towel to gently brush away as much chocolate as much chocolate as possible. The key here is not to press too hard or spread the chocolate around. Save that for your pancakes. 
2. Add the stain remover. Take out another paper towel, or if you’re feeling thrifty, a clean part of the first sheet. Soak it in cold water mixed with a stain remover.  
   • It’s important to stick to cold water when removing chocolate stains from fabric, because hot water can set the stain. 
   • It is also important to test your stain remover on a small hidden area of fabric before you attack the stain. Bleached fabrics can look very cool, but this might not be the look you’re going for in your living room.  
3. Work from the outside in. Rub the dampened household towel over the stain in small circular movements to gently loosen the chocolate from the fabric. Work from the outside of the stain inwards to avoid spreading the chocolate to clean areas of the upholstery or carpets.
4. Cover it up. Squeeze excess water from the paper towel, soak it in more of the stain remover solution and leave it over the stain for a few minutes. Then relax. Maybe have a cup of tea. Let the stain remover do the hard work.   
5. Rinse the area with a paper towel soaked in some cold water and assess whether the area is clean. If it’s not, don’t stress, as you can always repeat the previous steps. But that’s certainly not essential: remember that every well-loved sofa or carpet has a few stains. Decorative pillows and rugs exist for a reason! 
6. Blot. Once you are finished with stain-removing, blot the area dry with a fresh paper towel. 

And voilà! It might be difficult to enjoy chocolate without making a mess, but now you know how to remove chocolate stains on sofas, carpets and upholstery, it doesn’t have to be difficult to clean it up.  

And, now you have finished all that stain removing, why not kick back and relax with a bar of the good stuff?