Tag Archives: speciality spot removal

Removing Chocolate Stains

Removing Chocolate Stains

Well the trick-or-treating is over and inevitably some of the chocolate has landed on the clothes. Couple essential things to remember about removing chocolate:

  • Act quickly. The quicker you get to a stain, the better your chances for removal.
  • Use COLD water as hot water can set the stain permanently.
  • Use the cold water on the under-side of the garment so the chocolate doesn’t go thru the fabric any more than it already has.
  • Use a spoon or butter knife to scrape off excess chocolate. This way you won’t spread the chocolate stain any more than necessary.
  • Do not rub or scrape the chocolate or you will embed it into the fibers.
  • Use laundry soap on chocolate stain and then let soak in soapy water for 15 minutes. Use spot remover if necessary. And wash as usual.
  • NEVER DRY the clothes until the stain is completely removed or you will set the stain permanently.

If chocolate gets on the carpet or upholstery, the steps are similar: act quickly, use cold water rather than hot water, use spoon to scrape off excess chocolate, and never rub or scrape chocolate or you could embed into fibers of carpet and upholstery.

Once you’ve removed as much excess as possible, use the Chem-Dry World Famous Spot Remover as this is your best bet in removing the stain. Only use a home remedy of hydrogen peroxide and water mix if no Chem-Dry spot remover is available.

If the stain is still present, give Chem-Dry of Michiana a call!

Super Bowl Food on the Carpet? Tips on What to Do!

Super Bowl PartyIf that party food lands on your carpets, there are a couple things you should do to help prevent that stain from setting permanently.

  • Soak up as much of the spill with a white cloth. Stand on the cloth to exert the most pressure so you can get most of the spill to soak into the towel.
  • Most spots that don’t contain dyes will release with a Chem-Dry Spot Remover. Rinse the area with the spot remover. If a spot remover is not available, rinse sparingly with cold water and soak up the moisture.
  • Never “rub” a spot as you can do more damage to the carpet fiber. Many “over-the-counter” cleaners will actually “set” a stain making it impossible for a professional to remove the stain. So stick with a Chem-Dry Spot Remover or cold water.
  • If the spot does contain red dyes (salsa, ketchup, tea, ect), follow the same procedure with the towel and spot remover. Many times these spots will still be noticeable after rinsing with spot remover because they have “dyed” the carpeting. Even if a Chem-Dry Spot Remover does not totally remove that red stain, it is still possible for a Chem-Dry professional to tackle the stain. We will need to reverse this process with Red Alert that can remove that red dye in the carpet.
  • Don’t panic! Chances are good if you follow these steps and call Chem-Dry of Michiana if you have a lingering problem, your carpet can be saved.