Valentine’s Stains… How To Remove Red-Wine And Chocolate!

Love it or loathe it, Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us. It’s the one-day a year dedicated to spending time with our loved one, whether that is your partner or a group of friends. Valentine’s Day brings the opportunity to indulge in the element of surprise!

More often than not, these surprises can often be the traditional chocolate treat or our personal favourite, a bottle of red wine. As much as we love these surprises, both can actually be two of the toughest stains to get out of our surfaces or clothes. So, we’ve put together our top tricks and tips to getting rid of both, should you suffer any spillage this Valentines:

Chocolate

We all love to enjoy this indulgent treat, but if it ends up on any surfaces, it can be an absolute nightmare! If you’re enjoying a chocolate dessert, or opted for a hot chocolate drink, chocolate actually soaks into fabric a bit more slowly than other liquids. So, get it to it quickly and you’ll be surprised with the difference you can make.

If spilt on any of your clothing, start by gently scraping as much of the chocolate residue from your garment with a spoon. Secondly, either apply a laundry pre-treater or rub in a tiny amount of liquid laundry detergent and wash the garment in the hottest water, using a detergent that’s safe for the fabric.

For surfaces in the home in particular the carpet, again scrape off any chocolate residue and take a paper towel or white clean cloth to apply a carpet stain remover to lift the chocolate stain. If there are still visible signs of chocolate, take a quarter teaspoon of baking soda and mix it with a cup of water that’s around room temperature and apply to the stain. Begin blotting the area, working from the outer edge in. Then leave the area to dry and the chocolate stain should disappear!

Red Wine

The infamous red wine spillages over dinner are sure to put a dampener on any Valentine’s celebration. We’ve all experienced it, and it’s definitely one of those stains that will leave a mark if left for a long period of time. The best course of action, for either your clothes or home surfaces, is to act fast so you have a better shot at getting rid of it!

For those pesky carpet stains, grab a white cloth to blot as much of the stain as you can. The more you soak up, the less you’ll have to remove! If you find you’re not picking up that much after a while, pour a bit of cold water directly onto the wine stain. Doing so, will dilute what remainder of the stain and will make blotting easier. Continue to blot until you are no longer absorbing any of the liquid. The final step is to prepare a baking soda paste by mixing a three to one ratio of water to baking soda and apply to the affected area. Once the paste is dry, vacuum the stain. Voila!

For any garments, dab at the stain with a damp, white cloth which will soak up any excess wine. Hold the garment over an empty bowl, with the stain directly over the middle, and secure with a plastic band. Coat the stain with a generous amount of salt and let this sit for roughly five minutes so the salt soaks up any extra residue. Remember, the quicker you put salt on the stain, the easier the red wine will come out! The next step is to slowly pour boiled water over the stain, from a height of at least eight inches and then machine wash, on the highest setting for the garment. However, only machine wash when the stain has mostly been removed, otherwise the heat will cause any remaining stain to set.