Cleaning chocolate off carpet is complicated. The delicious treat consist of proteins, tannins, and oil. These proteins originate from animal secretions, such as milk, while the fat comes from the butter in chocolate, often leaving stubborn oily spots.
Additionally, cocoa contains tannin, a natural substance found in various plants, renowned for its dark pigments, making tannin-based stains, like red wine, coffee and tea, notoriously challenging to remove. However, there is a way to effectively clean chocolate off carpet.
Chocolate Stain: Before You Clean.
If the chocolate stain is on an area rug atop a hardwood floor, relocate the rug to a tarp or washable floor before treating the stain. Should the wood floor beneath the rug become wet during cleaning, remove the rug entirely to allow the floor to dry, preventing dark stains from forming.
These cleaning tips are effective for removing stains from white, milk, and dark chocolate whether it be fresh or dried. If necessary, be sure to physically remove any excess chocolate off the carpet before starting the cleaning process.
Equipment
- White terry towel – Minor spills can be blot-treated with the aid of a terry towel. By using a white towel, no other pigment will bleed onto the carpet.
- Wet Extraction Machine – Larger spills should be treated using a wet extraction machine. This will minimise the risk of wick back and ensure an effective solution.
- Chocolate Stain Remover Chemical – Because chocolate is an acidic, organic food stain, the most effective chemistry is an alkaline spot remover. We highly recommend using Protein Spotter, as this product has powerful protein-dissolving chemistry with wetting and penetrating technology for dissolving protein soils, releasing them from fibres and fabrics.
- Spotting Brush – When agitating a carpet, don’t use the brushing motion as it will damage the carpet fibers. The best method is to tamp or firmly roll the brush over the stain as demonstrated in the video.
- PPE – All the necessary PPE needs to be use when working with chemicals.
The Process
-
Scrape Excess Chocolate Off Carpet
Remove all excess chocolate from the carpet by scraping with a spoon or blunt knife.
-
Apply Protein Spotter
Liberally spray the Protein Spotter onto the chocolate stain, making sure the fibers are completely wetted out.
-
Agitate
Agitate the Protein Spotter into the chocolate stain by tamping the spotting brush up and down to maximise penetration.
-
Dwell For 5 Minutes
Allow a minimum of 5 minutes dwell time.
-
Extract
Ideally, rinse and extract the carpet with a wet extraction machine.
-
Repeat
Treat any remaining stain using this same procedure but with Conquer O2.
-
Shadow Removal
If a stain shadow still remains, apply the Conquer O2 to the affected area. Blot to remove excess moisture and allow to air dry. The residue Conquer O2 will continue to remove the remaining chocolate stain colour residues.
Further Notes
-
Delicate fibres and fabrics
Do not spray the spotting solution directly onto the surface, but dampen a clean white absorbent towel and blot onto the surface. Application to Delicate fibres are often sensitive to alkaline chemistry. They should be neutralised immediately post treatment using Rinse Pro.
-
Cleaning wool or natural fibre carpets
For wool carpets and delicate fibres, replace Protein Spotter with Conquer. Always pretest in an inconspicuous spot.
-
Replacement for Protein Spotter
If the Protein Spotter is unavailable, there are two options that can be used instead. One is the Actichem Bust diluted 1:4, the other is Oxyboost Plus. Mix 15g Oxyboost Plus into 1Lt hot tap water. Add 10-30ml prespray and stir well. Use immediately.
Where To Buy
