29 Nov 2024
Chocolate may be delicious but its stains are maddening.
The problem is, chocolate’s not only full of calories, it’s also packed with proteins and oils (from the milk and butter) and tannins (from the cocoa).
Proteins and oils will leave oily spots, and greasy stains are hard to remove PLUS the tannins are strong dark pigments which create difficult stains (just like we find from tea, wine and coffee).
Thank goodness smol stain gel, smol bio laundry capsules and smol bio laundry liquid contain helpful enzymes DESIGNED to break down chocolate stains. They’re going to help you tackle those choccy spills in 5 smol steps, so read on.
enzyme power.
But if you’re curious as to which enzymes can come to the rescue… these 3 are the heroes for chocolate staining.
1. lovely lipase.
Tough oil and grease stains left by the triglycerides in cocoa butter, milk chocolate and white chocolate are where lipase comes into play. Of course it’s also going to work on lots of other oily spills, we’re talking kitchen oil, engine oil, butter, cosmetics… it’s a long list and one of the reasons we include this hardworking enzyme.
2. marvellous mannanase.
Mannanase breaks down foods that contain mannans (from guar and locust bean gums). They’re actually quite a hard group of stains to break down so it’s an important enzyme to include. It’s not only going to help with chocolate - but also tomato ketchup, ice cream and toothpaste.
3. amazing amylase.
This handy enzyme LOVES to break down sugars and starches that you might find in chocolate syrup. - which is lucky as a large part of the human diet around the world is made up of starches. It’s going to make short work of those ice-cream drips and gravy splatters. Phew
how to remove chocolate stains in 5 steps.
Remember, it’s always easier to tackle stains when they are fresh and always check your clothing care labels to ensure you are treating your clothing correctly.
Okay, so let’s get to our 5 smol steps to chocolate stain-freedom.
1. remove excess.
Using the back of a spoon, gently scrape away any excess chocolate. Don’t use anything sharp for this task as you could damage the clothing fibres.
2. rinse.
Hold the reverse side of the stain underneath a cool running tap. The stronger the flow the better… it will push more of the stain down the drain! DO NOT use hot water in this step, you will cook the chocolate, making the stain harder to remove.
3. stain gel.
Apply smol stain gel directly to the chocolate stain now that you have rinsed it under the tap. You can very gently rub the stain gel into the clothing fibres and then leave to work for 5 minutes.
4. smol bio.
Wash your chocolate-stained item as normal with smol bio in the washing machine. A cool wash below 40°C is best as anything hotter and the enzymes will stop working. Thankfully, smol laundry capsules have cold wash power which means incredible results even on a cold 20°C wash! Extra bonus here… you’ll save money and carbon!
5. dry.
When your wash cycle is finished remove your stained item straight away and check that it’s gone. If you can still see signs repeat from step 3. Then you can dry your clothing outside for best results; the UV rays from the sun bring further stain removal magic, especially on lighter coloured clothing.