With Halloween right around the corner, it’s important (or at least wise) to get a head start on how to get that delicious chocolatey residue out of your car cushions (especially if you’ve got a gorgeous new Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra 1500) . While it’s always nice when people hand out chocolate (it is the best Halloween candy option, after all), that can also prove to be the messiest sugary treat from trick or treating. Here’s a quick answer to “How do I get chocolate out of car seats.”
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Remove the chocolate you can with a scraper
Don’t try to remove the chocolate while it’s still squishy. That risks just smearing it deeper into your seating. Instead, let it get hard and then scrape if off with something like a dull-edged knife.
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Multiple cleaning solutions for different fabrics
From this point, there are several ways that you can work to clean the upholstery on your car seats. The best option may depends on the type of fabric. It may be best to test any of these mixtures that you try on a hidden corner of your seats to make sure they don’t leave discoloration.
- Dish Liquid – Mix 1/2 teaspoon with one cup water. Blot at the stain with this solution using a cloth until the stain is removed.
- White non-gel shaving cream – Spray onto the stain and rub gently. Blot the stain with water to remove the cream and repeat this process until the stain is gone.
- Borax – Mix with water to make a paste and spread over the stain. After it dries, brush off the powder or vacuum it away and use water to remove the last bits of powder.
- Enzyme laundry detergent – Mix the detergent in water according to the directions and blot onto the stain. Let it soak and then gently rinse it with water using a sponge (be careful to not use on organic fabrics like wool).
- Enzyme digester – Some pet accident cleaners made for upholstery may effectively take out chocolate stains.
- Hydrogen peroxide – Be very careful with this cleaning agent because it will bleach many fabrics (and that’s almost as bad as the original stain). Gently blot on the peroxide, and then sponge it up.
Dry the area after the stain has been removed
Once you have successfully removed the stain, dry the area with a hair drier in its cool setting. Do not use a hot setting because if you have not gotten out all the chocolate then warm air will just cement the stain more deeply into your upholstery.
Good luck, and have a Happy Halloween!