How To Get Chocolate Milk Out Of Clothes

Chocolate milk is often a kid (and adult) favorite, and the chocolatey goodness can fix any sweet tooth and cravings you might get.

While it can be so good to drink, it can be so annoying to clean.

Chocolate stains are known to be challenging to remove, which the same can be said for chocolate milk.

If you find some clothing with chocolate milk stains, you may get frustrated trying to remove the unseemly brown stain from your clothing.

Don’t fret, we have been there and done some research to learn how to get chocolate milk out of clothes.

Continue reading down below to learn how to get chocolate milk out of your clothes.

What You’ll Need

  • Spoon or butter knife
  • Coldwater or soda water
  • Laundry detergent
  • Bowl or bucket

Now that you have assembled all the materials that you will need to remove the chocolate milk stains from your clothes, continue reading for step-by-step instructions.

1. Scrape Stain From Clothes

If any bits of chocolate milk has dried onto the clothing article, you can scrape it off using a spoon or butter knife.

It is best to remove as much of the chocolate milk stain as possible from the clothing to make the remaining stain removal process more manageable.

If possible, try to address the chocolate milk stain once the chocolate milk has been spilled onto the clothing. If you can do this, continue to step two.

2. Rinse Clothing

Using cold water or soda water, rinse the clothing area where the chocolate milk stain is.

Be sure to rinse the clothing from the inside of the clothing to try to rinse out most of the stain. 

This step is essential to dilute the chocolate milk in the stain and keep the area wet to easier lift the stain from the clothing.

3. Rub Stain With Detergent

Once you have thoroughly rinsed the chocolate milk stain with cold water or soda water, apply laundry detergent to the clothing on the chocolate milk stain.

Begin to rub the laundry detergent into the chocolate milk stain lightly. 

4. Soak Clothing In Cold Water

After applying the laundry detergent and rubbing it into the stain, place the clothing into a container of cold water.

Leave the clothing in the cold water for about 15 minutes to soak.

5. Rub Stain Every 3-5 Minutes 

While the clothing is in the cold water, periodically rub the chocolate milk stain to help work the stain out of the clothing.

Do this about every 3-5 minutes. 

6. Wash As Normal

After you have soaked the clothing for 15 minutes and periodically scrubbed the stain, you can place the clothes in the washing machine.

Machine wash as usual with a high-quality laundry detergent, and doing this should remove whatever remains of the chocolate milk stain.

Before putting the clothing into the dryer, check to ensure the chocolate milk stain has been removed from the clothing.

If there is still some stain remains, do not put it into the dryer.

Placing clothes with stains in the dryer will help to set the stain into the clothing. 

If stains still remain, repeat the previous steps until there is no longer any chocolate milk remaining on your clothing. 

If these steps have been helpful, check out our related article on removing chocolate ice cream from clothes.

Video Instructions

  • Step 1 (:14) — Scrape away stain
  • Step 2 (:24) — Rinse clothing
  • Step 3 (:36) — Rub stain with detergent
  • Step 4 (:53) — Soak clothing
  • Step 5 (1:02) — Rub stain every 3-5 minutes
  • Step 6 (1:09) — Wash as normal

FAQ

Is Chocolate Milk A Hard Stain To Remove?

Chocolate, in general, is a difficult stain to remove.

The cocoa powder in the chocolate leaves a dark stain, which can be difficult to remove once it has dried onto the clothing.

The cocoa butter in chocolate is technically an oil; thus, the stain should be treated as an oil stain.

Being sure to address a chocolate milk stain as soon as it happens is very important in removing the stain. 

Are Chocolate Milk Stains Permanent?

Due to chocolate milk being difficult to remove, it can technically be permanent.

If you do not quickly address a chocolate milk stain, it can set into the clothing.

Also, if you are not cleaning the chocolate milk stain properly, such as drying the clothing with a remaining stain, the stain will be permanently set into the clothing.

Thus, it is best that you immediately address a chocolate milk stain in clothing to increase the chances of removing the stain. 

Are There Different Solutions To Use To Remove Chocolate Milk Stains?

There are additional home cleaners you can use to remove chocolate milk stains from clothing in addition to laundry detergent.

The first is white vinegar diluted with water.

You can apply it to the stain and rub gently, then wash in the washing machine.

Another option is to use toothpaste and baking soda on the wetted stain and then gently rub the clothing until the chocolate milk stain is gone.

Follow this up with washing in a washing machine.

Since the chocolate of chocolate milk can be considered an oil stain, baking soda’s absorbance should help lift the stain.

Lemon juice can also be applied to the chocolate milk stain, gently rubbed, and then washed in the washing machine.

These should also help to remove a chocolate milk stain from your clothing. 

Can I Use This Method For Hot Chocolate Stains?

Hot chocolate stains can be more persistent of stains.

Due to hot chocolate being warm, the heat will allow the chocolate and milk to set into the clothing more quickly.

Much like chocolate milk stains, it is essential to act fast and rinse the clothing with cold water as soon as you can.

You can still follow the steps as laid out above, but this type of stain may require more attempts and elbow grease to remove the stain.

As with chocolate milk stains, do not use warm or hot water as these will help to set in the stain in the clothing.