Chocolate Stain on a Couch? Here's How to Remove It from Upholstery by:Tara Aronson

Chocolate and candy on big-ticket items like furniture and upholstery are best removed

with a dash of rubbing alcohol or dry cleaning fluid blotted on using a white paper towel, clean rag or cloth diaper.

Simply wet the stain with a small amount of either, then immediately blot dry. Check for remaining brown smudges. If any residue remains, repeat this step until the smudge disappears.

Bust stubborn sweet spots with a solution of 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid and 1 cup warm water. Blot on, the rinse with water; rinse again with solution of one-half cup white vinegar and one-half cup warm water.

Always remove sweets (or any stain, actually) excess first, then pretest the cleaning solution on an inconspicuous area of the upholstery or furniture.

Another good rule of thumb is to resist scrubbing or saturating spills. Yes, it's hard to not want to rub the darn thing out. But it never works. Fiber damage and a set stain could be the result.

And to keep such confections from sweetening the sofa in the future, keep the kids and the good stuff (read: expensive furniture) separate whenever possible, or at the very least complete a hand check after snack time.

About the author

Tara has appeared in numerous magazine, newspaper and online articles featuring her lifestyle, organizing and cleaning expertise in addition to writing her twice-monthly column, Coming Clean in the San Francisco Chronicle. Tara is also regularly a guest expert on news, feature, and talk-show programs across the country. She most recently appeared on the "Rachael Ray" Daytime talk show Feb. 4, 2009, in New York City. Tara appeared as the guest expert on Human Lab: Laundry.In addition, Tara also puts her well-tuned journalistic skills to use on the road, writing travel articles about her as frequent as possible road trips to venues across the United States and abroad. Tara is a proud mom to three who cleans and writes in West Los Angeles.

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