One of life's simple pleasures is enjoying a piece of a chocolate bar at the end of a long day. But, if you're like us, this melty delicacy has a way of always ending up on your shirt, pants, or worse, your couch. Don't worry: Carolyn Forte, director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, is here to help. "Chocolate soaks into fabric a bit more slowly than other liquids, so get to it quickly and you'll have the most success," says Forte — and here's how.

Clothing

Scrape off excess chocolate. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover, like Shout Advanced Gel ($13 for a 3-pack, amazon.com), then launder as usual. If the stain remains, launder again, using the type of bleach that's safest for the fabric.

Upholstery

Scrape off excess chocolate. Mix one tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent, like Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap ($2, amazon.com), with two cups of cool water. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent solution. Blot until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat until the stain disappears. Sponge with cold water and blot dry. If that doesn't work, use a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with a dry-cleaning solvent, like Guardsman Professional Strength Dry Cleaning Fluid ($50, amazon.com). Blot until the solvent is absorbed. Repeat until the stain disappears.

Carpeting

Start by attempting the method used for upholstery. If the stain remains, mix one tablespoon of ammonia (caution: never mix chlorine bleach and ammonia, as the resulting fumes are hazardous) with two cups of warm water. Sponge the stain with the ammonia solution. Blot until the liquid is absorbed. Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

Headshot of Lauren Smith McDonough
Lauren Smith McDonough
Senior Editor

Lauren is a senior editor at Hearst. She was previously the senior editor at WomansDay.com and the home editor at GoodHousekeeping.com and HouseBeautiful.com. Her book club, ramen, and jean jackets are a few of her favorite things.