How to get Easter Eggs and other chocolate out of your car upholstery
So you survived the Easter road trip. But did your car’s upholstery?Kids and stains go hand in hand. Consider Easter eggs high-octane ammunition.
If the second row of your car looked anything like mine these Easter holidays – crammed with pillows, toys and many copies of carsales backseat bingo -- it’s only when you get home and fully unpack that you discover the remnants of Easter eggs… now a fixture on your car’s upholstery.
There’s no point in screaming. You gave them the eggs after all.
After some thorough desktop research, I found several (untested) methods for removing chocolate stains from fabric upholstery. Maybe you’ve got better (proven) ideas? Let us know!
Like all good accident response scenarios, we’ve got an acronym to help you remember the critical steps.
F.A.R.K.
F – Find remaining Easter eggs and bin them (or consume)
A – Admit responsibility (see above)
R – Regain composure (adulting)
K – find a knife (not why you think)
Here we explain what we learnt in more detail.
Quick action is a must
Find a knife or scraper to remove excess chocolate before you attempt to remove the stain.
In the event the chocolate is still wet or soft, some suggest freezing the stain (use an ice pack or ice cubes in a zip lock bag) to harden excess, then scrape it off.
Dissolve some dishwashing liquid in water and blot spot clean with a clean white cloth
If you don’t want to use detergents, use warm water on its own, always blotting towards the centre of the stain. Oatmeal is a great way to absorb the remaining dampness and draw out the stain.
Do not rub
It will only deepen the penetration of chocolate.
Try using equal parts vinegar and water
Spray the stain, wait 30 minutes, blot clean. Also useful for removing slime. Heavy hitters suggest using a dry cleaning solvent and sponge with the same blotting method.
Always use a clean white cloth
You don’t transfer any colour onto your upholstery.
If you’re going to let the kids eat in the car, stains are inevitable. Maybe try putting a rug on the seat? Not sure why I’ve never tried this.
Related: Eight easy hacks to spring clean your car
Related: Six easy car window cleaning hacks to try
Related: We tried the car hack of cleaning headlights with toothpaste to see if it worked
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