It is true we chocolatiers have a dream job, whilst others are slumped over the office desk or stacking shelves we chocolatiers are filling our days with the heady scent of chocolate, stirring, whisking, melting and molding, fulfilling every childhood dream of working in the chocolate factory.
Yet despite this creamy, rich and dreamy profession, some days aren’t all they are cracked up to be, and this day is usually laundry day. Everybody loathes laundry, it’s no secret, but at Santa Barbara Chocolate we really loathe laundry. Now why is it whenever you see a photograph of a chocolatier they look angelic in their pristine whites with a bowl in one hand and a whisk in the other? This couldn’t be further from the truth, in reality we spend our days getting grubbed up and attacked by cacao. After producing one batch of our famous truffles we are caked from head to foot in chocolate, you could stuff us in a box, wrap us in a bow and sell us as a Valentine’s Day special – decadent dipped chocolatier’s made fresh on the premises!
A Couple Secrets to Take Out The Chocolate Stains
So you can see why we hate laundry day, because day after day we look like we have been dragged through a vat of chocolate backwards. Well for all of you chocolate professionals who know exactly what we are talking about, let us let you into a few choice secrets of the trade – stain removal!
First and foremost if you want to keep your whites sparkling white then don’t become a chocolatier.
Some people swear by vinegar, others declare its bleach or nothing, but then who wants to walk around stinking of bleach and vinegar? Well not us anyway but to each their own.
However rather than give up your dream profession due to dry cleaning bills we have a few tricks of our own up our grubby brown sleeves.
The Golden Rule to Chocolate Stain removal
The Golden Rule when it comes to all stains – especially chocolate –is do not rub, never ever rub a chocolate stain as you are just inviting the sticky little patch to spread and before you know it you have a chocolate crisis on your hands (and all over your shirt).
Let it Sit - Believe it or not sometimes you are best letting the chocolate harden before attempting to remove. Yes we know your mother always taught you time is of the essence when it comes to stains, but if you try to remove fresh, wet chocolate it could go terribly wrong for your laundry! Let it sit for a few minutes and get stiff and then you are able to take a dull knife and carve away most of the stain.
Baking Soda is your Best Friend - Have plenty of baking soda at hand, baking soda should be a chocolatiers’ best friend, be sure to keep a secret stash in your apron and when that chocolate stain strikes simply sprinkle the stain with baking soda and dab with a damp cloth. Remember fellow chocolatiers – no rubbing! Patting the stain will help loosen the smudgy chocolate from the fibers and will get the worst of the stain out in seconds.
Club Soda Anyone? Flushing a stain out with club soda works wonders, we don’t know what it is but all that fizz can help melt a stain away and leave you with nothing but a damp patch.
Turn yourself into a Walking Cake - Throw some cream on it –we hear you crying, what? I’m not trying to bake myself into a cake! But really, heavy cream makes the fat in the chocolate fresh and the milk can make all traces disappear. Just don’t forget to rinse and rinse again to be sure all the cream comes off!
If in Doubt - If in doubt use dish detergent, this is the home product people have been hailing for years! A little dish detergent, cold water and a rag will soon have that stain waving the white flag.
If at First You Don’t Succeed, Go Brown - If none of the above works then you only have one choice left – change your chocolatier uniforms to a rich brown and never worry about stains again!
