Chocolate stains can be a thing of the past with this handy cleaning hack.

Many of us will have spent Easter Sunday (April 20th) stuffing our faces with chocolate eggs. If you're a bit clumsy or have young children, you might now be facing a pile of washing covered in chocolate stains that are a nightmare to clean.

Dropping chocolate down your top isn't an immediate cause for panic, as you can normally just pick it up without issue, but if the sweet treat is left to melt, it can leave a brown smear on your clothes. The same is true for having chocolatey fingers that then come into contact with your sofa cushions.

But melted chocolate doesn't have to end in tears. While cleaning might seem like an impossible task, the process can be quite simple, especially if you have one common cleaning item in your kitchen.

The hack was uncovered in a post on Reddit when someone accidentally left a Lindt chocolate in the pocket of their jeans. The chocolate melted and left them with an oily stain that they couldn't remove.

They wrote: "I stuck a Lindt chocolate in my pocket. It got hot and melted. I took it out and hand-washed it, then dried it. I noticed there was this spot afterwards. It looks worse in person. I used Dawn dish soap, soaked it for a while, then ran it through the washer, and it still looks like this. I would greatly appreciate any help. Thanks!"

Commenters on the post offered a number of solutions, but one of the most prominent recommendations was to use washing up liquid to lift the stain. The common cleaning item can be left to sit on chocolate stains for just a few minutes before it gets to work, and then the clothes can be washed as normal.

One person said: "It's probably the oils in the chocolate. Rub dish soap into stain, let sit 5-15 minutes, and either run through a hot wash cycle or just rinse the stain in the sink with hot water."

Another suggested using both washing up liquid and white vinegar, before gently scrubbing with a soft brush to help lift the stain.

They wrote: "Soak in a bucket of cold water, a cup of vinegar, and some [dish soap] for 30 minutes. Gently scrub the stain with a soft bristle brush (repeat process if stain is still there) and wash as normal."

Most of us will already have washing up liquid in our kitchens. However, it can be purchased for around 91p from most supermarkets. If you want to use the white vinegar hack, that will set you back about 35p - making the entire hack cost less than £1.50.

How to remove chocolate stains

For clothing: 

• Remove excess chocolate by scraping with a spoon or knife
• Rinse the stain with cold water
• Apply washing up liquid directly to the stain and let sit for 10-15 minutes
• Soak the fabric in cold water for 30 minutes
• For stubborn stains, add white vinegar or baking soda to the water
• Wash the item in cold water as normal
• Repeat if the stain is still visible

For upholstery or carpet:

• Remove excess chocolate by scraping with a spoon or knife
• Blot the stain with a damp cloth
• Mix 1 tablespoon of washing up liquid with 2 cups of cold water
• Dip a cloth in the mixture and gently blot the stain
• Rinse the area with a separate cloth
• Blot the fabric dry with a paper towel