Wherever you are; El Cajon, La Mesa, Coronado, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, Del Mar or elsewhere in the San Diego area... it can happen when you least expect it - an unsightly chocolate stain! Don't let that saucy mishap bring despair. Read on for ways to save your garment...

Rafferty Welch: 

She's a coveted guest at all launches, premieres, and openings. Property values tend to go up when she moves to your neighborhood. Her prominent, unaltered frame commands respect; after all, a woman without curves is like jeans without pockets; one never knows where to put your hands. Her fashion influence can make or break an upstart brand with the snap of her finger. Surrounding all of this overt armored facade is a sharp-tongued, mean-spirited evil shrew. So cruel can this she-devil be! It's very common for her to send cocktail waitresses home in tears after berating their incompetence. Yet, somehow, she always has the best table at every restaurant in town. Her terse tongue makes for an enjoyable restaurant review in her weekly Tribune column. Maybe she should ingest some make-up so she'd be pretty on this inside too. If a man or a woman wants her thighs, legs, and breasts, she sends them to KFC. She's a lady, not some cheap-value meal. The Laundress and Rafferty are social enough but not close enough to call her Raff. No one is actually her friend. Everyone's afraid for one reason or another, whether it's a shameless hemline or a deflated chocolate souffle. Keep your enemies close. They were both guests in the Winthrop's finish-line box on opening day at Del Mar. Neither got richer, and neither won the hat contest. 

The dog days of summer in San Diego. While many cherish their jaunt to Aspen, the Hamptons, or the south of France, the pleasure of staying in San Diego for the summer can be quite lovely indeed. Sophie and Giovanni Lombardi were recently deemed the 2023 San Diego power couple of the year. She is a fashionista with a weakness for orange vintage Valentino. Her charity, and primary cause, is the Garibaldi rehabilitation center at Scripps Aquarium. 

The name is Lombardi on the exhibit, but their fortune comes from Olive orchards in Tuscany, vintage Italian racing cars, and the proud owners of the Florence soccer team ACF Fiorentina. From the looks of Giovanni, believe me, you'd like to play in his Olive Garden while straddling the gear shift in his Lamborghini Veneno Roadster ($4.5M). A wrinkled Linen suit, a vintage Cosmograph Daytona Rolex, Gucci loafers with no socks, silky and luxurious pocket squares, and that nonchalant attitude only an Italian man can pull off. Add the salt and pepper hair and his statuesque frame, and Michalangelos David is no competition. Americans laugh at him because he's different, and he laughs at us because we are all the same. He's no Willy Wonka; he doesn't sugarcoat the shit. The event was held at the Lombardi's Villa in Mission Hills, which commands a stunning view from the Coronado Bridge to Point Loma and La Jolla to the north. All sorts of Italian delicacies and free-flowing prosecco are what started the party, but it was the exclusive chocolate tasting that followed that took the prize home.

Everyone loves chocolate! The act of chocolate tasting is one of the ways to differentiate between a casual nibbler and a chocolate aficionado. But not everyone takes the time to experience it fully. 

A few simple steps and you can describe chocolate like professional chocolate tasters and connoisseurs. You will be amazed at how complex the confection truly is. There is a vast chasm between just (merely) eating chocolate and tasting the essence of divine bliss. When tasting the decadent delight, the general rule is that we should use our five senses; sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. 

It is important to remember that each person perceives things differently, and flavors are tightly related to the memories stored in one's brain. Therefore, what other people taste might be different from what you experience. This is what makes tasting such a fun experience to share with others. Primary sensations are more like umami; savory, bitterness, sourness, sweetness, and saltiness are more easily discerned, but you might be surprised to find out how complex chocolate can taste. Here are a few words professionals use to describe the taste of chocolate. 

1. 1. Astringent - Astringency is the dry, mouth-puckering sensation you feel when eating or drinking something high in tannins like wine, tea, and grapes. You may sense a rough, sandpaper-like sensation in your mouth. 
2. Dairy - Even without milk and cream as its ingredient, some chocolate may taste like dairy products. This includes butter, cheese, cream, milk, and yogurt. 
3. Fruity - The decadent taste of chocolate may also remind you of some fruits. The most common distinctions are citrus, red fruit (such as cherries, raspberries, and strawberries), tropical fruits (papayas and mangoes), and dried fruits (like raisins, dates, and figs). 
4. Nutty - Anything from almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, to pecans is categorized as a nutty flavor. This usually arises in dark chocolate. 
5. Roasted - Whether it's due to the roasting process or its natural flavor, you may taste a roasted flavor in chocolate. This can taste like cocoa, roasted coffee, smokey tea, tobacco, or caramel/burnt sugar. 
6. Spicy - No, this doesn't mean your chocolate can taste spicy and burn your taste buds like a bad batch of buffalo wings. But rather, some chocolate might remind you of spices like ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, clove, anise, or even pepper. 
7. Velvety - "Velvety" is used to describe chocolate that has a rich, luxurious flavor and silky texture. Craft Chocolate made using couverture chocolate is known to have this texture. 
8. Floral - Chocolate lovers may be surprised by this description, but chocolate can also taste and smell like flowers. Floral is used to describe a type of chocolate with a light, fleeting sweetness, almost like how flowers taste. 
9. Earthy - This descriptor is rather tricky to explain, but earthy means the chocolate you're tasting reminds you of the smell of rain, fresh-cut grass, or even earthy foods like mushrooms. 
10. Carmel or Malt - These words are often used to describe milk chocolate. Due to its lower cacao continent and higher dairy content, gourmet milk chocolate can sometimes taste like caramel or malt.  

Now that you know the complexities of tasting chocolate, it's now time you learn how to remove it from your clothes. Enjoying chocolate can quickly go from a sweet treat to a sticky splooge if it gets on your clothes. Chocolate is an especially difficult stain due to its high oil content and dark color, but if you act quickly, confection stains will come out of your clothing in no time at all. 

The reason for the launch was a tasting flight of all things delicious and a retrospective of the chocolate cocoa aromas, taste, and mouthfeel. The first inner layer covers five basic taste descriptors, 12 basic aroma descriptors, and 10 mouthfeel descriptors. 

Now that you've learned how to taste the essence of chocolate, it's now time to figure out how to get rid of it on clothing. And once that's done, you can add it to your weekly pick-up-and-delivery order from www.Pacifica-Laundry.com.  

Removing chocolate from a white Escada skirt. 

The method for removing this stain is simple: treat the garment first with a bit of dish soap and wash. If the unsightly spot remains, you can next apply a target stain remover to treat the stain once again. 

Before you begin, because chocolate stains are set with heat and time, be aware that old stains can be difficult to remove. Your best bet to remove an old stain is to rub liquid laundry detergent or dish soap on the stained area. Next, soak the clothing in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes. Repeat this step as needed, and then move on to the washing process, as noted below. Also, note that these tips for removing chocolate stains apply to washable fabrics only. If you have chocolate on dry-clean-only clothes, lift away as much of the blotch as possible with a dull knife or the edge of a credit card. Do not rub the stained area or add water to dry-clean only fabrics; you might embed the stain more deeply or damage the fabric. Take the clothing item to a dry cleaner for the best results. 

Equipment and tools:

• Butter knife, credit card, or spoon
• Washing machine or large sink or bowl
• Soaking basin

Materials:

• 1 bottle of heavy-duty laundry detergent
• 1 bottle of dish soap
• 1 bottle stain remover gel or spray
• 1 bottle of oxygen bleach
• 1 cup of cold water

Instructions: 

• Use a butter knife or a spoon to remove any solid bits of chocolate from the fabric. You don't want to use anything sharp that could cut or damage the material. 
• Work carefully to ensure you don't spread the chocolate onto clean parts of the fabric. Do not rub the stain, as doing so will only embed the mess you are trying to remove deeper into the fibers.

(If the chocolate has already dried and hardened onto the fabric, it can be tricky to peel away without damaging the fibers. Use your best judgment, but if it seems like it's harming the material, do not peel or scrape away dried chocolate.) 

• Rinse with Cold Water. Using cold water, rinse the back of the stained area. Rinsing allows the stain to go in reverse through the least amount of fabric possible. It might be tempting to use hot or warm water, but this will set the stain. If you don't have immediate access to a faucet, sponge the stain with plain, cool water. You can also use a stain remover to loosen the stain, preventing it from setting.

Tip:

Rubbing alcohol also works on impossible stains. So, if you're on the go and don't have a stain remover pen but have instant hand sanitizer, spray some of this high-alcohol-content product on the stains.

Pretreat the stain:

• Gently rub heavy-duty liquid detergent into the chocolate stain. You can also use a prewash stain remover spray or gel, such as Zout or Shout, or liquid dish soap.
• Allow the clothing to sit for five minutes. Do not rinse. Next, soak the garment for 15 minutes in cold water. Subsequently, every three to five minutes, gently rub the blemished area between your fingers and thumb to loosen the stain. Rinse thoroughly. Continue until you can remove no more of the messy discoloration. Finally, rinse the area thoroughly, wash as usual, and air dry. 

How to get chocolate stains out of clothes without washing:

• If you're lucky enough to observe the stain as it occurs while the chocolate is still fresh and warm, you stand a good chance of removing it. And successfully without any kind of soap, detergent, or chemical. First, use a credit card, your fingernail, or another rigid tool. Carefully scrape up any loose chocolate while taking fastidious care not to spread it around. Immediately run cold water through the stain, preferably from the backside. Now, soak a paper towel in cold water and blot at the front side of the fabric. Repeat as needed until the stain no longer continues to lighten up.
• Apply a small amount of enzyme-based stain remover to the stain. Rub it in gently, then let it sit and work for a few minutes. Then, rinse the stain again from the back side and blot again using clean, wet paper towels. If the mishap was fresh, it will likely vanish with just this simple process. Stains that are old and set in may require a second treatment.

Natural Cleaners to remove chocolate stains.

If you want to try a more natural-solution approach to stain removal, here are a couple of options:

Hydrogen Peroxide:

• Make a homemade cleaning solution by mixing one part dish soap with two parts hydrogen peroxide. This mixture is excellent at cutting through fat and lightening stains - even from melted chocolate that has thoroughly penetrated the area. Apply the solution directly onto the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes. Next, wash it as usual. If the spot hasn't vanished, you can repeat the process again. Hydrogen peroxide may bleach clothing, so it's a good idea to test it out on a hidden area first.

Vinegar:

• If you prefer to try implementing a more natural solution with materials you already have around the house, you're in luck. Just combine one part vinegar with one part water, then soak the stain in the solution for 10 minutes or so. Next, wash the fabric as usual; there's an excellent chance the stain will be gone. 

Additional tips for handling chocolate stains.

If you have a large, stubborn, or older stain (a week or longer) on clothing or soakable items, perform a presoak using oxygen bleach and cold water. 

• Mix a solution of oxygen bleach and cool water. Oxygen bleach is safe for all washable fabrics (white and colored) except for silk, wool, and anything trimmed with leather. Submerge the material and allow it to soak for at least four hours or overnight. Then, launder as usual. 

So, in closing, as much as the Laundress enjoys getting a little saucy when it comes to unexpected spooge splatting on her, she likes to remain tidy when her Couture skirt is on.