Have you gotten roofing or road tar or asphalt on your clothes? If the cloth is machine washable, you can do it at your wish or choose one of the listed techniques below to help you remove the stains, smears, marks, particles, or pieces.

What Is Tar?

Tar is a black and thick material used with asphalt products to stick them together. You will always see it used to construct a base for the construction of buildings such as on roofs and tiles or as pavement of a highway.

It is a hard stain to remove since it contains oil particles that make it harden on your clothes. However, you should not worry.

In this article, we will show you how to remove this disturbing stain from your clothes using different methods.

Step 1: Remove As Much Tar As Possible

Ensure you have cleared all excess tar from your fabric before putting on treatment.

Use A Scraping Tool

If you want to avoid touching wet tar, you can use a scraping tool like a nail pusher, dull knife, or any tool that can get rid of the excess tar.

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Use Ice

Allow wet tar residue to dry out first before picking it out, as it may cause more spreading and damage to your garments.

If the tar residue on your clothes is still wet, you can use the ice method. Just put ice on the residue to harden it and make it easier to remove. For this method, you need to have a dull knife and ice cubes.

Place the ice on top of the residue and allow it for a few minutes. Using the dull knife, poke it to check if it has fully hardened. Once it is hard, scrape it off gently until the only residue left is the stain on the cloth.

Use Paper Towel

Once the tar is completely dry, wrap your hand with a paper towel and pick it out. It is just a simple process.

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Step 2: Pre-Treat the Stain

With this method, the washing of the stains is made easier. You can use a number of treatment methods when removing star stains.

Pre-Treat With Oil

For easier removal, apply any oil-based product before applying any stain treatment. Are you wondering why you would add extra oil to tar, which is an oil-based substance?

The reason is that once the tar has dried, it will be hard and solid; thus, using this pre-treatment will help the substance come off more easily due to the grease produced by the oil.

Below are some of the products you can use:

• Petroleum Jelly
• Vegetable or any Cooking Oil
• Lard
• Oil from Pork or Chicken Fat

Pre-Treat With Stain Remover

This can be done together with the oil-based technique. If you want to use a stain remover, make sure you test it for color compatibility first. Most stain removers contain bleach, which can harm your clothing.

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Pre-Treat With Gasoline

Gasoline can make it easier to remove excess tar. However, you ought to be careful with this method since it is not good for your skin and can easily catch fire. Gloves are a must-have when handling gasoline.

Put a little gasoline into a container, dip a g-tip into the gasoline and rub it on the stain. Since it is a chemical with a strong smell, you can use a detergent or any fragrant will help eliminate such a smell.

For more details on getting rid of the gasoline smell, tap here.

Pre-Treat With Orange Cleaner

Orange cleanser or pure citrus air freshener might be a perfect alternative to gasoline if you prefer a more pleasant smelling product. You can use the orange cleaner as a pre-treatment for quicker removal by using it as a tar cleanser.

WD40

WD40 is a chemical that can be used to degrease and remove rust. Spray some WD40 on your clothes before washing them.

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Step 3: Wash The Stain

You have a lot of options when it comes to removing tar stains. It’s wise to be aware of all the possibilities that best suit your needs.

Before you begin treating your garments, consider the type of fabric that is stained and the size of the damaged area.

Here is a guide on how to wash clothes by hand that may interest you.

Below are the products you can use to remove tar stains:

Liquid Detergent

Because this is their principal function, laundry detergent is effective for cleaning clothes. They are the best to use when removing tar stains. Simply use it as you would with dishwashing liquid.

Dishwashing Liquid

Dawn dishwashing liquids are designed to eliminate dirt and grime from your kitchenware. Dissolving grease and oil from meals is one of its features. Fortunately, this degreasing component can also be used to remove tar stains.

Simply sprinkle a few drops of dishwashing liquid into your clothes and scrub them with a toothbrush or your hands. Then soak it for a few minutes, then rinse.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Just like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide works well with laundry detergent and dishwashing soap to help remove stains more quickly. Simply soak your clothes in a solution of half a cup of hydrogen peroxide and a pail of hot water. Allow it to soak in the solution overnight before cleaning the stain with detergent or soap.

Baking Soda

This is an abrasive cleaner that can be used together with the detergent and dishwashing liquid. Simply use a toothbrush to scrub the stain on the fabric. After that, you can use whichever detergent or dish soap you like.

You can soak the garments in a warm bucket of water with half a cup of baking soda after pre-treating them with the procedures above.

In Conclusion

With these instructions on how to remove tar from clothes, we hope you were able to thoroughly remove the noxious stain and put your clothes back on.

Next, you can learn how to remove blood stains from your clothes.