First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Scrape off as much residue as you can.
- Place the stain face down on paper towels and sponge the back with cleaning fluid, replacing the towels often.
- Work in a well-ventilated room away from flames and sparks.
- Pretest any remover on a hidden area.
Tar on clothes is greasy and sticky, so rubbing it only pushes it deeper into the fibers. Fresh tar comes out far more readily than tar that has dried or set, so the sooner you start, the better your chances. Expect a few rounds on heavy denim or on anything the tar has been sitting on for a while.
Tar out of jeans is easier when you keep the fabric flat and work a small patch at a time. Asphalt tack, driveway sealer and cold patch on clothes should be tested on a hidden seam first. If the tarmac stain is still there after a few careful rounds, stop and get the item cleaned professionally.
Before you start
What clothes can take
Safe to use3
- Water
- Soaking
- Enzyme cleaners
Use with care6
- Hot water
- Chlorine bleach
- Oxygen bleach
- Solvents (alcohol, spot removers)
- Acids (vinegar, lemon)
- Scrubbing and abrasives
Avoid1
- Heat, once the stain is out
6 items
What you'll need
Tap an item to get it on Amazon, or tick what you already have.
- Dull knifeLifts solid tar off the fabric without spreading it.
- Clean white cloths or paper towelsThey absorb the tar, and colored cloths can bleed dye onto the fabric. (opens Amazon)
- Dry-cleaning solvent or cleaning fluidLoosens the tar when sponged from the back of the stain. (opens Amazon)
- Liquid laundry detergentWorks into the stain before the wash. (opens Amazon)
- Enzyme laundry presoakFor a mark that survives the first wash. (opens Amazon)
- Dilute chlorine bleachLast step only, on colorfast items the label allows. (opens Amazon)
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
7 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 7
Scrape off the residue
Use a dull knife to lift off as much tar as you can, working from the outside edge toward the middle so it doesn't spread. Blot any liquid with a clean white cloth or paper towel, never a colored cloth or sponge, since those can bleed dye into the fabric.
Step 2 of 7
Check the label and test
Read the care label first, because a dry-clean only item should go to a dry cleaner promptly rather than being treated at home. For anything washable, test every product you plan to use on a hidden seam or hem, and stop if the color changes or the fabric looks damaged.
Step 3 of 7
Sponge the stain from the back
Lay the stain face down on a stack of paper towels and sponge the back with cleaning fluid, so the tar is pulled into the towels instead of deeper into the weave. Replace the towels often as they pick up tar, and keep working in a well-ventilated room away from flames and sparks.
Tip. Keep going until the towel under the spot stops picking up tar.
Careful. Never use gasoline or lighter fluid as a spot remover.
Step 4 of 730 minutes
Soak in cold water
Soak the whole item in cold water for about 30 minutes. Cold is the right start for a stain you can't identify yet, and the warmer washes come later, once the tar has loosened.
Step 5 of 730 minutes
Work in detergent and wash
Gently work a little liquid laundry detergent into the stain, leave it for about 30 minutes, then rinse. Wash the item in liquid detergent at lukewarm or hot water as the care label allows, rinse thoroughly, and let it air-dry.
Careful. Heat sets tar, so keep the item out of the dryer and away from the iron until the stain is completely gone.
Step 6 of 7
Presoak overnight if it lingers
If the mark is still there after it has air-dried, soak the item overnight in an enzyme laundry presoak, as long as the care label allows it. Wash it again with liquid detergent, rinse, and let it air-dry.
Step 7 of 7
Finish with diluted chlorine bleach
Only if the item is colorfast to chlorine bleach and the label allows it, use a dilute solution following the package directions, after everything else is rinsed out. Rinse it thoroughly afterward and let it air-dry before judging the result.
Careful. Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or any other remover, since the fumes are toxic.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for tar on clothes
Look for a dry-cleaning solvent or cleaning fluid for the back-side sponging, and a plain liquid laundry detergent for the wash. Pick an all-fabric (oxygen) bleach only if you plan to use the set-in method.
Goo Gone Goo & Adhesive Remover Spray Gel
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on clothes, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light before using any heat. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →How to tell it's working
The paper towels under the spot should stop picking up tar as you sponge the back, which tells you that part is done. After the wash, the mark should look lighter and no longer feel sticky; if it's still dark or tacky, move on to the overnight presoak rather than drying it.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your clothes
Jeans and blue jeans
Denim is a tough, durable fabric, so you can work the solvent through the back a little more firmly than you would on a thin shirt, but still blot instead of scrubbing. Because blue jeans are colored, the bleach steps only apply once you've confirmed the dye is colorfast, so run the hidden-seam test with every product first.
After the detergent wash, check the spot in daylight before anything else. If any mark remains, the overnight presoak comes next, and the jeans stay out of the dryer until it's gone.
Asphalt tack and driveway sealer
These are thicker and stickier than road tar, so the scrape step matters more, and the back-side sponging may need several rounds with fresh paper towels. Expect the towels to pick up material for longer than they would with a tar mark.
If the sealer has gotten onto carpet rather than clothes, the method is different, so see the Carpet & Rugs guide. For the clothes, use the set-in method below if a shadow remains after the overnight presoak.
Tarmac
Tarmac is handled the same way as tar, so the scrape, back-side sponging, cold soak and detergent wash all apply without change. The main difference is the color: light cotton can take the chlorine step if the label allows it.
Dark or colored items should skip chlorine unless a colorfast test has passed. Test on a hidden seam before any of these steps, since a light color can still show a dye change.
Cold patch and paving tack
Cold patch and paving tack are thick and sticky, so the scrape step does most of the early work. Keep the solvent on the back, and change the paper towels as they pick up material before you move on to the cold soak.
Don't press the solvent through the front, since that pushes the material deeper into the weave. If the spot still feels tacky after air-drying, the overnight enzyme presoak is the next step.
Old, dried or set-in stains
Fresh stains are much easier to remove than old ones, so a tar mark that has been left for a while needs the fuller method below. Work the same way as before, but spend more time on each part and change your materials more often.
If the tar has dried, keep a pad moistened with dry-cleaning solvent on the stain, changing it as it picks up tar. Then dab on a dry spotter made from 1 part coconut or mineral oil to 8 parts dry-cleaning solvent, tamping it every 5 minutes on strong fabrics. You can also alternate mineral oil with the solvent, lubricating and flushing in turns, and let the item dry before the next pass.
Once it's dry, launder in the hottest water the fabric can safely take, with liquid detergent. If the mark is still there after a dryer cycle, the heat has probably set it, so pretreat with a spray or dry-cleaning solvent from the wrong side, then try an all-fabric (oxygen) bleach on colorfast items after a hidden-area test. If you suspect rust in the mix, use a rust remover before any bleach.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on tar on clothes?
Plenty of household remedies get suggested for stains, but most of them are for other stains or are unsafe on clothes. Here's where each one lands for tar, so you know what to skip.
Skip6
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't use hot water on a stain you can't identify.
Hot water can set protein stains such as milk, egg or blood, and heat in general sets stains. Keep every early soak and rinse cold, and save the hot wash for the end, as the label allows.
Don't rub the stain with bar soap.
Bar soap sets many stains, so it makes a tar mark harder to lift. Use liquid laundry detergent worked in gently instead.
Don't use lard or other cooking fats as a lubricant.
Unsaturated cooking fats that aren't completely removed age and form yellow stains. Mineral oil or the coconut oil spotter does the loosening job without that risk.
Don't use chlorine bleach on wool, silk, mohair, leather or spandex.
Chlorine can weaken or damage these fibers. It's also off limits on any item that isn't colorfast, so check that before the last step.
Don't leave pretreatments on too long.
Liquid and aerosol pretreatments should come off at the time the label recommends, and gels on bright or fluorescent items should come off within a few minutes. Unstable dyes can change color or fade if the product sits longer.
When to call a professional
Take dry-clean only items to a professional dry cleaner promptly, and tell them it's tar and what the fiber content is. Even washable items belong at the dry cleaner if the stain covers a large area, the item is bulky, or the fabric is fragile.
Questions
Can tar come out of clothes once it has dried?
It can, but it takes the fuller method. Dried tar needs the set-in treatment below, and the dryer should stay off until the mark is completely gone.
Can I use nail polish remover on tar?
Not on synthetic clothes. Acetone and nail polish remover dissolve acetate, triacetate and modacrylic, so skip them and stick with the cleaning fluid method.
What if the hidden seam test changes color?
Stop, and don't put that product on the stain. The cold soak and liquid detergent wash can still go ahead, and a dry cleaner can handle what's left if the mark stays.
What if I don't know the fabric or fiber?
Read the care label first, and if it's missing or unclear, don't guess. Start with the cold soak and liquid detergent wash, and take the item to a dry cleaner before using any stronger product if you still can't identify the fabric.
How long does it take to get tar out of clothes?
The soaks and waits total about an hour, plus drying time. If a shadow remains, add an overnight enzyme presoak before you repeat the wash.
Should I throw out tar-stained clothes that won't come clean?
Not right away. A dry cleaner can work on a stain that home steps haven't lifted, and that's worth trying before you give up on the item.
Tar on other materials
Other stains on clothes
Start from the bigger picture
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.