How to Remove Tar From Clothing?

Tar can be very useful or even practical in our maintenance work at home, but it can also stain clothing and other objects. So, how do you clean this tar? We offer in this article tips and solutions to effectively remove tar from clothing and other fabrics.

1. Scrape the tar on the garment with a spatula

First of all, before even going to cleaning the stain, you must remove the excess tar from the textile or other surfaces. To do this, you can use a spatula or the back of a spoon to scrape the tar. Be careful not to allow tar or sludge to penetrate further into the fabric.

2. How to remove tar from jeans

A tar or sludge stain on jeans can be cleaned with a fatty substance such as butter or margarine.

And yes, after removing the excess tar on the jeans:

• Cover the tar spot with butter and leave to act for about 20 minutes.
• Rub gently with a dry cloth and rinse the jeans lightly.
• Finish cleaning the jeans in the washing machine.

3. Remove the tar spots with extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil can also be a good solution to clean tar stains without damaging the vehicle. For this, you have to wash the car with a hose, lather the entire surface thoroughly with the help of a sponge, and then rinse the body.

Next, you will have to soften the spots with a rag or a piece of cotton wool moistened with the oil, with which you will have to rub the spots. And when you’re done, don’t forget to lather up and rewash your vehicle.

4. Remove Tar Stains from Dry Cleaning Clothes

If the garment is dry clean again, allow the tar to harden and then lift as much of the solid tar as possible with a dull edge. As soon as possible, go to the dry cleaner and point and identify the stain to your professional cleaner.

If you are using a home dry cleaning kit, scrape away the solids and be sure to treat the stain with the supplied stain remover before putting the garment in the dryer bag. Homemade dry cleaning kits are not very effective at removing stubborn stains.

5. Clean a tar stain on leather

If you have just stained the leather with tar, here is a little tip that will save your life:

• Remove the excess tar with a spatula (rub gently so as not to damage the leather).
• Use turpentine and gently rub the stain to soften it.
• Sprinkle with Sommières Earth and leave to act for a few minutes.
• Rub the stain with a cloth and rinse by hand to finish cleaning.

If you don’t have turpentine at home, you can also use glycerin to soften the tar.

6. Make tar disappear on a synthetic fabric

For a garment in synthetic fabric, the solution to dislodge this ugly stain of sludge is lemon!

• Mix one part of water for 2 parts of lemon juice.
• Soak the stain with this lemon water and leave to act for a few moments.
• Rub the stain and rinse the garment to finish.

For a stubborn stain that is well permeated in the fabric, you can use pure lemon juice.

7. The White Spirit to remove tar

A final tip to remove a tar stain from clothing is the use of white spirit!

You can use this product to remove stubborn stains from fabric, leather, and even synthetic clothing.

• Soak the stain with white spirit and rub to make everything go away.
• Rinse the garment well and finish with a machine wash on the regular cycle.