Roofing Tar Removal

Clothing and Washable Fabrics

• To help reduce the chance of stains, remove the tar from clothing and fabrics as soon as possible. Remove as much of the tar from the fabric by gently scraping it with a butter knife. Spread the fabric out flat and apply a prewash stain treatment directly to the tar discoloration. Wait 15 minutes before adding one to two drops of enzyme laundry detergent to the fabric and blotting with a cloth. Wash the fabric in the hottest water temperature that is safe for the fabric.

Wood Surfaces

• If tar gets on hardwood floors or wood furniture, it can quickly damage the surface finish. The safest way to quickly remove the tar is to hold a plastic baggie filled with ice cubes directly on top of the roofing tar until the sticky substance hardens. Once hard, gently scrape the tar off the wood with a paint scraper. If you meet resistance when scraping the tar, hold the baggie on the tar for several minutes until it hardens. After you have removed the tar, wipe the sticky residue off the wood with a cloth dampened with dry-cleaning solvent.

Carpets and Upholstery

• To begin, scrape the tar off the carpet or upholstery. When scraping, take care not to damage the fibers of the carpet or upholstery. Use a cloth dampened with dry-cleaning solvent to pat the carpet or upholstery for several seconds until the tar is no longer visible.

Skin

• Soap and water typically cannot budge tar stuck on skin. However, several common household items will help remove all traces of the tar. By gently scrubbing your tar-covered skin with household items that contain oil, including baby oil, cooking oil, mineral oil, olive oil or tanning oil, you will remove the tar from your skin. Once the skin is free from tar, wash the oil off with warm, soapy water.

Shoes

• Gently scrape the tar off your shoes by using the blunt side of a butter knife. After you have removed most of the tar, some tar will still be trapped in the fibers of the footwear. You can remove this by gently scrubbing the tar with an old toothbrush dampened in either rubbing alcohol or water-displacing spray. Once you have removed the tar, wipe the alcohol or water-displacing spray off the footwear with a damp cloth and let air dry for several hours.