Last Updated on September 22, 2026 by Umar Farooq
Harden it first. A bag of ice held against the tar turns it solid enough to chip off with a blunt knife, and every gram removed dry is a gram nobody has to dissolve. Then either scrub in a heavy-duty detergent and wash hot, or pre-treat with a citrus-based remover — the two major published methods disagree on which. Either way, air dry. A tumble dryer turns leftover tar into a problem that spreads.
Freeze it before you touch it
Tar is oily and viscous at room temperature, so a cloth dragged across it does not lift it — it paints with it. Cold fixes that in about ten minutes. Persil’s stain guide frames it by comparison: “Just like with chewing gum on clothes, tar will come off more easily if it’s hard… Place a few ice cubes in a plastic bag and press against the stain”, then chip at it with a blunt knife (Ask Team Clean, tar stains). What is left should be a film, not a lump.
How to get tar out of clothes: two published routes that disagree
Persil uses no solvent at all. After the ice and the knife, brush a heavy-duty detergent into the stain and “Leave it to soak in for at least 15 minutes”, then wash at the hottest temperature the label allows, because “the hotter the temperature, the more easily the stain will be broken down.”
Clorox goes straight to a solvent — “Try treating the stain directly with DeSolvIt or Goo Gone”, after a colourfastness test, then wash in the hottest water allowed (Clorox, pine tar stains).
Both are defensible, and they suit different tar. Road and roofing tar is thick, and detergent plus agitation shifts it once the bulk is chipped away. Pine tar and sap are resinous, which is why Clorox reaches for a petroleum-distillate product. Not sure which you have? Start with detergent — it cannot damage the fabric. Tar is an oil stain at heart, so cooking oil covers what is left.
The dryer is the real risk, not the fabric
This belongs at the top of every tar page and appears on almost none. Persil, again:
> “If there’s still some tar on the clothing and you place it in the dryer, the tar will melt and get all over the walls of the dryer. This will then spread to other pieces of clothing, making the situation a whole lot worse.”
Clorox agrees from the stain side: keep the item “out of a hot dryer to avoid heat-setting any residual stain that would otherwise come out with a second treatment.” Two penalties, one decision. Air dry, inspect while damp, treat again. If tar reached the drum, wipe it cold before the next load: how to clean a dryer.
Solvents, and the rule about putting them in a machine
Goo Gone’s clothing directions are short: apply, “Blot with clean white cloth”, “Launder separately using extra detergent”, and never “on silk, leather, suede or rubber” (Goo Gone Original directions). Separately matters — dissolved tar in a shared load lands on everything else.
Reach for turpentine, mineral spirits or paint thinner and you stop before the machine. Maytag: “Do not put articles in your washer or dryer that have been… spotted with gasoline, dry-cleaning solvents, or other flammable or explosive substances.” Rinse, hand wash, let the smell clear.
FAQ
Does tar come out of clothes?
Usually, if it is treated before it meets a dryer. Freezing and chipping removes most of it; detergent or a citrus solvent handles the film.
What dissolves tar on clothing?
Petroleum-distillate removers such as Goo Gone or DeSolvIt. Water and vinegar do essentially nothing.
Can you wash tar-stained clothes with other laundry?
No. Goo Gone’s directions say launder separately, and loose tar in a shared load transfers.
Will a dryer remove tar stains?
It does the opposite. Persil warns that leftover tar melts onto the dryer walls and spreads.
Does WD-40 remove tar from clothes?
It loosens it, but it is flammable and leaves its own oily residue — a poor trade.
How do you get dried tar out of clothes?
The same way as fresh. Harden with ice, chip off the bulk, pre-treat and wash hot.
Protect the dryer drum
Tar is forgiving of a slow approach and unforgiving of a fast one. Ten minutes with ice and a blunt knife does more than any product will, and the two brands with published methods cannot agree on what comes next — so use detergent for road tar, a citrus remover for sap, and allow two attempts. The only decision that ends the garment is the tumble dryer, and it takes the load with it.
