Did you accidentally walk in tar and now have tar tracks on your living room carpet? While it may be necessary to call professional carpet cleaning services for large tar stains, removing a few minor tar spots on your own is possible. Find out how to get tar out of carpet with a few simple home remedies.
Tar is a thick liquid distilled from coal or wood, consisting of resins, hydrocarbons, alcohol, and other compounds. It’s the most common material for roofing and road-making and may stick to your shoes on hot, sunny days.
As easy as it is to get a tar stain on your footwear, it’s not so simple to remove from a rug. Once the tar makes its way indoors, it cools, hardens, and stubbornly sticks to the carpet fiber like glue.
Fortunately, removing tar is not as difficult as you think. The key is to use the proper stain removal steps and cleaners for the job to eliminate the stain without spreading it further.
- Removing Tar Stains From Carpets
- The First Step for Getting Tar Out of Carpet
- How to Remove Black Tar From Carpet by Freezing
- How to Get Tar Out of Carpet With Cleaning Solvent
- Remove Carpet Tar With a Detergent Solution
- Get Tar Off Carpet With Rubbing Alcohol
- Remove Tar From Carpet With WD-40
- Use Brake Cleaner to Remove Tar From the Carpet
- Clean Tar From a Rug With White Vinegar
- Remove Stubborn Tar From the Carpet With Goo Gone
- Use Hydrogen Peroxide to Remove Carpet Tar
- Carpet Cleaning to Remove Tar Residue
- Precautions When Cleaning Tar From Carpeting
Removing Tar Stains From Carpets
Tar stains are sticky and unsightly, especially when they get on the carpeting. Discover how to remove a tar spot from your rug by carpet cleaning with a dry cleaning solvent, detergent, white vinegar, and other solutions.
The First Step for Getting Tar Out of Carpet
Removing as much of the tar as possible before cleaning the rug with a wet cleaner is vital. Otherwise, you risk spreading the stain further. Learn how to remove black tar from carpet by scraping and blotting it.
Tar Stain Pretreatment
If the tar stain is fresh, blot at the spot with a paper towel. Dab at the stain gently to avoid spreading it further, and use extra paper towels if necessary. To remove a dry tar glob, press the edge of a butter knife or metal spoon beneath the stain and carefully pry it from the rug. Do not scrape too hard to prevent carpet damage.
How to Remove Black Tar From Carpet by Freezing
It’s better to remove a hardened tar spot than a soft one since fresh tar sticks to the rug fibers. Believe it or not, an ice cube is excellent for getting tar out of carpet. It freezes and hardens the stain, making it easier to scrape from the rug.
Freezing Tar Stains
Hold an ice cube between your fingers and press it to the stained area for at least a minute. Once the tar is frozen, use the edge of a dull knife to pry it from the carpet. If the tar is still soft, apply the ice again and repeat until you remove the stain.
How to Get Tar Out of Carpet With Cleaning Solvent
A dry cleaning solvent is a good choice for removing black tar from carpet. It is a petroleum-based fluid that dissolves dirt and stains and is ideal for removing black pigment leftover from tar.
Dampen a clean cloth with water and dry cleaning solvent, and dab at the tar area with the fabric. Use a patting motion to lift the stain. If the material dries before you finish, add a bit more water. Continue cleaning until the stain is gone, and dry the carpet with paper towels.
Remove Carpet Tar With a Detergent Solution
You may notice a black stain on the rug after scraping away the tar glob. Soapy water is the best stain remover if the stain is minor. Learn how to remove black tar from carpet with a detergent and water mixture.
Combine a teaspoon of warm water and detergent in a small bowl and apply the soapy mixture to the tar spot with a cloth. Work with small blotting motions to pull the stain from the fibers and wipe away the soap with a damp sponge.
Get Tar Off Carpet With Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is a common household item typically used to disinfect surfaces. Yet, it’s also perfect for getting tar out of carpet. It dissolves the sticky residue from the rug, allowing you to lift it from the surface.
Pour rubbing alcohol onto a large cotton pad and press it into the tar stain. Blot the area without rubbing, and use fresh cotton pads as needed until you remove the spot. Wipe the affected area with a damp, clean cloth, and dry it with a towel.
Remove Tar From Carpet With WD-40
Another way to clean dried tar off carpet is with WD-40. This popular lubricant has many uses, and you probably have a can in the garage or basement right now. It loosens the bond of the tar from the rug and is an excellent stain remover.
Spray the WD-40 directly onto the stain and leave it for ten minutes. Dab the area with a cloth to remove the oil and tar, and continue blotting until you remove the stain. Wet a clean cloth with soapy water, rub it over the carpet to remove the WD-40, and dry it well with an absorbent towel.
Use Brake Cleaner to Remove Tar From the Carpet
Brake cleaner is another surprising product that removes tar. While it’s not designed as a stain remover, it breaks down and lifts tar stains effectively, especially when they refuse to budge with conventional cleaning.
To clean tar stains on the carpet, spray brake cleaner on the area and press a soft cloth into the carpet to pull the tar from the fibers. Continue cleaning with dry sections of the fabric to remove the stain until it’s gone, and clean the area with soapy water and a towel.
Clean Tar From a Rug With White Vinegar
White vinegar is a great alternative if you prefer to clean your carpet with something natural. It has an acidic quality that dissolves a stubborn stain without chemicals and is safe for most rugs.
Transfer white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray it lightly over the tar stain. Leave it for a few minutes, and shake baking soda over the top. The two ingredients react with and bubble to loosen the stain. Let it be until it dries, and suck up the debris with a vacuum hose.
Remove Stubborn Tar From the Carpet With Goo Gone
Goo Gone is an adhesive-removing product that also cleans tar stains from rugs. It’s just as effective at removing tar as cleaning burned-on food, grease, and oil, and it comes in a sprayer for easy application.
Spray Goo Gone directly on the tar spot and rub the carpet gently with a clean rag. Try not to spread the stain, and continue cleaning the area until the tar is gone. Clean the rug with soapy water and dry it with a towel.
Use Hydrogen Peroxide to Remove Carpet Tar
Hydrogen peroxide has mild bleaching abilities, making it the perfect alternative to chlorine bleach. It’s inexpensive and removes tough stains from light-colored carpeting with its gentle, bubbling action.
Peroxide Tar Remover
Carefully pour a little hydrogen peroxide onto the rug stain and let it sit for one minute. Use paper towels to dab the spot from the carpet, and repeat the steps until you remove the tar.
Carpet Cleaning to Remove Tar Residue
It’s a good idea to clean the rug with a carpet cleaner after you scrape dry tar from the carpet and treat the area with a stain remover. The steam cleaning solution removes leftover residue and gives the rug a finished look.
Overall Carpet Cleaning
Steam cleaners are great for both carpet and upholstery cleaning. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your model and combine the recommended amount of hot water and cleaning mix.
Clean the affected carpet with the hose attachment on your cleaner by making overlapping passes. The hose is ideal for cleaning targeted areas. Once the spot is clean, use the steam cleaning unit to clean the entire rug and give it a finished look.
Precautions When Cleaning Tar From Carpeting
Noticing a black tar stain on your carpet is startling. It’s understandable to grab the first cleaning product you come across. However, some products and methods are unsafe for carpet cleaning and may worsen the stain.
Carpet Cleaning Cautions
Always test a new cleaner on an inconspicuous spot beforehand to prevent color fading, especially if the carpet is white or antique. Avoid cleaning a rug with chlorine bleach or other chemical cleaners, and follow the product directions.
Less is always better when carpet cleaning since adding more cleaner as you go is more convenient than removing too much. Use white towels when scrubbing the carpet to prevent dye from transferring from the fabric to the rug.
Tar is one of the worst stains to get on carpet and upholstery. It leaves an ugly black mark, and its stickiness makes it challenging to remove. Thankfully, several cleaners remove stains from tar, restoring the rug’s original appearance.
We hope you enjoyed learning how to get tar out of carpet, and we’d love it if you’d share our tips for removing tar stains from rugs with your family and friends on Facebook and Pinterest.