How to Remove Tar From a Driveway

Keep your concrete driveway clean by removing stains immediately.

Tar removal from an asphalt driveway may not be a significant concern, considering tar, along with rock, sand and oils make up asphalt. If your driveway is concrete, a glob of tar is unattractive and potentially messy. While there are a number of commercial products on the market designed to cut through tar, it is possible to remove tar from a concrete driveway using household products.

Things You'll Need

• Scraper tool
• Wood craft stick
• Baking soda
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Cup
• Dry washcloth

Instructions

1. Scrape the surface tar from the concrete using a straight-edge scraper tool or dull knife.

2. Rub the edge of a wood craft stick over the area to pick up more surface tar debris.

3. Combine 1/2 cup olive oil with 2 tablespoons baking soda in a cup. Mix well.

4. Soak a corner of the washcloth in the oil solution.

5. Rub the tar stain with the oiled cloth. Re-wet the cloth as needed, and continue to scrub the tar stain with the oil-dampened cloth until the tar disappears.

References

• Driveway Tips: Asphalt Maintenance
• Asphalt Kingdom: Asphalt Maintenance
• "The Passionate Olive: 101 Things to Do With Olive Oil"; Carol Firenze; 2005
• Michigan State University Extension: Homemade Cleaners