Comments on: How to Remove Tree Sap From Your Car

on 7/19/2006 I had heavy sap all over my car, thick drops at one per every two inches of surface area so I didn't have time to scrub for hours on end. The thing that finally worked, with little to moderate rubbing, was 70% isopropyl alcohol.

on 7/17/2006 I have a van we bought two years ago and picked up at an auction lot. When we arrived to pick it up, it had been parked under pine trees, and was covered with a sticky pine tar residue. I was upset, but had no buyer's recourse, and finding nothing that seemed to touch it I've lived with this for two years. This morning curiosity got the better of me and I did a web search, finding this site in the process. Here I found a suggestion for Armour-All wipes and WD-40. I couldn't find my cans of Armour-All, so grabbed the WD40 and tried it. Even though the tar had been baked on over two years' time, it softened right up and scraped off with my fingernail. And no paint damage!

on 7/16/2006 Mayonnaise works! My dog sat in pine sap and was covered in the sticky mess. I heated a cup of mayonnaise in the microwave for about 20 seconds and gave my dog a "mayo treatment." I left the mayonnaise on for about 10 minutes. Amazingly, the mayonnaise loosened the sap. I washed my dog with his shampoo and conditioner and he was as good as new.

on 6/30/2006 70% rubbing isopropyl alcohol works as well!

on 2/15/2006 To remove the tree sap from your vehicle's surface, you can use fingernail polish remover on a cotton ball. After the sap is removed, make a paste of water and baking soda to wash the affected area, then apply wax.

Another method to remove the sap is to use mineral spirits (it will also remove tar). Use a soft, terry towel, or wash cloth dampened with mineral spirits. After removal, wash the car and apply wax to the affected area.
Tree sap can also be removed by using a water-soluble paint brush cleaner. A common household solution is bacon grease or lard. Just rub it on, and off comes the sap.

To get tree sap off of your hands, simply rub mayonnaise on them and wash it off. Or you can use common solvents like lighter fluid, rubbing alcohol, WD-40 or even Skin-So-Soft bath oil.

on 2/14/2006 I read this tip from someone and tried it, and it worked so well. I have a brand new car with a shiny black paint and I mistakenly parked it under a pine tree on a hot summer day. After two days the car was covered with thick pine residue spots. I tried everything and nothing seemed to work.

In order to remove the pine residue you need to cool it.
so you need:
1) ice cubes
2) old rag or a sock
3) old plastic credit card

Place the ice cube on the sap and let it stand (1 minute) then use the plastic credit card and work on the edges to loosen the residue patch. I basically put ices cubes all over the car and worked my way through them successively. It works great! One more thing; you need to clean off all the broken sap parts after scraping or they will remelt on the body again. You can do it by just wiping it off with a wet rag.

on 2/1/2006 That ice cube trick really works without damaging the paint. The sap gets cold, fractures, and falls off with very gentle pressure.

on 11/22/2005 I picked up a car that was covered in sap. I went to the detail shops and they wanted $300.00 to clean it up. What you need is an old sock and ice cubes. Put the sock over your hand, hold the ice cube and it rub over sap.

on 11/22/2005 An excellent way to remove tree sap from your car is to use mayonnaise or salad dressing. Using a dry, soft cloth, apply the mayonnaise or salad dressing to the sap that is stuck to your car. Rub until the sap is gone. Wash the area and buff to a shine with a soft clean cloth.

on 11/22/2005 Place some butter on the sap and let it set for 10 minutes. Finish with a regular wash.

on 11/22/2005 Use mayonnaise on a rag, and the sooner the better. The harder the sap, the more applications needed.