How to Get Tar Out of Dishwasher: Proven Easy Fixes

Immediate Action (first 5 minutes)

Stop the machine. You need to act fast. If you let the dishwasher finish its heated dry cycle, that sticky black mess will harden into a nightmare that takes hours to chip away. I've spent the last twelve years cleaning appliances, and I can tell you that tar in a dishwasher is one of the most frustrating messes you can face. Usually, this happens because someone tossed in a roofing trowel, a driveway sealer brush, or a teenager's pine-tar-covered baseball batting gloves.

Dishwashers like the Bosch 800 Series or KitchenAid KDTM404KPS operate at temperatures between 120°F and 155°F. This intense heat melts petroleum-based products, splattering them across the stainless steel tub, the racks, and the delicate spray arms. When your landlord inspects next week or you are just trying to keep your kitchen functional, you cannot afford a broken machine.

Hit the cancel button immediately. Open the door to vent the hot air. Grab some ice. Put it in a plastic Ziploc bag. The goal is to drop the surface temperature below 70°F so the petroleum solids contract and lose their grip on the metal. Do not run another cycle until you have manually removed every single speck of the residue.

What You'll Need (tools/products)

Gathering the right supplies before you start will save you a massive headache. I'll be honest, this takes elbow grease, and using the wrong tools will just smear the mess deeper into the machine's crevices. Here is exactly what I keep in my cleaning caddy for these disasters.

• Plastic Putty Knife: Never use metal. Metal will scratch the protective finish on your stainless steel tub, leading to rust spots later.
• Heavy-Duty Shop Towels: Standard paper towels will shred when wet and clog your filter. Spend the $8-$15 on a roll of blue shop towels.
• WD-40 Specialist Heavy-Duty Citrus Degreaser: This cuts through petroleum bonds much faster than standard lubricants.
• Dawn Platinum Powerwash: You need a high-quality grease-cutting dish soap to remove the solvent residue afterward.
• Ice Cubes and a Ziploc Bag: For flash-freezing the melted blobs.
• Old Toothbrush and Cotton Swabs: For getting into the rubber door gaskets and tiny spray arm holes.
• Nitrile Gloves: Tar stains skin for days. Protect your hands.

Solvent Comparison Table

Product	Effectiveness on Tar	Price Range	Safety for Dishwashers
WD-40 Specialist Citrus	Excellent	$10 - $14	High (Requires soap rinse)
Goo Gone Automotive	Very Good	$8 - $12	Medium (Oily residue)
Mineral Spirits	Extreme	$12 - $18	Low (Highly flammable, toxic)
De-Solv-it Citrus	Good	$9 - $13	High (Natural ingredients)

Step-by-Step Removal (4-7 steps)

This isn't the cheapest option, but doing it right the first time prevents long-term damage to your appliance's pump and heating elements. Follow these steps exactly as I have outlined them.

Step 1: Freeze the Tar

Fill a heavy-duty freezer bag with ice cubes. Press the bag directly against the largest blobs of tar on the dishwasher walls and racks. Hold it there for about 5 to 7 minutes. The extreme cold makes the petroleum brittle. You will actually hear it crackle slightly when it is ready. Do not skip this step, or you will just smear a thin, greasy layer across the entire interior.

Step 2: Scrape the Bulk

Take your plastic putty knife and hold it at a 45-degree angle. Gently push under the frozen tar. It should pop off in satisfying little chunks. Drop these chunks directly into a garbage bag. Do not let them fall into the bottom of the dishwasher tub, and definitely keep them away from the drain grate. If a piece falls, pick it up immediately.

Step 3: Dissolve the Residue

Once the big chunks are gone, you will be left with a stubborn, sticky film. Spray your WD-40 Specialist Citrus Degreaser directly onto the affected areas. Let it sit for exactly 10 minutes. The citrus solvents need time to break down the molecular bonds of the tar. If you are dealing with the rubber door gasket, spray the solvent onto a cotton swab instead of directly onto the rubber to prevent degradation.

Step 4: Wipe and Lift

Use your blue shop towels to wipe away the dissolved sludge. You will likely need to fold the towel frequently to avoid rubbing the tar back onto the clean metal. Wipe in one direction. If the towel gets saturated, throw it away and grab a fresh one. After hosting a dinner party, the last thing you want is a kitchen that smells like a fresh-paved driveway, so get as much out as possible manually.

Step 5: Clean the Filter and Spray Arms

This is where most people fail. Tar will inevitably get sucked into the filter and pumped up into the spray arms. Pull out the bottom rack and twist the cylindrical filter cap to remove it. Scrub the mesh screen with an old toothbrush and hot soapy water. Next, unscrew the upper and lower spray arms. Look closely at the 1/16-inch water jets. If you see black specks blocking the holes, use a wooden toothpick or a sewing needle to poke them clear. Rinse the arms under your kitchen faucet until the water runs perfectly clear.

Step 6: Degrease the Entire Tub

Solvents leave behind an oily film that will cause your dishes to come out cloudy and smelling like chemicals. Spray the entire interior of the dishwasher with Dawn Platinum Powerwash. Take a damp sponge and scrub the walls, the door, and the bottom of the tub. Pay special attention to the crevices around the door latch. Wipe everything down with a clean, wet microfiber cloth until there are no more suds.

Step 7: Run a Vinegar Rinse

Place a dishwasher-safe bowl filled with one cup of plain white vinegar on the top rack. Run a normal wash cycle without any detergent and without any dishes inside. The vinegar will neutralize any lingering odors and strip away the final microscopic layer of solvent oil. When the cycle finishes, leave the door open to air dry.

Alternative Methods (2-3 backup methods)

Sometimes you don't have commercial degreasers on hand, or the tar is particularly stubborn. Here are a few backup methods I've tested on my own machines over the years.

The Peanut Butter Trick

This sounds crazy, but the natural oils in peanut butter are fantastic at breaking down pine tar and small spots of roofing tar. Smear a thick layer of creamy peanut butter over the sticky spot. Let it sit for 20 minutes. The oils will penetrate the tar and soften it. Wipe it away with a paper towel, and then wash the area thoroughly with dish soap to remove the grease. This works best for tiny splatters rather than massive spills.

De-Solv-it Citrus Cleaner

If you prefer a more natural approach, De-Solv-it is a powerhouse. It is made from orange extract and cuts through adhesive and tar beautifully. It is slightly slower than petroleum-based solvents, so you will need to let it soak for about 15 minutes. The upside is that it smells incredible and leaves far less toxic residue behind. It is my go-to when I am cleaning homes with small children or pets.

Mineral Spirits (The Nuclear Option)

I only recommend this if the tar is baked onto the exposed heating element at the bottom of the tub. Turn off the power to the dishwasher at the breaker box. Dampen a rag with a small amount of mineral spirits and carefully wipe the heating coil. Mineral spirits evaporate quickly and leave zero residue, but they are highly flammable and produce strong fumes. Open your kitchen windows and turn on the exhaust fan before attempting this.

Prevention Tips

Keeping tar out of your dishwasher is infinitely easier than removing it. Establish strict rules about what goes into the machine. Never wash gardening tools, roofing equipment, or automotive parts in the dishwasher. The high heat will always melt hidden residues.

If you have teenagers who play baseball, check their gear before it hits the kitchen sink. Pine tar is notorious for transferring from batting gloves to plates, and eventually into the dishwasher. Wipe down any sports equipment with a dedicated rag and a little rubbing alcohol before bringing it inside.

For driveway sealers and roofing patches, keep a dedicated bucket and sponge in the garage. Hose off your trowels and brushes outside with a high-pressure nozzle. If you must bring a tool inside to soak, use a utility sink with a trap screen, never the kitchen dishwasher. A little vigilance saves you hours of scrubbing and hundreds of dollars in potential appliance repairs.

FAQ

Will tar ruin the dishwasher pump?

Tar rarely destroys the pump motor itself, but it can easily clog the impeller or the drain hose. If you notice a humming sound without water draining, the sticky residue has likely jammed the internal components. You will need to manually clear the drain line before running another cycle.

Can I use bleach on tar?

Bleach will not dissolve petroleum-based products like roofing or driveway tar. In fact, mixing bleach with other cleaning solvents can create toxic fumes in your enclosed kitchen space. Stick to oil-based dissolvers or citrus cleaners to break down the sticky bonds.

How do I get tar off the exposed heating element?

Turn off the power to the appliance at the breaker box before touching the heating element. Once it is completely cool, wrap a rag soaked in mineral spirits around the metal coil and let it sit for fifteen minutes. Wipe it clean with a dry cloth, and the baked-on gunk will peel right off.

Is it safe to wash dishes after doing this?

Yes, but only after you run a complete degreasing cycle to remove all solvent residue. I always recommend running an empty cycle with a cup of white vinegar placed on the top rack to neutralize any lingering chemical odors. Your dishes will be perfectly safe once that final rinse finishes.