Tested: How to Get Tar Out of Blinds Easily (2026)

By David Park · December 29, 2025

Immediate Action (First 5 Minutes)

Seeing a thick, black smear of tar on your pristine window blinds is enough to make anyone panic. I've been there. A few years ago, a roofing crew was working on my neighbor's house, and a sudden gust of wind blew hot asphalt tar right through my open bedroom window. It splattered across my white faux wood blinds. My first instinct was to grab a wet paper towel and scrub it. Don't do that. Tar is petroleum-based, and wiping it while it's warm or liquid will only push the stain deeper into the microscopic grooves of the slat.

Instead, your very first step is to freeze it. Grab an ice pack from your freezer. If you don't have a gel pack, just throw a handful of ice cubes into a Ziploc bag. Hold the ice directly against the tar spot for exactly 4 to 6 minutes. You want the petroleum to harden completely. Cold temperatures make the tar brittle, breaking its bond with the blind's surface. This buys you time and prevents a massive, smeared mess. If you have kids who track mud and driveway tar everywhere, keeping a dedicated ice pack in the freezer for stain emergencies is a lifesaver.

What You'll Need (Tools and Products)

You don't need to buy expensive, professional-grade chemical strippers to fix this. In my experience cleaning tile and window treatments for over a decade, standard household solvents work beautifully if you use the right technique. Here is my exact toolkit for this job.

Citrus Solvent: Goo Gone Original or Goo Gone Citrus Power. A standard 8 oz bottle costs about $6 to $8 at most hardware stores. The citrus oils naturally break down petroleum bonds without melting plastic.
Plastic Scraper: A Stanley 12-296 Surform Scraper or a simple plastic putty knife. Never use metal. Metal will permanently gouge faux wood and scratch aluminum.
Microfiber Cloths: Polyte Premium Microfiber Cloths. They trap the dissolved tar instead of just pushing it around. A 12-pack runs about $15.
Dish Soap: Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid. You'll need this to cut the greasy residue left behind by the citrus solvent.
Cotton Swabs: Standard Q-tips for getting into the routed holes where the lift cords pass through.

Here is a quick comparison of the solvents I've tested over the years to help you choose the right one for your specific blind material.

Solvent Type	Best For	Price Range	Risk Level
Goo Gone (Citrus)	Faux wood, vinyl, plastic	$6 - $8	Very Low
WD-40 Specialist	Aluminum, metal blinds	$7 - $10	Low
Mineral Spirits	Real wood, heavy buildup	$9 - $14	High (Flammable)

Step-by-Step Removal

Now that your tar is frozen and your supplies are laid out, it's time to get to work. I'll be honest, this takes a little elbow grease, but following these exact steps will save your blinds from the trash bin.

Step 1: Scrape the Hardened Tar

Take your plastic putty knife and hold it at a 45-degree angle against the slat. Gently push under the edge of the frozen tar. Because you chilled it, it should pop off in solid little chunks. Work slowly. If the tar starts to feel soft or gummy again, reapply the ice pack for another three minutes. Drop the scraped chunks into a paper towel immediately so they don't stick to your carpet or windowsill.

Step 2: Apply the Citrus Solvent

Once the bulk of the tar is gone, you'll be left with a thin, stubborn black film. Do not spray the Goo Gone directly onto the blind. Spraying directly often leads to the liquid dripping down into the mechanical headrail, which can ruin the internal gears. Instead, spray a generous amount onto your Polyte microfiber cloth. Press the damp cloth against the remaining stain and let it sit for exactly 3 minutes. The d-limonene in the citrus needs time to dissolve the petroleum.

Step 3: Wipe and Roll

After the 3-minute dwell time, wipe the slat firmly from left to right. You'll see the black stain transfer onto your cloth. Fold the cloth to a clean side and repeat. For the tiny routed holes where the strings pass through, dip a cotton swab into the solvent and swirl it inside the hole. Tar loves to hide in those tiny crevices, and a standard cloth just won't reach it.

Step 4: Degrease the Slat

Citrus solvents leave behind an oily, sticky residue. If you skip this step, dust will immediately cling to the spot, creating a new mess by tomorrow. Mix one teaspoon of Dawn dish soap into a bowl of warm water (around 104 degrees Fahrenheit). Dampen a fresh microfiber cloth in the soapy water, wring it out until it's barely damp, and wipe down the entire slat. Dry it immediately with a clean towel to prevent water spots on faux wood.

Step 5: Inspect and Repeat if Necessary

Run your thumb over the cleaned area. It should feel completely smooth. If you feel any grit or bumpiness, you have microscopic tar particles left behind. Reapply the solvent for another two minutes and wipe again. When your landlord inspects next week, you want those blinds looking flawless.

Alternative Methods

Sometimes you don't have Goo Gone under the sink, or the tar is exceptionally stubborn. I've tested dozens of hacks over the years. Here are three backup methods that actually work when the standard approach fails.

The Peanut Butter Hack

This sounds like an old wives' tale, but the science is solid. Peanut butter is packed with natural oils and lipids. Since tar is petroleum-based, the oils in the peanut butter bind to the tar and break it down. Smear a thick layer of creamy peanut butter (not crunchy, as the nuts will scratch the finish) over the stain. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Wipe it away with a paper towel. I'll be honest, this leaves a massive greasy mess that requires heavy scrubbing with dish soap afterward, but it absolutely removes the tar.

Mineral Spirits for Aluminum

If you have cheap aluminum blinds and the tar is baked on from the summer sun, citrus might not cut it. Klean-Strip Mineral Spirits ($9 at Home Depot) will melt the tar instantly. Apply it with a cotton ball. The fumes are incredibly strong, so you must open every window in the room and turn on a fan. Never use mineral spirits on vinyl or faux wood, as it will literally melt the plastic coating right off the slat.

The Heat Gun Method (Real Wood Only)

If you have genuine hardwood blinds, solvents can sometimes strip the protective polyurethane finish. Instead, use a hairdryer on the highest heat setting (around 140 degrees Fahrenheit). Hold it two inches from the tar until it starts to bubble slightly. Wipe it away with a dry rag. This takes patience, but it protects the expensive wood finish from chemical damage.

Prevention Tips

Getting tar out of blinds is a chore you don't want to repeat. If your city is repaving the street outside your bedroom window, or if you live near a busy highway, airborne tar particles are a real threat. Here is how I keep my own blinds safe.

Install Fine Mesh Screens: Standard window screens have large gaps that let asphalt dust right through. Upgrade to a fine mesh pet screen or a pollen screen. They cost about $25 per window and block 90% of airborne debris.
Close Windows During Construction: It sounds obvious, but people forget. If a roofing or paving crew is working within 100 yards of your house, keep the windows shut and the blinds tilted upward.
Monthly Dusting: Tar particles often stick to existing dust on the blinds, creating a hardened black crust over time. Use a Swiffer duster or a vacuum brush attachment to clean your blinds every 30 days. A clean slat gives tar nothing to grip onto.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Goo Gone ruin the finish on my faux wood blinds?

In my experience, Goo Gone Original is perfectly safe for factory-finished faux wood blinds when used for short periods. However, leaving it on for more than 15 minutes can start to cloud the glossy topcoat. Always test a tiny drop on the very top slat near the headrail before applying it to the highly visible lower slats.

Can I just take the blinds down and soak them in the bathtub?

You can soak vinyl and aluminum blinds in a bathtub filled with warm water and a cup of Dawn dish soap, but this won't dissolve heavy tar. The water temperature in a tub isn't hot enough to melt petroleum, and the tar will just float around and redeposit onto the fabric lift cords. Spot treating with a solvent is always the better, faster route.

What if the tar splattered onto the fabric pull cord?

Fabric cords act like a wick, absorbing the tar deep into the fibers. You'll need to lay the cord flat on a paper towel and dab it repeatedly with a cotton swab soaked in WD-40. If the stain is older than a week, the cord might be permanently ruined, and you'll need to order a replacement lift string from a site like BlindSaver.

Does white vinegar work on tar stains?

White vinegar is fantastic for hard water stains and mineral deposits, but it is completely useless against petroleum-based tar. The acetic acid in vinegar cannot break down the hydrocarbon chains in asphalt. Stick to citrus solvents, WD-40, or mineral spirits for this specific job.