Totally removing roofing tar from your skin can be a sticky, tricky chore for which common household cleaners fall short. To completely rid your skin of tar, you will need a couple of key cleaning methods, a little scrub drudgery, and some helpful prevention pointers
Check out this breakdown for some of the best ways to remove roofing tar from your skin and prevent tar contact with your skin in the future.
What Exactly is Roofing Tar?
Roofing tar is a viscous adhesive — made from petroleum byproducts and refined coal tar — used to waterproof flat roofs. Roofing tar typically comes into contact with skin from spills, slips, and splashes. To avert extensive damage to your epidermis, it is important to get the tar off of your skin as soon as possible.
If the tar is very hot, it can lead to burns that require immediate cooling of the tar with cold water and proper medical attention. If you suffer a tar burn, do not use chemical cleaners for tar removal. They will only aggravate the affected area and lead to further injury.
Tips for Removing Tar From Skin
Some helpful household solvents that come in handy for safely and successfully dissolving tar.
- Neosporin is one of the most effective solutions for removing tar. It is skin-safe, non-toxic, and breaks down roofing tar in just a few minutes.
- Mayonnaise is another surprisingly effective tar solvent. A copious application of this convenient condiment can solvate tar stains in half an hour.
- Butter and other practical pantry oils can be used as a tar solvent. Spreading a generous amount to tar-stained skin and gently washing can remove tar without harming your skin.
Exfoliators are also a proven, productive part of total tar removal.
- Scrub brushes are good for removing all tar particles from every dermal crevice, but wash gently as they can be a bit rough in your skin.
- Pumice stones are also extremely effective exfoliators that — like scrub brushes — can be a little rough, so scrub lightly.
- Washcloths are gentler than scrub brushes and pumice stone, but it may take a few rounds of cleansing to completely get the tar out.
Utilizing solvents in concert with exfoliating methods may be the best way to remove all tar from your skin. Allow a skin-safe solvent to break down the tar, then exfoliate and clean the area.
Protecting Your Skin From Roofing Tar
An easy way to keep tar from coming into contact with your skin is to wear proper protective gear. Keep your arms, hands, legs, and feet covered while working with roofing tar. Be especially careful if you are transporting hot tar on a ladder, and avoid stepping in freshly spread tar as it can be slick and lead to slipping.
If you get tar on your skin, cool it by running cold water over the area for 15 to 20 minutes. Before attempting to peel the tar from your skin, you may need to ice the area until the tar has sufficiently hardened, but if the tar will not painlessly peel from your skin, seek medical attention.
Conclusion
Tar removal can be difficult and damaging if it is not done properly. By following these simple removal methods, you can safely take out tar stains and prevent future messy mishaps.
To totally ensure that your skin remains tar-free, however, just let the roofing experts at Gurr Brothers Roofing handle all of your future tar-related tasks.
