Product Overview
Phosphoric acid cleaner for hard surfaces.
Grout Restore 60 is a detergent-boosted solution containing 60% active phosphoric acid for the effective and economical removal of cement and grout residues, mineral scale build-ups, and efflorescence. Its powerful blend of acid and penetrating agents provides tough action on general grime and is excellent for grout restoration.
It is the strongest of the three Actichem acid restorers and the correct choice when Tile & Grout Restore or Grout Restore 20 have not shifted the deposit. It is also the most hazardous — see Safety below.
Benefits
- Removes grout smear and cement residues efficiently.
- Tackles rust, efflorescence and years of scale build-up.
- Doubles as a maintenance cleaner or a neutraliser following strongly alkaline cleaning.
- Compatible with professional hard surface equipment — rotary scrubbers, auto-scrubbers and pressure washers.
Application Areas and Surface Suitability
Suitable for ceramic, porcelain and other man-made tiles, and masonry surfaces. Use with care on sandstone, quarry tiles, terracotta, grout and slate.
Not recommended for acid-sensitive surfaces, including engineered stone, terrazzo, marble, limestone, granite and other natural stone. Avoid contact with all ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Always pre-test in an inconspicuous location for substrate sensitivity before starting.
How to Use
Dilutions
- Mineral scale build-up, efflorescence, cement residues and heavy-duty applications — 1:4 to 1:8 (200 to 110 ml per litre)
- Grout residues and light-duty applications — 1:30 to 1:40 (30 to 20 ml per litre)
Application — heavy duty
- Apply with a mop and bucket, rotary scrubber or auto-scrubber. Apply only to a limited area at a time. Do not allow the solution to dry.
- Scrub thoroughly with an applicable nylon scouring/floor pad or brush.
- Allow 10 to 30 minutes reaction time, then re-agitate.
- Extract or pick up the resultant slurry with extraction equipment.
- Neutralise remaining residues by rinsing thoroughly with a 1:300 solution (30 ml per 10 litres) of Actichem Tile & Grout Cleaner or Proneutro.
Application — light duty
- Apply the diluted solution and scrub thoroughly with the applicable pad or brush.
- Allow 10 to 30 minutes reaction time and re-agitate.
- Rinse well with clean water.
Safety
Grout Restore 60 is the most hazardous of Actichem’s three acid restorers. Read this section before you open the container, even if you use the other two regularly.
Our page previously recorded only “Safety profile: Class 8 Corrosive”. That is a transport classification, and it is not wrong — but a transport class tells you nothing about PPE, first aid or what the product reacts with. The full classification is below.
Grout Restore 60 is classified as a HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL and DANGEROUS GOODS under the Model WHS Regulations and the ADG Code.
- Signal word: DANGER
- H314 — causes severe skin burns and eye damage
- GHS: Skin Corrosion/Irritation Category 1B; Serious Eye Damage Category 1
- HAZCHEM code: 2R
- pH as supplied: less than 1 (the SDS value; our page and Actichem’s both previously stated 1 to 1.5)
- Active: phosphoric acid, 60% w/w, with a proprietary surfactant at less than 10%
- Poisons schedule: Schedule 6 under the WHS classification; listed as Schedule 5 under the SUSMP
This is a genuine step up from Grout Restore 20. Grout Restore 20 is 20% phosphoric acid, signal word WARNING, and classified as an irritant. Grout Restore 60 is 60% phosphoric acid, signal word DANGER, and classified corrosive — it causes irreversible eye damage and burns skin. Do not carry over the handling habits you use for the 20.
Personal protective equipment
The SDS specifies chemical goggles and a full face shield, neoprene or butyl gloves, safety footwear, overalls and a PVC apron, with access to an eye wash unit and a safety shower. The face shield is specified in addition to goggles, not instead of them. Splash risk is highest when decanting and when pressure washing.
First aid
Eyes. Hold the eyelids apart and flush the eye continuously with running water for at least 15 minutes. Obtain medical attention without delay — H314 means eye damage can be permanent.
Skin. Remove contaminated clothing and footwear immediately. Flush the affected area with running water. Seek medical attention.
Metals, Mixing and Reactivity
Metals. The SDS states that Grout Restore 60 is corrosive to aluminium, tin and zinc. Avoid contact with all ferrous and non-ferrous metals. Do not decant into or store in aluminium, galvanised, tin-plated or unlined metal containers. Acid attack on these metals also produces hydrogen, which is flammable, so ventilate confined areas.
Alkali contact liberates heat. The SDS notes that contact with alkali generates heat. The 1:300 neutralising rinse specified in the method is safe because it is dilute. Never pour concentrated alkaline product onto spilled or undiluted Grout Restore 60 to neutralise it — dilute with plenty of water first.
Never mix with chlorine. Mixing any acid with hypochlorite liberates chlorine gas, which causes severe respiratory injury and can be fatal in a confined space such as a shower recess, plant room or pool enclosure. Never mix, and never allow contact in a bucket, drain, extraction tank or on the floor, with:
- Actichem Chlorosan
- Actichem Mould Exterminator
- Actichem Hypo Enforcer working solutions
- Pool chlorine, any hypochlorite sanitiser, and any oxidiser or bleach-based product
Also avoid storage with strong alkalis, oxidising agents and reducing agents. Complete one chemical step, rinse thoroughly with clean water, and use separate clearly labelled equipment before starting the next.
Specifications
| Product code | AP159.05 |
| Pack size | 5 litres |
| Colour | Green |
| Fragrance | None |
| pH as supplied | Less than 1 |
| Active | Phosphoric acid, 60% w/w |
| Dilution — heavy duty | 1:4 to 1:8 |
| Dilution — light duty | 1:30 to 1:40 |
| Dwell time | 10 to 30 minutes |
| WHS classification | Hazardous chemical |
| Signal word | DANGER |
| Hazard statements | H314 |
| HAZCHEM code | 2R |
| Transport | Dangerous goods, corrosive. The SDS states the product is not regulated for transport when packaged in 5 litres or smaller, so this 5 litre pack falls within that exemption. |
| Poisons schedule | Schedule 6 (WHS); Schedule 5 (SUSMP) |
| Incompatible with | Aluminium, tin and zinc; strong alkalis; oxidising and reducing agents; hypochlorite and other chlorine products |
| SDS referenced | Version 4.3, issued 10 July 2025 |
Choosing Between the Acid Restorers
- Actichem Grout Restore 60 15 Ltr — the same product in the bulk pack. Note that 15 litres is above the SDS transport exemption.
- Actichem Grout Restore 20 — 20% phosphoric acid, signal word WARNING, classified as an irritant rather than corrosive. Try this first.
- Actichem Tile & Grout Restore — urea hydrochloride based, low fuming, WARNING. The usual first choice on man-made tile.
- Actichem Tile & Grout Power — alkaline. The correct choice on acid-sensitive stone and for greasy or organic soiling.
- Actichem Proneutro — the neutralising rinse specified in the heavy-duty method above.
Information Documents
SKU: AP159.05
Grout Restore 60 is the strongest acid we stock for tile and grout, and it is corrosive. If you are not certain the substrate will tolerate it, contact Carpet Cleaners Warehouse before you order — a milder product that works is always the better outcome than a strong one that etches the floor.
