Actichem Tile and Grout Cream 5L

Product Overview

Actichem Tile & Grout Cream is a thickened solvent gel for the hard-surface jobs that water-based cleaners cannot solve — factory wax coatings on porcelain, grout haze, ground-in grease and oil, paint spots, gum, cosmetics and sticky residues on stone, tile, concrete and masonry.

Two things make it work. The first is the solvent blend: heavy hydrotreated naphtha and d-limonene, which dissolve waxes, oils and adhesive residues that detergents simply cannot reach. The second is that it is a gel rather than a liquid, so it stays where you put it — including on a vertical surface — and keeps working through a 10 to 20 minute dwell instead of running off. A fine micro-abrasive gives it mechanical bite for grout haze.

It is a genuinely capable product. It is also, on Actichem's own current safety data sheet, the most hazardous chemical in Actichem's hard-surface range. Please read the safety section below before ordering.

Which pack size do I need?

• 500 ml (AP152.005) — spot work, grout haze on a single job, vertical and detail work.
• 5 litre (AP152.05) — full-floor wax stripping, restoration work and regular commercial use.

Both packs are the same formulation. Note that Actichem's dangerous goods exemption applies to packs of 5 litres or less, which covers both pack sizes offered here.

Important Safety Correction

Until this page was reviewed, Carpet Cleaners Warehouse described Tile & Grout Cream as non-hazardous, with ingredients "selected for their low hazard and non-toxic safety profiles". That was wrong, and we have corrected it. If you have bought this product from us previously and wrote your risk assessment on that basis, please read this section and revise it.

Actichem's current safety data sheet — version 2.3, issued 9 July 2025 — classifies Tile & Grout Cream as follows.

Classification

• Signal word: DANGER
• H360D — May damage the unborn child. Toxic to Reproduction Category 1B. This is the classification that matters most and it is driven by the N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone content.
• H304 — May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways. Aspiration Hazard Category 1.
• H226 — Flammable liquid and vapour. Flammable Liquids Category 3.
• H317 — May cause an allergic skin reaction. Skin Sensitiser Category 1.
• H315 — Causes skin irritation. Skin Corrosion/Irritation Category 2.
• Poisons Schedule 5.

Composition

What this means in practice

• Workers who are pregnant, or who may become pregnant, should not use this product. H360D is a reproductive toxicity classification, not a precaution. N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone is listed in Schedules 5 and 6 of the Poisons Standard. If your crew includes anyone in that position, plan the job around it — this is a substitution decision, not a personal-protective-equipment decision.
• Ventilation is essential, not advisory. Actichem specifies local exhaust ventilation where natural ventilation is poor, and a gas filter for organic compounds or a combination vapour/aerosol filter to AS/NZS 1715 and 1716. Small bathrooms, unventilated commercial kitchens and enclosed plant rooms are exactly where this product is most often used and where the exposure risk is highest. Open the space up, or use forced ventilation.
• Treat it as flammable. H226. Keep it away from heat, sparks, open flame and hot surfaces. Do not use it near a gas hot water service pilot light, a running burnisher motor, or hot work.
• H317 is a sensitiser warning. Repeated skin contact can produce an allergic reaction that then recurs at much lower exposures. Once someone is sensitised to d-limonene, they stay sensitised.
• Never siphon or transfer by mouth, and never decant into a drink container. H304 means a small quantity aspirated into the lungs can be fatal. Keep it in its labelled container.
• Eye and face protection: safety glasses with side shields or chemical goggles. Body: overalls.
• Do not mix with oxidising agents, strong acids, nitrates or chlorine bleach.

Actichem's own product listing now also carries the DANGER classification. Our previous description was simply out of date.

Why Professionals Choose It

• It removes factory wax from porcelain. This is the job it is best known for. New porcelain tile often arrives with a protective wax coating that ordinary cleaners smear rather than remove, leaving a patchy sheen that shows up under raking light. Tile & Grout Cream dissolves it.
• Grout haze. The micro-abrasive content lets it cut cementitious haze without the acid wash that would attack the grout itself.
• It stays put. A gel body means full dwell time on vertical surfaces — shower walls, splashbacks, feature stone, graffiti on masonry — where a liquid degreaser would simply run to the floor.
• Solvent power without an aggressive pH. Because the cleaning is done by solvents rather than caustic, it can be used on marble, limestone and other acid- and alkali-sensitive stone that a strong degreaser would etch or dull.
• It penetrates films. The formulation separates soil and wax films from the substrate so they can be flushed away, rather than emulsifying them into a slurry that redeposits.

Applications

• Factory wax coating removal from porcelain and ceramic tile
• Grout haze removal from tile and stone
• Grease, oil and grime removal from natural stone, polished concrete and tile
• Stain removal from stone, concrete and tile — sticky residues, paint spots, chewing gum, food and drink staining, cosmetics
• Graffiti and adhesive residue on masonry and vertical surfaces
• Deep-set grime and grease on marble, fine stone, porcelain and tile

How to Use

Read and understand the safety data sheet before use. Always pre-test in an inconspicuous location. Ready to use — do not dilute.

Floor surfaces

1. Ventilate the area before you start.
2. Apply Tile & Grout Cream directly to the affected area.
3. Scrub thoroughly with a slow-speed scrubber fitted with a suitable nylon pad or brush.
4. Allow 10 to 20 minutes dwell time for penetration and lifting of oily soils or wax films. Do not let it dry out.
5. Scrub again, then rinse well with clean water or a detergent solution.

Vertical surfaces

1. Apply directly to the surface, or onto a non-scratch nylon scouring pad.
2. Spread over the surface and agitate.
3. Allow 5 to 10 minutes dwell time.
4. Scrub or agitate, then rinse well with clean water.

After the job

Rinse thoroughly. Solvent residue left on a floor will attract soil, can soften some sealers and coatings, and will interfere with any sealer applied afterwards. If you intend to seal the surface, allow it to dry completely and confirm the sealer manufacturer's requirements before application.

Surface Compatibility and Cautions

Actichem lists natural stone, ceramic and porcelain, concrete and masonry, rubber and vinyl as suitable surfaces. Some practical qualifications are worth stating.

• It will remove sealers and coatings as well as wax. That is the same chemistry working. If the floor is sealed and you want to keep the sealer, this is the wrong product. If you are stripping to re-seal, it is the right one.
• Vinyl and rubber: pre-test. Solvent gels can soften some plasticised vinyl and can lift the pattern layer on cheaper sheet vinyl with extended dwell.
• Polished stone: the micro-abrasive is fine, but on a high-gloss honed or polished finish it should be worked with a soft nylon pad rather than an aggressive one, and pre-tested in a hidden area.
• Painted and powder-coated surfaces: it removes paint spots, which means it can also attack the paint you want to keep. Keep it off skirtings, painted door frames and coated aluminium.
• Adjacent carpet and soft furnishings: mask them. A solvent gel on carpet is a difficult problem to reverse.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Using it in an unventilated room. This is the single most common mistake with this product and the most consequential one, given the classification.
• Assuming pH 6 means mild. Actichem publishes a pH of 6 for this product on their marketing material, while the safety data sheet records pH as not applicable — which is correct, because the product is a water-immiscible solvent gel with a relative density of 0.89. There is no meaningful aqueous pH to measure. Do not use the pH figure as a guide to how gentle the product is; the hazard here comes from the solvents, not from acidity or alkalinity.
• Letting it dry on the surface. Dwell means damp, not dry. A dried film is harder to rinse and can leave a residue.
• Skipping the rinse. Solvent residue attracts soil and defeats any sealer applied afterwards.
• Using it as a general-purpose floor cleaner. It is a stripping and spot-removal product. For routine maintenance cleaning of sealed stone, use a neutral cleaner.
• Storing it near ignition sources or in a hot vehicle in an Australian summer. H226.

Technical Specifications

Actichem's safety data sheet records the flash point as "not available" while classifying the product as a Category 3 flammable liquid, which implies a flash point between 23 °C and 60 °C. We have asked Actichem to publish the measured value. Until they do, treat the product as flammable and store it accordingly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a citrus-smelling cream carry a DANGER classification?

The citrus smell is d-limonene, which makes up 30 to 60% of the product. It is a natural terpene solvent, but "natural" and "low hazard" are not the same thing — d-limonene is a skin sensitiser and an aspiration hazard. The reproductive toxicity classification comes from the N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone content, which is present at under 10% and carries no odour at all. A pleasant smell tells you nothing useful about a product's hazard profile.

Is there a safer alternative for routine tile and grout cleaning?

Yes, and for most maintenance work you should be using one. Tile & Grout Cream is a stripping and problem-solving product, not a routine cleaner. For regular cleaning of sealed stone and tile, Actichem Stone Soap or a neutral detergent is the right tool. Reserve this product for wax removal, grout haze and stains that nothing milder will shift.

Can I use it on marble?

Yes — it is one of the reasons the product exists. Because it works by solvent action rather than acid or caustic, it does not etch calcareous stone the way an acidic tile cleaner would. Pre-test on polished finishes and use a soft pad.

Will it damage grout?

It is not acidic, so it does not attack cementitious grout the way an acid haze remover can. It will, however, remove a grout sealer along with everything else. Plan to re-seal.

What ventilation is actually enough?

Actichem specifies local exhaust ventilation where natural ventilation is poor, and respiratory protection with an organic vapour filter to AS/NZS 1715 and 1716. As a working rule: if you can smell it strongly and the room is enclosed, ventilation is not adequate. Open external doors and windows, use a fan to move air out of the space rather than around it, and take breaks outside the area.

Can it be diluted to make it go further or make it milder?

No. It is a gel formulation supplied ready to use. Adding water to a water-immiscible product breaks the gel and does not reduce the hazard of the solvent that remains.

Does the 5 litre pack attract a dangerous goods surcharge?

Actichem's safety data sheet states the product is not regulated for transport of dangerous goods in packs of 5 litres or less, which covers both pack sizes we supply. If a shipping surcharge appears at checkout that you believe is incorrect, contact us before ordering.

Related Products

• Actichem Tile & Grout Cream 500 ml — the same formulation in the other pack size. Identical classification.
• Actichem Stone Soap — the routine maintenance cleaner for sealed stone. Use this for regular work and keep Tile & Grout Cream for the problems.
• Actichem Stone Sealer Pro — the sealer to apply after stripping. Non-hazardous, water based.
• Actichem ProNeutro — neutral cleaner recommended for ongoing maintenance of sealed surfaces.

Summary

Tile & Grout Cream does a job that nothing milder will do: it strips factory wax, grout haze, ground-in grease and adhesive residue from stone, tile, concrete and masonry, on horizontal and vertical surfaces alike, without the acid or caustic attack that would damage the substrate. That capability is worth having in the van.

It is also a Category 1B reproductive toxicant, an aspiration hazard and a flammable liquid, and it was previously listed on this page as non-hazardous. It is the right product for a specific set of jobs, used with proper ventilation, by someone who has read the safety data sheet. It is the wrong product for routine floor maintenance and the wrong product for anyone who is or may become pregnant.

Safety Data Sheet

Actichem Tile & Grout Cream Safety Data Sheet — version 2.3, issued 9 July 2025

If your safe work method statement for this product was written on the basis that it was non-hazardous, it needs to be redone.

SKU: AP152.05

Not sure whether you need a stripper or a maintenance cleaner? Contact Carpet Cleaners Warehouse before you order. On most hard-floor jobs the milder product is the correct one — and where it is not, we would rather you knew what you were handling.