Adhesive & Lacquer Remover is a solvent-based agent designed to remove a broad spectrum of resin-based compounds such as paint lacquers, nail polish, adhesives, chewing gum and glues.
Important: A Danger-Classified Solvent
Stelco's Australian safety data sheet classifies this product as hazardous with the signal word Danger. It contains toluene (25–35%) and dichloromethane (methylene chloride, under 10%). The hazard statements include highly flammable liquid and vapour (H225), may damage fertility or the unborn child (H360), suspected of causing cancer (H351), may cause drowsiness or dizziness (H336) and may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways (H304).
- Obtain and read the SDS before use (P201, P202). Anyone who is pregnant or planning a pregnancy should not use it without advice.
- Use only with good ventilation. The SDS calls for an organic vapour respirator where there is an inhalation risk, and warns vapour is heavier than air — do not work in confined spaces or leave vapour pooling in low areas.
- No ignition sources: pilot lights, heaters, smoking, and switching electrical equipment on or off near the vapour.
- Chemical goggles and impervious gloves. Check the SDS for glove material before you buy gloves.
Resin-Based Compounds
Paint lacquers, nail polish and similar resins do not respond to water-based chemistry at all — they need a solvent that will dissolve the resin itself.
Test the Backing, Not Just the Face
Strong solvents can affect latex backing and adhesives as well as the face fibre. On glued-down carpet and on rugs with a coated back, keep the product in the pile and out of the backing, and use as little as will do the job.
A Textile Spotting Range
Stelco Chemicals International (Rowville, Victoria) supply this range for professional textile and dry-cleaning spotting, and their safety data sheets give that as the recommended use. Carpet and upholstery cleaners use the same chemistry on the spot, but a spotting board and a steam gun are not the same as a carpet in a client's home — rinse and extract thoroughly, and keep solvent out of the backing.
Specifications (from the Australian SDS)
| Supplier | Stelco Chemicals International Pty Ltd, Rowville VIC |
|---|---|
| SDS recommended use | Dry cleaning spotting agent |
| Signal word | Danger |
| Main ingredients | Toluene 25–35%, n-butyl acetate 20–30%, ethyl acetate 10–15%, dichloromethane under 10% |
| Dangerous goods | UN 1993, Class 3 Flammable Liquid, Packing Group II |
| Pack size | 5 L |
| SDS version | 1.5, issued 7 July 2023 |
| CCW SKU | STCADH05 |
Method Matters More Than the Product
Apply to a white towel rather than pouring onto the carpet where you can. Work from the outside of the spot inward so you do not spread it. Tamp or agitate gently rather than scrubbing — scrubbing distorts pile and leaves a permanent mark that is more visible than the original stain.
Rinse and extract afterwards. Spotter residue left in the pile attracts soil, and the spot comes back as a dark patch a fortnight later — which the customer reads as your work failing.
Before You Use It
Read the safety data sheet for this product and follow it. Solvent-based spotters in particular require ventilation and appropriate gloves — check the SDS for the glove material, because it is not always the same across products.
Always test on an inconspicuous area first. Fibre, dye and backing all react differently, and a spotter that is safe on nylon is not automatically safe on wool or on a solution-dyed synthetic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will it remove dried paint?
It is designed for lacquers and resins. For paint specifically, Stelco also make Instant Paint Remover and Oily Type Paint Remover. Cured paint often cannot be fully removed without taking dye with it.
Is it safe on wool?
Test first. Solvents do not affect wool the way alkalis do, but dyes and backings vary.
Why the dangerous goods surcharge?
It is a Class 3 flammable liquid, so it ships as dangerous goods.
Information Documents
DG Shipping Surcharge AppliesOther Stelco Spotters
- Stelco Blood Remover 5Ltr
- Stelco General Formula 5Ltr
- Stelco Instant Paint Remover 5Ltr
- Stelco Oily Type Paint Remover 5Ltr
- Stelco Safe Silk Spotter 5Ltr NVDS
- Stelco Tan Off 5Ltr
- Stelco Spotting Solutions
Not sure which spotter the stain calls for? Tell us what it is, what the fibre is and what has already been tried, and we will talk it through — the wrong first move on a spot is much harder to recover from than the spot itself.
