Actichem Instastrip 15 ltr

Product Overview

Instastrip is a total floor stripper and coating remover. It is a heavy-duty stripper designed to remove polish build-up, wax, sealers and UHS burnished finishes, for use with powered scrubbing machinery on a wide variety of floor surfaces. It is exceptionally effective even at high dilution, which makes it the economical choice for routine coating removal. This 15 litre pack is the production size for contractors running regular strip-and-seal work.

The key difference between our two heavy strippers: Instastrip is safe on vinyl and most resilient floors. Power Strip is not — it is a solvent stripper for stone, concrete and terrazzo and will damage vinyl and linoleum. Choose by substrate first, strength second.

Recommended Applications

Instastrip is safe for use on vinyl and most resilient floors, and quickly softens and emulsifies old, worn and discoloured finishes for easy removal.

Instastrip must not be used to remove sealer and polish finishes from sealed timber floors, as it may affect the timber seal and require sanding to rectify the floor.

Benefits

• Ultra low foam — the low-foaming formulation ensures extraction machinery is not damaged by foam entering the vacuum motors.
• Fast action — begins to liquefy coating immediately on contact with the surface.
• Labour saving — minimal scrubbing is required, so time and labour are minimised.
• Versatile — suitable on vinyl, linoleum and resilient floors.
• Low odour — no harsh ammonia fumes or high-VOC solvents.

How to Use

1. Read and understand the SDS before use.
2. Always pre-test in an inconspicuous location.
3. Use at 1:10 for light build-ups, up to 1:4 for heavy build-up and UHS burnished coatings.

Directions

1. Sweep the area thoroughly to remove any soiling that could damage the floor if caught under scrubbing equipment.
2. Apply the solution liberally with a cotton mop, ensuring the area is thoroughly wet. Always work in small, controllable areas.
3. Allow at least 5 minutes dwell time, then agitate with a low-speed rotary scrubber or auto-scrubber fitted with a black, brown or high-productivity pad.
4. Be careful that the area does not dry out on the surface.
5. After scrubbing, pick up the slurry and rinse thoroughly with clean water so that all stripper and sealer residues are removed.
6. Allow the floor to dry before proceeding with the restoration process, and re-strip any areas still carrying polish build-up or missed in the first pass.

Safety

Our page has always carried “Safety profile: Class 8 Corrosive” and the dangerous-goods shipping note. Both are correct — but a transport class tells you nothing about PPE, first aid or what the product reacts with, and the published pH was understated. The full classification is below.

Instastrip is classified as a HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL and DANGEROUS GOODS under the Model WHS Regulations and the ADG Code. It is a Poisons Schedule 6 substance.

• Signal word: DANGER
• H314 — causes severe skin burns and eye damage
• H290 — may be corrosive to metals
• GHS: Skin Corrosion/Irritation Category 1B; Serious Eye Damage Category 1; Metal Corrosion Category 1
• HAZCHEM code: 2R
• pH as supplied: 13 to 14 — our page previously said 12
• Actives: monoethanolamine 10 to less than 30%; ethylene glycol monobutyl ether 10 to less than 30%; sodium hydroxide below 10%
• Transport: UN1760, Class 8, Packing Group II, proper shipping name “CORROSIVE LIQUID, N.O.S. (contains sodium hydroxide and monoethanolamine)”. Limited quantity 1 litre — this 15 litre drum travels as regulated dangerous goods.

“Low odour” is not the same as low hazard. Instastrip is genuinely more pleasant to use than an ammoniated stripper — that is a real benefit and it is why people like it. It is also caustic soda and ethanolamine at pH 13 to 14. The absence of a smell removes the warning, not the hazard.

Personal protective equipment

The SDS specifies elbow-length butyl or neoprene gloves, chemical goggles, overalls and a PVC apron, with access to an eyewash unit and a safety shower. Use warning signage — a wet stripper floor is both slippery and corrosive to anyone who walks onto it. Decanting from a 15 litre drum is the highest-splash operation; do it at bench height with the apron on.

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.

Skin. Remove contaminated clothing and footwear immediately and flush with large amounts of water. Caustic burns are often painless at first and deepen over minutes — a splash that does not sting still needs flushing and attention.

Metals, Storage and Mixing

“Corrosive to all metals.” That is the SDS wording, and H290 is on the label. Do not decant into or store in metal containers, do not leave the solution standing on metal thresholds, drains, trims or machine frames, and rinse equipment thoroughly after use.

“Do not store near acids or oxidising agents.” Never mix, and never allow contact in a bucket, auto-scrubber tank, drain or on the floor, with:

• Actichem Grout Restore 60, Grout Restore 20, Tile & Grout Restore, Crete Clean or Rust Remover — strong acid meeting strong alkali releases heat fast enough to boil and spit
• Actichem Perox and any other oxidiser
• Actichem Chlorosan, Mould Exterminator, pool chlorine or any hypochlorite

Sequencing a strip and an acid restore on the same floor is normal practice and is fine — provided you complete one, pick up the slurry, rinse thoroughly with clean water, and use separate clearly labelled equipment before starting the other.

Specifications

Choosing Between the Strippers

• Actichem Instastrip 5L — the same product in the smaller pack
• Actichem Power Strip — solvent stripper for solvent sealers and burnish build-up on stone, concrete and terrazzo. Not for vinyl or linoleum. DANGER, H314, benzyl alcohol 30–60%.
• Actichem Solv Strip — the mildest of the three. WARNING rather than DANGER, H319 and H335 only, and not classified as dangerous goods. Worth trying first where the coating will yield to it.
• Actichem Tile & Grout Cleaner LF — the low-foam machine cleaner for the maintenance clean after stripping

The short version: vinyl and resilient → Instastrip. Stone, concrete and terrazzo → Power Strip. Light coatings and the lowest hazard → Solv Strip. Sealed timber → none of them.

Safety Data Sheet

Actichem Instastrip Safety Data Sheet — version 2.4, issued 31 July 2025

SKU: AP400.15

DG shipping surcharge applies.

Not sure which stripper suits your floor, or whether the existing coating will lift at 1:10? Contact Carpet Cleaners Warehouse before you order. Stripping the wrong floor with the wrong product is an expensive way to find out.