Actichem Red Fix 500ml kit

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Product Overview Actichem Red Fix is a two-part reducing stain remover for the colour stains that ordinary spotters cannot touch. It is the tool for synthetic red and orange dye — cordial, sports drinks, red wine, food colouring, children's medicine — and it also works on tannin staining and cellulosic browning. Red Fix does not dissolve the stain. It destroys the colour. Sodium metabisulphite, activated at the moment of mixing, reduces the dye molecule and breaks the part of it that carries colour. That is why it succeeds where detergents, solvents and enzyme spotters fail, and it is also why it has to be handled and rinsed properly. The kit is supplied as two separate components with a mixing bottle. Activated metabisulphite has a short working life, so Part A and Part B are kept apart until you need them and mixed one to one immediately before use. Which pack size do I need? 500 ml kit (AP499.005) — the spotting-kit size. Right for a van kit and occasional red work. 5 litre kit (AP499.05) — the volume size for operators doing regular red removal or working across multiple crews. Both kits are the same chemistry at the same strength. Only the volume differs. How Red Fix Actually Works Most spotters try to lift a stain out of the fibre. A reducing stain remover works differently. Sodium metabisulphite donates electrons to the dye molecule and breaks its chromophore — the conjugated structure that absorbs light and produces the colour you can see. The molecule is still in the fibre afterwards, but it is no longer coloured. Two practical consequences follow from that, and both matter on the job. Speed depends on chemistry, not scrubbing. Some dyes reduce within five minutes. Others need the full thirty. Agitating harder will not speed up a reaction that is waiting on dwell time, and it will fuzz the pile. Rinsing is part of the process, not an optional finish. Because the dye molecule remains in the fibre, an area left loaded with unrinsed reducing agent can occasionally show partial colour return over the following weeks as the chemistry reverses. Thorough rinsing after treatment is the practical defence, and it also removes residue that would react badly with the next product applied to that area. Why Professionals Choose It It removes colour, not soil. Red dye stains are a colour problem. Red Fix addresses them directly rather than trying to wash out something that is chemically bonded. Controlled activation. The two-part format means you activate only what you need, when you need it, at full strength. Broader than red. It also decolourises juice, coffee, tea, alcoholic drinks, cool drinks, cellulosic browning and many food stains. Works on natural and synthetic fibres — subject to pre-testing. See the limits set out below. Safety Information — Please Read Before Ordering Actichem's own product listing describes Red Fix as non-hazardous. Actichem's current safety data sheet for Red Fix Part A does not. It classifies Part A as DANGER. Where a manufacturer's marketing material and their own safety data sheet disagree on a safety point, Carpet Cleaners Warehouse publishes the stricter reading. The classification below is taken directly from the Part A safety data sheet, version 2.2, issued 25 September 2025. Classification — Red Fix Part A Signal word: DANGER H318 — Causes serious eye damage. Serious Eye Damage Category 1. This is not eye irritation. It is the top eye category. AUH031 — Contact with acid liberates toxic gas. The gas is sulphur dioxide. Poisons Schedule: not applicable Not regulated for transport of dangerous goods What that means on site Eye protection is not optional. Chemical goggles, or safety glasses with unperforated side shields. A single splash of Part A in an unprotected eye is a Category 1 eye damage event. Have running water available. Actichem specifies an eyewash unit. In a domestic job that means knowing where the nearest tap is before you open the bottle. Never mix Red Fix with an acid. Acid contact liberates sulphur dioxide. That includes acidic rinse agents, acidic tannin spotters, rust removers and toilet or tile acids. Rinse the area thoroughly before any acid product goes near it. Never mix Red Fix with bleach, hydrogen peroxide or any oxidiser. Reducing agents and oxidisers neutralise each other at best, and react at worst. Do not combine Red Fix with peroxide-based stain removers in the same treatment. Ventilate. Part A has a pungent sulphide odour and thermal decomposition produces sulphur oxides. Actichem lists an occupational exposure standard for sodium metabisulphite of 5 mg/m³ TWA. Natural ventilation is adequate in most circumstances, which means opening the room up rather than working a closed bathroom. Protective clothing. Actichem specifies overalls and a PVC apron. Part B safety data sheet Actichem currently publishes a safety data sheet for Red Fix Part A only. We have not been able to obtain a current sheet for Part B, and the sheet for Part A does not cover Part B or the mixed solution. Carpet Cleaners Warehouse has raised this with Actichem. Until a Part B sheet is issued, treat the mixed solution with at least the same caution as Part A, and do not rely on the Part A sheet for a Part B risk assessment. If your safe work method statement for Red Fix was written on the basis that this product is non-hazardous, it needs to be redone. Applications Red and orange dye stains on carpet and upholstery — cordial, sports drinks, soft drinks, red wine, food colouring, children's medicine Coffee, tea and other tannin staining Cellulosic browning Juice, alcoholic beverage and food stains where colour remains after normal cleaning How to Use Read and understand the safety data sheet before use. Always pre-test in an inconspicuous location for substrate sensitivity. Some fabrics and delicate carpets will lose colour. Mixing Mix equal amounts of Part A and Part B in the mixing bottle provided. Mix only what you will use — the activated solution does not keep. Application Extract as much of the stain as possible first, with extra dry vacuum strokes. Red Fix works on what is left, so removing the bulk of the spill first improves the result and reduces how much product you need. Apply the mixed solution directly to the stain and agitate briefly. Allow 10 to 30 minutes reaction time. Some stains respond in 5 to 10 minutes; others need the full 30. Extract, or blot with a clean white absorbent cloth. Do not rub. Rinse the area with clean water or Rinse Pro. Do not skip this step. Using heat on stubborn stains Stubborn stains may respond to heat. This is where damage happens, so it is worth being deliberate about it. Apply Red Fix to the affected area and agitate gently with a brush. Cover the area with a damp white terry towel. Iron over the towel cautiously with a steam iron. Only heat as much as is needed to create dye transfer onto the towel. Lift the towel and check whether colour has transferred. Move to a clean patch of towel and repeat. Watch continuously for colour loss in the carpet. Rinse the area with clean water or Rinse Pro. Take extreme caution not to burn or overheat the carpet. Heat accelerates the reduction reaction, which is the point — but it accelerates it on the carpet's own dye as well as on the stain, and synthetic pile will glaze or melt under a stationary iron. Keep the iron moving, keep the towel between the iron and the carpet, and stop as soon as transfer stops improving. What Red Fix Will Not Do Being clear about the limits saves a wasted call-back. It will not restore colour that has already been lost. A bleach spot, an acne-medication spot or a benzoyl peroxide mark is missing dye, not added dye. Reducing it further does nothing. That is a colour repair job, not a spotting job. It will not remove rust. Rust is iron oxide staining and needs an acid-based rust remover — which must never be applied over unrinsed Red Fix. It will not fix ink, dye transfer from a rug, or permanent marker reliably. Those are solvent problems. It is not a substitute for extraction. If the spill is still wet and heavy, extract it first. Mistakes to Avoid Skipping the pre-test. Wool, silk, viscose and fine printed fabrics can lose colour. Pre-test every time, in a hidden area, and let it dry before judging. Mixing more than you need. Activated metabisulphite has a short working life. Mixed solution left in the bottle from last week is not the same product. Not rinsing. Unrinsed residue is the main cause of colour return and the main cause of a bad reaction with the next chemical used on that area. Reaching for the iron first. Give the chemistry its dwell time before adding heat. Most stains that will move, move without heat. Following Red Fix with an acid rinse or a peroxide spotter. Rinse thoroughly with water first, then decide. Working a closed-up bathroom or a small unventilated room without opening it up. Technical Specifications Product code AP499 Format Two-part kit with mixing bottle Mixing ratio 1:1, Part A to Part B Active chemistry Sodium metabisulphite (reducing agent) pH — Part A concentrate 2.5 – 3.0 pH — mixed, ready to use 5.0 – 6.0 Appearance — Part A Clear colourless liquid Odour — Part A Pungent sulphide Solubility Miscible in water Signal word (Part A) DANGER Hazard statements (Part A) H318; AUH031 Poisons Schedule Not applicable Dangerous goods Not regulated for transport Fragrance None added Pack size 500 ml kit Composition of Part A, from Actichem's safety data sheet: sodium metabisulphite (CAS 7681-57-4) 10 – Show more