The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for more than half of a year. Sanitizing products are required to deliver immediate effects and be toxin-free. Sterilization, however, is only the minimum requirement. The latest sanitizing technology promises long-lasting effects in both disinfection and virus prevention.
Professional use sanitizing products entering the retail sectors
A sanitizing product named Ensure Guard has gained wide popularity online from celebrity endorsement. It is a natural yet highly effective disinfectant that shields surfaces with a nano protective coating that repels viruses. Ensure Guard was brought to Hong Kong by Anthony Chow, an expert in air purification and environmental sanitization. He has spent over 20 years serving airports, medical centres, shopping malls, public space and offices. Encouraged by his commercial clients to expand the product market to reach households and the retail sectors, Anthony introduced Ensure Guard to the retail market around two years ago in a low-profile manner: mainly marketed via word of mouth. Ensure Guard immediately became a best-kept secret among fans of holistic living; but for the general public, it was not until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and more than one high-end jewellery brands gave away Ensure Guard to their VIP customers as gifts, did it catch on and become the latest sought-after essential.
New-era sanitizing technology
According to Anthony, unlike the traditional disinfection technology, the new-era sanitizing products should meet the following requirements:
(1) Achieve 99.99% disinfection and sterilization;
(2) Include only natural ingredients;
(3) Non-toxic to humans and animals;
(4) Have long-lasting anti-viral and anti-bacterial effects.
Supported by a whole pile of recognitions and certificates, Ensure Guard has been proven to be effective in eradicating 99.99% or more of viruses and bacteria, including hand, foot and mouth disease, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, H1N1, H3N2, corona family of virus including SARS and MERS, mold and bacteria. COVID-19, SARS and MERS all stem from the coronavirus family series. As such, Ensure Guard should also effectively kill COVID-19. The ingredients are all natural and do not contain any arsenic, heavy metals, halogens, phenols, formaldehyde or pesticides. However, Anthony reminded us that, “When we talk about ‘natural ingredients’, it does not necessarily mean that they are non-toxic to humans and animals!” Therefore, ingestion, inhalation and skin tests were run to check possible side effects of Ensure Guard. The product is proven to be harmless to humans, animals, plants and the environment. The 0% Oral Toxicity Certifications reinforced the safety to use on cooking and food utensils.
Long-lasting sanitizing effect
Similar products do not boast the same long-lasting sanitizing effect. It is also hard to believe something harvested from Nature can have such magical results. It turns out that the sanitizing, antiviral and antibacterial abilities stem from a scientific leap: nanotechnology. Anthony explained, “Typical bacterial cells have a negative charge. Since Ensure Guard is a cationic polymer with a positive charge, it will very quickly bind to the surface of a negatively charged bacterium, then disintegrate its cellular wall and enter the cytoplasm. To put it into simpler words, Ensure Guard ‘blasts’ bacteria and ‘destroys’ them.” Virus makes up a different story. They are not microorganisms so they do not have cells. Instead, they survive on attacking and invading human cells. The proprietary technology in Ensure Guard can inhibit viral attacks and kill viruses. With nanotechnology, Ensure Guard also leaves a nano film coating on an object after disinfecting it for lasting and continuous protection.
A perk of commercial products is that they have been tested vigorously for quality control. One time, Anthony applied Ensure Guard onto a bacteria-infested escalator handrail. Even after rounds of cleaning with soap, the antiviral layer remained intact – imagine this handy function at home on a daily basis! He elaborated, “In a lab environment, the long-lasting protection can last up to 30 days. During then, disinfected objects cannot cultivate any bacteria and viruses. Yet in real life, I suggest keeping up with your normal cleaning routine after using Ensure Guard as failing to clean your homeware for 30 days is simply poor hygienic practice – the nano film coating will not be damaged from cleaning anyway! Apart from furniture, doorknobs, toys, stationery and other daily objects, we should also spray Ensure Guard onto our hands, masks and clothes before going out for prevention purposes. Remember, Ensure Guard is most effective when applied onto a dry surface so make sure to dry your hands after washing them before application for optimal protection. While the coating will not be washed away throughout the day, skin cells peel off constantly due to metabolism. This means protection on our hands and the rest of our body only lasts for 24 hours.”
The most overlooked bacterial hub at home
The interview would be incomplete if I did not take the chance to ask a sanitizing expert about the most overlooked spot in our homes. His answer was the air conditioner. Anthony said, “They are used throughout summer. But how often do you deep clean your air conditioners? Even when you clean it, you may only clean the dust screen. Due to high humidity in Hong Kong, bacteria growth is expected to be high. Dirt easily accumulates in air conditioners, so disinfection is critical.”
To transform professional products into consumer-grade goods, Anthony has put in extra effort in developing its applications, intended to make Ensure Guard more user-friendly to be applied at home, in an office, a car or even on the go. If you are interested in this new-generation sanitizing product, please log into yellowbus.shoplineapp.com to learn more.
