
It is a global phenomenon. Across the world, cleaning products manufacturers and cleaning companies are struggling to meet the constant demand for disinfection services. At the same time, companies are bringing in new generations of cleaning products that are cost-effective, sustainable, and redefine the very concept of disinfecting!
Take, for instance, SIQURA™. SIQURA™ is a worldleading surface disinfectant and protectant that is manufactured in Australia. Its local arm is SIQURA™ Middle East, which is responsible for the education, deployment and regional supply of SIQURA™ products in the Middle East market. SIQURA™ is the result of an amalgamation of decades of R&D on resilient antimicrobial surface coatings. Today, SIQURA™ products protect hands for up to 24 hours and surfaces for up to 30 days after just one application.
Amine Ben, Director, SIQURA™ Middle East, says, “Most traditional disinfectants evaporate within 5 minutes, leaving surfaces vulnerable to recontamination; that’s only half the job done. With an estimated 80% of infectious diseases occurring due to contact spread through hands and surfaces, its time for a new approach to surface sanitisation.”
SIQURA™ is the next generation of cleaning product. Designed with its world-leading QuatLock™ technology, all SIQURA™ products are a three-in-one solution. They clean, disinfect and provide long-lasting protection — actively defending surfaces against the microbes that come their way.”
How disinfecting has changed
Disinfection is now, by default, a service provided in any cleaning contract; its value has only increased this year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the market for disinfection was relatively small. In fact, disinfection was focused on mainly in high-risk spaces such as kitchens, labs, hospitals and certain public areas; a majority of businesses did not take disinfection seriously. But, now with the pandemic, there has been a serious shift in people’s perception of disinfection. And the demand for such services and products will continue to increase.
SIQURA™ vs. other disinfectants
Traditionally disinfectants use the leaching method to disinfect. In this method, the microbe will leach on to the antimicrobial and get poisoned. SIQURA™ products use a non-leaching method. The process involves a physical action - spearing and puncturing the microbe’s cell wall. When this interaction takes place, nothing is transferred between the two. The entire process takes place through a very small electrical interaction, rather like a pin popping a balloon; and this electrical charge remains on the surface. Hence, the SIQURA™ antimicrobial remains bonded to the surface and repeats the same action, which is why SIQURA™ is able to last for up to 30 days on surfaces and 24 hours on hands.
Overall impact of using SIQURA™
Because SIQURA™ need not be applied as frequently as traditional disinfectants, both time and money are saved. If one were to match the protection of SIQURA™ using traditional disinfectants, one would have to disinfect and sanitize surfaces every - at the very minimum - 10 minutes. Over a period of one month that would involve disinfecting surfaces 4,320 times to match what SIQURA™ does in one application.
The antimicrobial component of SIQURA™ is derived from coconut oil. The active ingredients in SIQURA™ have been recommended by the WHO, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Singapore National Environmental Agency and many more, for their effectiveness against COVID-19. Furthermore, SIQURA™ products have undergone testing against a human coronavirus and proven to be effective in killing the virus on the surface in under one minute. SIQURA™ has also been tested against a wide range of viruses and pathogens including MHV1.
Current demand for long-term disinfection
The UAE has always been a leader in the region and globally when it comes to accepting new technologies and ideas. And, it has embraced the idea of longlasting disinfection. But, the industry in general is always skeptical of revolutionary products. Amine says, “In the beginning, it really took some education to help stakeholders understand the shift in technology - that there is a better and more efficient way to disinfect. Once people began to understand and realize that these are reliable, available and resilient solutions, they understood the value of these products over traditional disinfectants and were happy to make the switch.”
Applications of SIQURA™ are limitless - it bonds to surfaces, textiles and skin without damaging them.
- Hospitality
- Childcare
- Aged & Disability Care
- Schools
- Offices
- Gymnasiums
- Food Preparation
- Animal Care
- Washrooms
- General Household
- Public Transport
- Airports
- Walls & Floors
- Places of Worship
- Textiles
- Labs
- Agriculture
Part of the acceptance process was to go through regulatory approvals across the UAE. SIQURA™ has been tested against a wide range of standards BSEN 1276, BSEN 13624, BSEN 14476, BSEN 13697, BSEN 14476, ASTM 2149, ASTM 1053, AOAC HARD SURFACE CARRlER TEST 991.47/48/49, lSO 22196–2011, BSEN 13697:2001, and many more. “We believe SIQURA™ is currently the only product in the world that is backed by a ministry of health (Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration) with a claim of 'Siqura Surface Protectant is a hard surface disinfectant that forms a protective polymer to provide residual efficacy on high touch surfaces for up to 24 hours and low touch surfaces for up to 30 days.
It is effective against a broad range of bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus hirer, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella choleraesuis, Murine hepatitis virus (MHV) -1 and Human Coronavirus E229, including COVID-19.’,” claims Amine. Amine iterates, “If companies are not using products like SIQURA™, they’re simply not disinfecting as well as they should be. What they are doing is spot treatments throughout the day.
Traditional disinfectants only protect you at the time of application, and that surface is no longer protected after that disinfectant has evaporated, usually within a 2 minute window. You are, as a result, putting your environment at risk by allowing all surfaces to be exposed to immediate recontamination through touch, landed air droplets, etc. Moreover, you’re simply behind in terms of technology and protection of your environment.”
Features of SIQURA™
- Up to 30 days protection on surfaces and 24 hrs on hands
- More than 500 independent microbial challenge tests
- Safe and non toxic, non carcinogenic, no bleach, no chlorine
- Will not damage surfaces and furniture
- Excellent efficacy against a wide range of microbes, fast rate of kill and no resistance
- Safe to use around children and pets
- Pre-mixed and ready to use (no need for dilution)
- Easy to apply - simply spray and let dry
- Friendly to a variety of application methods such as fogging
- Cost-effective product that reduces chemical waste and cost through less frequent applications
- Long shelf–life
- Eco friendly
SIQURA™ is approved with:
- Dubai Municipality
- ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology)
- ATGA (Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration
- US EPA (Active ingredient)
- ECHA (Active ingredient) European Chemicals Agency
THE MARRIAGE BETWEEN SERVICE AND PRODUCT
SIQURA™ in the Middle East is par t of a parent company that also owns Judux - a hygiene services specialist that was started in 2013 with primary focus on sanitisation and disinfection. Ayham Takouz, Business Development Manager, Judux, talks about this collaboration of service and product.
About the company
Judux is an ISO 45001/14001/9001 cer tified company with special focus on disinfection and sanitisation. With 5 offices across 3 continents, we are experts in this field and have been in business since 2013, with a focus on sanitisation and disinfection. We are the trusted partner of many international organizations. Our method of disinfection stands apart from the rest not only for its quality and effectiveness but also with regard to savings for our customers’ bottom line.
Below are a few simple bullet points about our services
1. Direct and indirect cost saving using world-class products and technologies.
2. Our customers save, on average, 20% to 30% by hiring Judux as their disinfectant and sanitisation service provider.
3. Dual application method to ensure maximum complete surface coverage. We use ULV cold dry fogging & charged sprayer applications.
4. On-site swab tests; before and after services.
5. We only use products that have long lasting protection, which reduces the cost of consumables and operations for our clients.
6. 24-hour support line for COVID-19 positive cases.
7. Registered service specialist for both positive and preventative COVID-19 disinfection.
8. Trusted disinfection partner of Abu Dhabi Department of Culture & Tourism, RTA, EMAAR, FED EX International, and many more.
We have supported companies by providing disinfection services, education on disinfection, and we were also part of the national disinfection drive in assisting The National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority. As a company, Judux is always up to date with the latest technologies and materials related to disinfection and sanitisation services.
Judux’s Services
- Sanitisation and disinfection for both preventative and positive case COVID disinfection
- HVAC Duct Cleaning
- Mold Remediation and Removal
- Indoor Air Quality Test
- Kitchen Hood Cleaning
- Water Tank & Pipeline Disinfection
Collaboration with SIQURA™
Once we understood what SIQURA™ is and how it functions, it was simply a no-brainer to switch to SIQURA™ and stop the continued use of existing products. What we like most about the team at SIQURA™ is that the product itself has undergone extensive research and development and rigorous testing.
Client response
We have had an overwhelming response to this product, and many leading companies and government entities now use SIQURA™ as their disinfectant of choice. Some of the leading entities include Emaar, RTA, Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism.
Training
Training is provided to our staff to ensure they handle and apply the product correctly. They are trained in the use of application machines, the use of SIQURA™, proper safety measures and industry best practices.
Challenges
The pandemic caught a lot of people by surprise, and it really forced people into a world they were unfamiliar with. As experts in this field, it’s our job to educate people on disinfection. Suddenly, stakeholders in large companies were responsible for disease control and pandemic control. A lot of these stakeholders did not have the experience or qualifications to make informed decisions on the right products to use to keep a workplace safe in this current environment; so a lot of the information was provided by us and obviously through organisations like the WHO and CDC.
Part of our challenge is education. People tend to be a little reluctant in accepting new technologies due to perhaps a lack of belief in their functionality. However, once they are informed and provided with sufficient research, evidence, regulatory approvals, and they begin to understand the science; they’re quite accepting and adopting of a new technology.
Overall, SIQURA™ and Judux have been spreading the word about long-lasting disinfection solutions in the region and are being accepted by major facilities looking for cutting-edge new solutions.