Bubble Tea Chain Milksha Giving Out Free ‘Naturally-Derived’ Disinfectant

With the coronavirus outbreak getting more intense by the day, anxious Singaporeans have been frantically stocking up on (some say hoarding) masks and hand sanitisers. Needless to say, these items are in short supply across the island. But, there’s always a silver lining in every cloud — besides mask vigilantes giving out free masks, now, Taiwanese bubble tea chain Milksha, which opened its first outlet here last year, is also being civic-minded by giving away 50ml of free disinfectant to each person.

Selected Milksha outlets (see below for full list) will be giving away a hypochlorous (HOCl) acid-based disinfectant, no purchase of drinks required. Take note that it’s liquid and not a hand gel. The disinfectant may be alcohol-free and non-toxic, but the naturally-produced acid purportedly kills “99.99% of bacteria and viruses upon contact.” In fact, it’s simply water that’s been ionised and added with other ingredients to generate potent hypocholorous acid (HOCl) at a neutral pH for safe sterilisation”, using a machine. According to Milksha’s PR rep, HOCl is widely used in the F&B industry to ensure cleanliness and can even be sprayed onto food and is safe for use on hands. It’s a generous gesture from Milksha, though one should note that its efficacy may not be as powerful as a hand sanitiser containing 70% alcohol and chlorhexidine. But we imagine this might be useful to some extent for sterilising cups and utensils when dining out.

Simply grab yourself an opaque bottle and approach Milksha staff to fill it with 50ml of the disinfectant. Why opaque? According to Milksha’s PR rep, the bottle must be opaque in order to prevent sunlight from entering it as this “will kick-start the photosynthesis process and alter the liquid's chemical compounds”. This will diminish the levels of HOCl, rendering it less effective as a disinfectant. And here’s how to disinfect your hands with this liquid: Pour enough of it to cover your hands and rub thoroughly. Then leave it to air-dry.

No catch — there’s no need to purchase any drinks or ‘like’ any social media pages. Just bring along an opaque bottle (plastic or glass is fine) to receive 50ml of disinfectant per pax, while stocks last. As of February 7 at 3pm, there are still available stocks at all four Milksha outlets.

1. Novena Square

Address: #02-51/52, Velocity @ Novena Square, 238 Thomson Road, S307683

Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm daily

2. Paya Lebar Quarter

Address: #03-25, Paya Lebar Quarter, 10 Paya Lebar Road, S409057

Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm daily

3. Funan Mall

Address: #B1-25, Funan, 109 North Bridge Road, S179105

Opening Hours: 12pm to 9:30pm daily

4. Suntec City Mall (Flagship store)

Address: #02-375/376, Suntec City Mall, 3 Temasek Boulevard, S038983

Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm daily

A machine that produces disinfectant using water is sold via this website, Kemp Trading, for $399 if you think it’s effective. It’s a smaller-grade version of the one Milksha uses and ideal for home use. According to its website: “Disinfectant is generated in 5 minutes with one touch of a button.” Too good to be true? You decide.

Photo: Milksha & Kemp Trading