Harnessing the Power of Beneficial Microbes in Household Cleaners

What if you could develop or reformulate your cleaning product using ingredients found in nature and, in the process, make an effective household cleaner that continuously cleans using the power of biology?

Though we can’t see them with the naked eye, microbes are all around us. More numerous than people, plants and insects combined, microbes are highly adaptable to the environments where they live.

Already known for helping improve gut health (think probiotics in yogurt), these beneficial bacteria can also contribute to a healthy home microbiome—meaning not all bacteria are harmful in our environments. Formulators are taking notice of microbes as hero ingredients. More consumers demand more sustainable, eco-friendlier ingredients. They want fewer toxins, artificial additives and harsh chemicals in their homes and lives. These microorganisms offer a natural alternative to conventional cleaning ingredients.


Beneath the Surface

Microbial cleaning challenges the long-standing notion that chemicals like bleach and ammonia are the best way to fight grease and grime, remove stains and eliminate unhealthy germs. Increasing evidence suggests that cleaning with harsh chemicals and over-sanitizing might be killing off even the beneficial bacteria we need in the process of wiping out the harmful ones we don’t.

“The truth is that beneficial, low-risk bacteria far outnumber their high-risk, harmful counterparts. So, wiping out all bacteria—even those that ultimately strengthen our immune systems or balance our home’s microbiome—can come at a high cost,” said Michael Furlan, a scientist studying microbial cleaning methods at Novozymes, a global biotechnology and biosolutions company using microbes and enzymes.

While using microbial cleaners isn’t a new concept, biotechnology is transforming the homecare and industrial cleaning market. Novozymes has put microbes to work in industrial, commercial and municipal applications for decades. Since the company’s inception in the 1940s, Novozymes relied on microorganisms to decontaminate wastewater and bioremediation for oil spill cleanup. But newer discoveries about how and where microbes inhabit our bodies, our homes and the planet continue to drive advances, bringing new methods and technologies to older markets while raising awareness in newer markets, such as consumer product goods like surface cleaners, drain cleaners or stain removers.


Biodegradable, Easy to Use

Microbes can be used in cleaners across a broad range of applications and spaces, from hard surfaces like counters and floors to soft surfaces like carpet and upholstery, to laundry, drains and septic. From home and business to hospitals and hospitality, microbial cleaners have a wide appeal, wherever deep and continuous cleaning is valued. No matter the application, microbes generally work the same way, notes Furlan, who has studied microbes for more than 15 years.

“When conditions are right, meaning sufficient nutrients and moisture are present, microbes germinate from their dormant spore state into their active vegetative state,” he explained. “That’s when they secrete enzymes that degrade a wide variety of organic soils and matter, from oil, grease and food particles in the kitchen to the hidden soils and stains that can be found to linger on surfaces in homes, offices, hotels or even medical and dental offices.”

Rethinking Clean: Four Myths Debunked More consumers and formulators are discovering how microbes can help balance and enhance the microbiome in our homes, businesses and the spaces we enjoy. Microbial cleaners work on the age-old notion that we can use the bacteria in nature to our advantage, essentially reverting to the way nature “cleaned” before consumers could choose from a growing number of chemical-based cleaning products. But with health and hygiene at the forefront of our thinking and conversations, a surprising amount of misinformation remains about germs, microbes and probiotics—and how they function in our world—even as we have access to more information in the digital age. Here are four common misconceptions that Univar Solutions’ and Novozymes’ technical experts have debunked: Microbes are germs, and germs are bad. This myth is widely believed and quickly dispelled, so it’s an excellent place to start. We share our world, buildings, and nearly every conceivable space in the natural world, with the one-cell wonders called microbes, microorganisms known to live and thrive in our bodies. While it’s true that some are harmful, causing infection and illness, the vast majority are harmless, perform vital, beneficial functions like food digestion and production, and have positive effects on the microbiome. Probiotics are for inside the body only. Most people are aware and comfortable with the idea that probiotics improve gut health and wellness, having long accepted the health benefits of probiotic yogurts and fermented food and beverages. But few realize that the same microbiome-enhancing benefits extend to our homes and built environments where microbial-powered products are proliferating faster than, well, cells in a Petri dish. Microbial and other sustainable cleaners don’t clean as well as solvents and surfactants. Not true, say experts at Novozymes, who point out that the cleaning efficacy of microbes is well documented and backed by solid science. In fact, in the case of microbial cleaners, the continuous-cleaning effects lengthen and enhance the clean over traditional chemicals because the active microbes settle into crevices below the surface and continue to “eat” organic soils for a week or longer. Microbes are too expensive for my formulation. While it’s true that microbial ingredients can be a costlier raw ingredient in the short term, they pack plenty of bang for the buck. The naturally-occurring alternative resonates with in-the-know consumers who highly value cleaner, more sustainable options and are willing to pay more for them. Ultimately, end-users appreciate the value of a product that may last longer and clean better.

Long-lasting Cleaning

With microbes in the active state, the beneficial bacteria go to work to naturally deep clean and deodorize. The microbes work on the soil left behind after the initial step when surfactants are wiped away. According to research from Novozymes, the result is a deep clean that can last for days after the initial cleaning, reaching even the tiniest cracks and crevices in hard surfaces in kitchens, in bathrooms, on floors and anywhere dirt accumulates. According to Furlan, cleaning products must be formulated with active microbes to get this continuous cleaning benefit.

While microbes can allow formulators to reduce the traditional chemical ingredients in their products, they can also work in conjunction with mild surfactants to strengthen overall performance. This is good news for formulators in the home and industrial cleaning space, where the microbes can function as an optimizer in the formulation, not necessarily a complete replacement for all surfactants.

So, while microbes are exciting alternatives for companies eager to bring more sustainable cleaning products to market, they also mean product development teams can reformulate existing product lines to help improve their performance and sustainability profile.


The Future of Clean

Microbial cleaners are naturally derived, free from pathogens and safe to handle. They’re natural deodorizers, so they eliminate the need for artificial fragrances. From a marketing standpoint, microbial cleaners can help companies appeal to consumers who highly value environmental benefits while also supporting manufacturers in their sustainability journeys. From a manufacturing standpoint, formulating with biological cleaning aids such as enzymes and microbes can help reduce energy consumption and resource use, requiring fewer raw materials and delivering continuous cleaning action, according to research from Novozymes.

Like many ingredients, not all microbes are created equal, and they won’t work for every application. The right technical expertise and application experience help to maximize successful outcomes.

“As versatile as these biosolutions are in the cleaning space, you can’t just drop microbes into any chemistry and expect them to work,” said Brandon Beyer, a lead chemist at Univar Solutions specializing in homecare and industrial cleaning. “But in the right chemistries and applications, microbial cleaners represent the next generation of clean.”

To learn more about the next generation of biosolutions, contact getstarted@univarsolutions.com. 

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Aaron Lee is global vice president of homecare and industrial cleaning for Univar Solutions. More info: www.univarsolutions.com