Microbes are tiny organisms that live everywhere—in and on the air, soil, water, plants, animals—even us! And most people, especially those who clean, are familiar with antimicrobial products designed to destroy bacteria and germs—i.e., harmful microbes—such as those often connected with flus, disease, and epidemics. Yet not all bugs are bad.

 

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Good (safe) microbes feed on organic contaminants, digesting them and producing enzymes that further degrade the organics (oils, grease, food debris, body waste, and other carbon-based soils) which, in turn, make them even easier for the microbes to digest. This cyclical process continues for as long as favorable conditions, such as moisture and a food supply, exist. If the moisture evaporates and the food source dries up, the microbes go dormant until they are called back into action by water or organic spills.

Lois Davis is marketing manager for Novozymes Biologicals Inc., Salem, VA—a technology company that works with supply companies to develop microbial products for industry. As such, she is used to explaining what microbials are and how they work in easy-to-understand terms.

“Most people understand enzymes and how they work to break down organics,” Davis says. “What we do is work with the actual microbes to produce these enzymes on site. They are like an intelligent, efficient system that, once activated, can detect the organics present, then produce the enzyme necessary to degrade them.”

This degradation process is ongoing. So, unlike ordinary cleaners that are applied and removed—leaving surfaces immediately susceptible to new and overlooked bacteria—the microbes linger in the surface’s pores, continuing to multiply and kill the bad bugs by robbing them of their food source. Better still, these effects are cumulative, which means longer-lasting results and easier subsequent cleaning.
 
Microbes are definitely efficient cleaners. But alone, their digestion process cannot keep pace with today’s relentless rate of contamination. To speed up the digestion process, lower or nontoxic, biodegradable surfactants, emulsifiers, and cleaning chemicals are used as carriers. In addition to providing immediate cleaning capability, these additives accelerate the breakdown of organics and the reproduction of the good microbes.

Of course, like stains and spills themselves, not all microbes are alike. Their environments and food preferences vary.

“Microbes are taken from the natural environment, often sites of contamination where they have developed mechanisms to survive,” Davis says. “So for example, you might look in areas contaminated by hydrocarbons and grease to isolate microbes that break down grease.”

Once the specific microbes are found, they are blended for maximum cleaning efficiency.

“Microbial products include a range of microbes,” Davis explains. “For instance, there is a different mix for grease, for floors, for bathrooms, etc. The products for the different areas are formulated based on the organics that can be expected to be encountered.”

As you might imagine, pairing microbes with the multitudes of organics found in today’s world is no easy task, and one that keeps research teams—including the 700 scientists employed worldwide by Novozymes parent company, Novozymes A/S, Copenhagen, Denmark—more than busy. The complexity of the task also explains industry’s jubilation over such research triumphs as when the right mix of enzymes capable of digesting diverse organics in a cold-wash water environment was discovered for use in laundry detergent. 

Uses

Today, scientists have perfected microbial formulations for cleaning use in three general areas:

• Grease control—drains, grease traps, kitchen floors and surfaces, garage floors…anywhere grease, fats, and oils are present.

 

• Cleaning and odor control—areas where effective long-term cleaning and odor maintenance and prevention are required, including floors, surfaces, carpets, bathroom fixtures, and trash cans—to name but a few.

 

• Wastewater cleanup and water clarification—water and drain lines for sinks and septic systems as well as clarification of aquariums, ponds, and other bodies of water.

While all the scientific data and the areas of usefulness may sound impressive, the question remains: What makes microbial products better than other cleaners used in these areas? Or, in real-world terms, what are the tangible benefits?

Probably the best way to answer this is to examine how the advantages of microbial products apply to some of today’s top cleaning challenges.

Green, Mean & Lean

As the focus on cleaning’s impact—both positive and negative—on human and environmental health intensifies, retailers are under increasing pressure from their customers to provide safer, less toxic, biodegradable cleaning options. Yet, while consumers may talk “green,” many fear making the shift to environmentally preferable products, citing ineffectual formulas that leave people spending more time to produce inferior cleaning results. And, in fairness, many of their concerns are legitimately rooted in the often poor performance of environmentally friendly products of the past. But the past is mostly just that—past.

Microbial products usher in a whole new generation of green products. They aren’t just safer; they also work.

“Microbial products are a very safe, environmentally friendly technology that often eliminates the need for toxic chemicals altogether,” says Davis. “They usually work with chemicals that are safer and less harsh, and most are NSF listed, including the floor cleaners. But they also provide greater efficacy. As we like to say, ‘They put the mean in green.’”

How mean? Consider that the United Kingdom has recently unleashed millions of the tiny organisms to break down radiation and clean the walls and surfaces of nuclear power plants that, too toxic for even highly trained hazardous material teams to tackle, traditionally have been filled in with cement or simply abandoned. Meanwhile, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota are successfully “training” good microbes to eat diseased cells before they can multiply to combat some of the most deadly human diseases, including many forms of cancer. Just imagine what these little germs do when they are let loose in your drains, floors, grout, and carpeting!

Besides reducing human exposure to harsh chemicals, microbial products offer other safety advantages. For example, microbial floorcare products have long been considered the “secret weapon” for reducing slips and falls and other accidents—and their potential litigation—especially in such sectors as foodservice facilities that are prone to dangerous grease films and build-up. Meanwhile, moisture-loving microbes are especially effective in carpetcare, helping break down organics and reduce the incidence of molds, allergens, and other illness-causing bacteria to the point that some manufacturers incorporate them right into the carpet’s backing!

Cost Savings

Just as they dispel the myth that environmentally preferable products are inherently less efficient than their harsher, more toxic counterparts, microbial formulations turn the theory that green means more expensive on its proverbial head.

For starters, most of these products are competitively priced. Add residual effects that produce longer-lasting results, make subsequent cleaning easier, and require less product use to an extremely long shelf life and microbial products prove a far better economic choice compared to shorter-term, less efficient, but equally priced cleaners. And because they often can be used at lower temperatures than other cleaners, microbial products also can lower energy costs.

This said, below are some specific examples of how microbial products can save time and money in key areas.

Bathrooms. Bacteria-eating microbes not only degrade organics on contact, but also, by penetrating into the pores of even hard surfaces, keep working to eliminate residual organics—and their telltale odors.

Floorcare. Countless formulas are made to clean floors, but microbes alone continue to digest grease, spills, and other organics left behind in damp pores, corners, and crevices, leaving floors deep cleaned for easier ongoing maintenance, less slippery, and odor-free.

Carpetcare. Moisture loving microbial products excel at penetrating carpeting, including its backing and the pores of its subsurface, where traditional carpet cleaners can’t—or don’t have time to—reach. In fact, so effective are these microbes at degrading spills, allergens, and other organics in carpet that most cleaning suppliers recommend and carry microbial-containing products—whether they realize it or not!

Waste receptacles. Microbial products are a favorite with foodservice, healthcare, and other sectors where unhealthy bacteria and unpleasant odors emanating from dumpsters, trash cans, and other waste receptacles can jeopardize health—and business.

Drain lines. With repeated use in drains and septic lines, good microbes colonize, driving out bacteria that create clogs and odors and replacing it with a thinner, more active biofilm that continues to degrade organic contaminants. This helps lines remain free-flowing and can even help prevent slow moving drains from becoming fully clogged catastrophes, thus lessening the need for costly emergency service and repairs.

Septic systems. Used in water treatment for decades, microbes help break down solids and soluble organics, helping to control odors and extend the life of drain fields as well as clean the water itself.

Often referred to as “nature’s only approved cleaning system” microbes have been cleaning the world since life began. (“Without them, we’d all be up to our armpits in leaves,” Davis says with a laugh.) And they have been used in wastewater treatment and soil remediation for nearly a half century. Yet it is relatively recent that these microscopic mouths began munching their way into the hearts—and grease and organics—of the cleaning world.