MARTA KINNUNEN-GRUBB, JOHN HARP, CLEMENS HEIKAUS*
*Corresponding author
Novozymes North America Inc., Durham, United States

Abstract

Cleaning products play a big role in shaping the indoor environment in which humans live. To achieve their desirable effects, however, traditional household cleaners employ a variety of chemicals that can have adverse effects on human health. Probiotic cleaners could be both a healthier and more effective option, meeting typical cleaning standards by providing an effective, visual clean, while also supporting a balanced home microbiome.

WE LIVE IN A MICROBIAL WORLD

Earth is teeming with life and the dominant life form on it are microbes. Despite the presence of microbes all around us, people have been taught to view the microscopic world with fear, as for most of recorded human history, the leading cause of death worldwide has been bacterial or viral infections. However, most of the infections that caused death are now easily treated with antibiotics and proper disinfection practices.

Unfortunately, these strategies for microbial management come with significant cost, one of which is antimicrobial resistance. This means that the disease-causing microbes have developed resistances to the treatments originally designed to control them. To combat these resistant organisms, stronger antibiotics or chemical treatments are developed and the cycle repeats until we are left with multi-resistant organisms that do not respond to any treatment.

Most humans in developed countries spend more than 90% of their lives indoors. In this indoor environment, individuals are exposed to other individuals, dust, trapped external industrial and automotive chemicals ...