Synbiotic Cleaning Products: A Game-Changing Moment for Cleaning?
In this 11-minute ISSA video, Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner (Senior director of the Global Biorisk Advisory Council) discusses "synbiotic" cleaning products.
View Notes
- Existing bio-based cleaning products come with known limitations:
- Enzymatic cleaners tend to be very specfic in their applications (as opposed to being broadly effective)
- Probiotic cleaners involve live "good bacteria" that can produce the needed enzymes– but their "cleaning actions may... continue up to 3 days" after the initial cleaning (which is somewhat limited)
- Synbiotic cleaning products can be considered the "3rd generation" after enzymatic cleaners and probiotic cleaners; they combine probiotics with prebiotics, which are a food source for the probiotic bacteria, thus allowing the latter to be more effective and "live longer on surfaces." Thus, using synbiotic cleaning products as a part of the routine cleaning process may provide longer protection against surface contamination (and possibly allow one to "reduce the frequency of deep cleaning sessions"). Another potential benefit of synbiotic cleaning products is the ability to use them on multiple types of surfaces, including restrooms, typical high-touch surfaces, and soft surfaces.
