Cleaning products generally separate soils from fabrics or surface substrates by dissolving or suspending the soil in a water or solvent liquid solution that is carried away when the solution is rinsed off. The cleaning action of the primary formulation components is supplemented by additives to optimize the performance of the cleaners.
Microbial based cleaners are products that are designed to incorporate bacterial spores. Spores are used because these can survive in the concentrated cleaning product. Once the primary cleaning has taken place and the cleaning solution has been wiped or rinsed from the surface, a small residual amount of cleaning solution and soil will almost certainly remain on the surface. This is especially true of porous surfaces such as unsealed wood, grout and concrete. Once the bulk of the cleaning solution has been removed, any bacterial spores remaining on the surface will germinate and begin to digest the residual soil trapped in the pores of the surface. These growing bacteria produce enzymes specific to the soil present. These enzymes act to break down organic soils into smaller particles which the bacteria use as food. In this manner, the growing bacteria remove any residual soil and leave a cleaner surface.
It is important to recognize that bacteria are ubiquitous, which means they exist almost everywhere in our environment. Most bacteria are considered non-pathogenic and so do not cause illness in humans and pets. Many bacteria are considered as essential to good health. It is only a small percentage of bacteria that are associated with disease. It is therefore important to use only non-pathogenic bacteria in microbial based cleaners.