Enigmatic Enzyme Cleaners

Enzymes seem ubiquitous these days in self-proclaimed “environmentally friendly” cleaners. Given the dearth of independent studies examining their safety and toxicity, however, we took special care to check manufacturer claims that these cleaners are non-toxic to plants and animals, harmless if ingested and completely free of VOCs and dangerous chemicals.

This is one case, though, in which our skepticism may be largely unfounded—with the caveat that enzyme cleaners, like all household products, should be presumed unsafe to ingest and kept out of reach of children and pets. By and large, many a reliable source touts enzymes as effective cleaning agents. “Basically,” says Philip Dickey of the Washington Toxics Coalition, “enzymes allow a product to be effective without the use of harsh solvents.” Steve Ashkin, president of The Ashkin Group, a consulting firm that aims to “transform the cleaning industry” with green cleaning, says these cleaners are very benign. “I would not hesitate for one second recommending them to any of my clients. Sort of the way I like describing it is using the concept of biomimicry, where we develop our systems to mimic the way nature does things.”

Enzymes, naturally occurring proteins produced by all living organisms to speed up chemical reactions, “promote the breakdown of stains via a biochemical reaction,” says Lois Davis of Novozymes, the company that cultivates the enzymes used in about 45 percent of the cleaners on the market. These cleaners break down the proteins in dirt and grime using specific enzymes designed for specific targets: Protease enzymes break down protein stains, lipolases break down fat, or lipid, stains and amylases break down starch- or other carbohydrate-based stains.

Although the idea sounds rather sterile and pharmaceutical, the enzymes come from organisms found in the water you drink and the soil in the ground. “You go through a lot of selection processes to find naturally occurring organisms that produce the enzymes or the effects that you’re looking for,” Davis says. For instance, grease is best treated with enzymes derived from organisms that come from the soil surrounding restaurant grease traps. Companies like Novozymes comb the soil surrounding areas where organisms decompose the types of organic matter that might end up on your kitchen floor and then, through a fermentation process, extract enzymes from the decomposing microorganisms in the soil that have already been trained by nature to “eat” the gunk you want to do away with. Basically, you’re using the same enzymes to clean your counter as those that help piles of leaves decompose in the fall.