Cleveland Biotech hope to clean up with Aggie MacKenzie

Jul 2 2010 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

SCIENTISTS in Stockton have declared a revolution in cleaning thanks to its work to develop ground-breaking probiotic products for TV’s cleaning guru Aggie MacKenzie.

Stockton-based CBio (Cleveland Biotech) has helped develop the range of probiotic cleaners for brand owners, Footprint International, alongside the How clean is your House? star.

The products use good bacteria to combat the bad instead of blasting bugs with traditional harsh chemicals.

They not only protect a surface from harmful bacteria for up to eight days, they do not cause any harm the environment in the process.

Clinical trials carried out on the E-coli bug at the University of Newcastle show anti-bacterial action is only effective for two to three hours – killing 99.9% of bacteria (of which 98% are harmless), therefore it creates space within which E coli can populate and multiply.

But CBio says the probiotic products give longer-lasting protection from harmful germs than ordinary antibacterial cleaners.

As products hit the shelves in Tesco, CBio believes this could help herald the start of a complete revolution in cleaning. Probiotics not only clean but also add a layer of good bacteria to the surface meaning there is no room for a bad bacterium to take hold.

Managing director of CBio, Ben Hoskyns, has already launched a drive to partner up with clinical test sites in hospitals and care homes as he believes probiotics are the key to banishing dangerous germs such as MRSA and E-coli.

He says it’s a concept people might take some getting used to: “It’s a problem of perception. We’ve all been brought up for decades to believe that the only way to clean is to try and eliminate all bacteria.

“This is impossible, bacteria are everywhere but only a minority of them are harmful. This is about people learning to say ‘I accept there are bacteria around - but I only want the good ones’.”

Aggie’s Probiotics range features a multisurface cleaner, washing up liquid, toilet cleaner and bathroom cleaner were launched last month by Footprint International.