EcoProbiotic
Buy now

Where to use · 5 min read · 5 October 2026

What does probiotic cleaning do in nurseries, offices, cars and on public transport?

Results measured on the metro, allergens measured in cars and buses; cleaning the air and fabrics of crowded indoor spaces without a chemical load.

Probiotic cleaning
Probiotic cleaning

In short

  • 1On the Milan metro, pathogens in the air filter of the train treated with airborne probiotics fell by 75%.
  • 223.5% of the cars examined had high levels of cat allergen, even cars that had never carried a pet.
  • 3In 82% of dust samples from air-conditioned bus seats, mite allergen was at a sensitising level.

The shared problem of crowded indoor spaces

Nurseries, offices, cars and buses share the same problem: people breathe the same air for hours, sit on the same fabric and touch the same surfaces. Chemical disinfectants only work for a short time, and harsh chemicals used often add to the load in the air we breathe.

Probiotic cleaning rests on a different idea: instead of leaving a surface empty, fill it with a harmless community of bacteria. In microbiology this is called competitive exclusion.

What was measured on the metro

In Milan, two identical metro trains were monitored for 12 weeks. One continued with chlorine-based disinfection; in the other, probiotics were applied to surfaces and the air. In the air filter of the probiotic train, the pathogen load fell from 292,632 to 74,526 CFU/m², a reduction of roughly 75%. At week 12, surface pathogens measured 2,526 CFU/m² on the chemically treated train and 0 CFU/m² on the probiotic train. The train's overall bacterial community, meanwhile, did not change.

Allergens measured in cars and buses

In dust samples taken from 17 cars in Poland, 23.5% of the cars had high levels of cat allergen and 17.6% had high levels of dog allergen. The allergen was also found in the cars of drivers who had never kept a pet: it travels from home to car on clothes and belongings.

In Brazil, dust was collected from the fabric seats of 120 buses and 60 taxis. In air-conditioned buses, 82% of samples contained mite allergen at a sensitising level; across all vehicles, cat allergen exceeded this level in more than 60% of samples. Closed-circuit air conditioning can increase mite allergen.

Nursery, office, home, car: where to apply it?

Where you apply it depends on the space; the aim is the fabrics and surfaces people are in contact with for longest.

  1. 01Nursery: play mats, floor cushions, nap beds, toy shelves; before the children arrive.
  2. 02Office: meeting room air, carpets and chairs, the air-conditioning filter, the shared kitchen counter.
  3. 03Home: pillow and mattress, sofa and carpet, pet bed, bathroom and around the windows.
  4. 04In the car: seats and headliner, floor mats, child seat; don't spray directly onto the dashboard or screen.
  5. 05Public transport: fabric seats, grab handles and poles, cabin air between journeys.

Questions

Did probiotic treatment work on public transport?
Two identical trains on the Milan metro were compared for 12 weeks. In the air filter of the train whose air and surfaces were treated with probiotics, the pathogen load measured about 75% lower than in the train disinfected with chlorine.
Can I use it at a nursery, in the office, in the car or on public transport?
Yes, it is made for indoor spaces. At a nursery, apply it to play mats, cushions and nap beds; in the office, to meeting rooms, chairs and the air-conditioning filter; in the car, to the seats and headliner; on buses, the metro and taxis, to the seat upholstery and the air in the cabin.
Can I use it in the car?
Yes. Lightly spray the seats, headliner and floor mats from 20-30 cm away, and leave the doors open for a short while. Don't spray directly onto the dashboard or screens. In a study in Poland, 23.5% of the cars tested had high levels of cat allergen; the allergen was also found in cars that had never carried an animal.
Is it a disinfectant?
No. Air Biotics is not a disinfectant or a medicine. It is a product that supports the air and fabrics in indoor spaces with probiotics and helps reduce the allergen and odour load.

Sources

All literature →
  1. 01

    Shaping the subway microbiome through probiotic-based sanitation during the COVID-19 emergency: a pre–post case–control study

    D'Accolti M, Soffritti I, Bini F et al. (2023). Microbiome 11: 64

    doi:10.1186/s40168-023-01512-2

    Finding · Field studyTwo identical trains on the Milan metro were compared over 12 weeks. In one, chlorine disinfection was replaced with probiotic sanitation using Bacillus spores: wiped onto surfaces with a cloth and nebulised into the air. At the 4th measurement, the pathogen load in the air filters was 292,632 CFU/m² in the control train versus 74,526 CFU/m² in the probiotic train (−75%). On surfaces at week 12, it was 2,526 versus 0 CFU/m². The share of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples was 9.6% versus 3.7%. The train's overall bacterial community did not change significantly.

  2. 02

    Cat (Fel d 1) and dog (Can f 1) allergen levels in cars, dwellings and schools

    Niesler A, Ścigała G, Łudzeń-Izbińska B (2016). Aerobiologia 32(3): 571-580

    doi:10.1007/s10453-016-9433-7

    Finding · Field studyDust samples were taken from 17 cars, 14 classrooms and 19 homes in Poland. In 23.5% of the cars, the cat allergen Fel d 1 was above 8 µg/g, and in 17.6%, the dog allergen Can f 1 was above 10 µg/g. The allergen was also found in the cars of drivers who don't keep pets.

  3. 03

    Ocorrência de ácaros e alérgenos em veículos de transporte público (Mites and allergens in public transport vehicles)

    Pereira FL (advisor Taketomi EA) (2004). Master's thesis, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia

    doi:10.14393/ufu.di.2004.84

    Finding · ThesisIn Brazil, dust was collected from the fabric seats of 60 naturally ventilated buses, 60 air-conditioned buses and 60 taxis. Mite allergen was higher in the air-conditioned buses; in 82% of the samples from these buses, Der p 1 was at a sensitising level. Across all vehicles, more than 60% of samples had cat allergen at a sensitising level.

  4. 04

    Probiotic-based approaches for sustainable control of infectious risk in mass transport: Current data and future perspectives

    Soffritti I, D'Accolti M, Bini F et al. (2025). Microbial Biotechnology 18(6): e70177

    doi:10.1111/1751-7915.70177

    Finding · ReviewA review of probiotic sanitation on public transport. It notes that the Milan metro study is the only on-site study in this field so far and that more research is needed.

These studies were not carried out with Air Biotics. What we say about the product is limited to what is written on its packaging; Air Biotics is not a disinfectant.

More guides

Full guide →
Indoor airC₁₀H₁₆What do room sprays add to indoor air?Three studies on the volatile compounds released by scented products, what the label leaves out, and how fragrance affects other people.PetsNH₃Why does cat litter smell of ammonia?How urea in urine turns into ammonia, why the smell gets stronger over time, and what you can do around the litter tray.Cigarette smokeC₁₀H₁₄N₂How do you get rid of cigarette smell in your home?What thirdhand smoke is, why the smell doesn't go when you open a window, and which surfaces need cleaning.