What Is an Enzyme Cleaner and How Should You Use It?

Enzyme cleaners are the secret stain-removing superpower your laundry, upholstery, and carpeting have been waiting for.

These bio-powered cleaners excel at removing organic stains from things like vomit, pet urine, and mud, and they can be easily found at most grocery stores. Here’s what you need to know.

What Is an Enzyme Cleaner?

An enzyme cleaner uses enzymes and microbes to break down organic stains, like urine, milk, or grass, though it can be used on ordinary household stains too.

Enzyme cleaners are better than all-purpose stain removers for bio-based stains as they work to remove the stubborn odors and discolorations that come alongside pet messes or vomit.

“Enzyme cleaners have their own special key for each type of stain or mess they need to clean up.” explains Elizabeth Shields, operations manager of Super Cleaning Service Louisville.

“For example, when there’s a spaghetti sauce stain on your shirt, protease enzymes break down the proteins in the stain,” Shields says. “If you accidentally drop buttered toast on the carpet, lipase removes grease and oil. Amylase is for anything that’s starchy that’s usually on food and drinks, and cellulase helps remove dirt and grime from fabric like curtains or upholstery.”

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Enzyme Cleaner Uses

Enzyme cleaners can be used for all sorts of stains in all sorts of places. Here’s the types of stains they can be used on:

• Urine
• Feces
• Blood
• Vomit
• Other bodily fluids
• Pet stains
• Grass and dirt stains

Where to Use Enzyme Cleaners?

Laundry and Stain Removal

Clothes and linens are subject to a variety of tricky-to-remove spots and splatters, including grass streaks, blood spots, and urine stains. Enzyme cleaners are best for these types of laundry messes.

To use enzyme cleaners on clothing and other fabrics, dilute and apply the cleaner onto the stain according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

The cleaner will need to soak before the clothing can be thrown into the wash—the enzymes need five to 10 minutes to work.

Carpets, Mattresses, and More

Enzyme cleaners are best known for their help in cleaning up carpet, upholstery, and furniture messes as they can thoroughly clean items and surfaces that can’t be laundered. The cleaner can be applied repeatedly to bio-based stains like mud, pet urine, and vomit until the stain is all gone.

When using an enzyme cleaner on carpet or upholstered surfaces, make sure to vacuum the (dried!) surface after to restore the crushed pile.

Pet Messes

Pet urine, feces, and vomit are some of the unfortunate side effects of your four-legged friend. But enzyme cleaners work wonderfully on tough-to-remove pet urine (especially cat urine!), as the cleaner breaks down the smelly proteins left behind.

Enzyme cleaners can be applied to the stained area, left to sit for five minutes to a few hours, then blotted up and repeated as needed. But keep in mind that enzyme cleaners aren’t disinfectants, so you’ll need to follow up with a disinfectant on the stained area once you’ve finished cleaning.

Bathrooms

Bathrooms can end up with all kinds of organic stains. While bleach or other disinfectants can typically take care of bio-based stains on tile or enameled surfaces, enzyme cleaners come to the rescue when bathroom linens, rugs, and shower curtains face those same messes.

Enzyme cleaners can be applied to bathroom surfaces similarly to upholstered surfaces or carpets. Don’t forget to disinfect afterward if your stain is fecal, urine, or blood-based.

Tips for Using Enzymatic Cleaners

• An enzyme cleaner needs to sit for at least a few minutes before it works, so don’t immediately wash it away.
• If your bio-based stain is still sticking around after a pass or two with an enzyme cleaner, apply the cleaner to a damp cloth, then place the cloth on the stain to sit overnight before blotting it up and letting it dry.
• Enzyme cleaners can’t disinfect. So, if you need to disinfect a surface, do so after you’ve cleaned away the stain, not before—bleach and other strong chemicals can ruin the effectiveness of enzymatic cleaners.
• Use the right temperature water alongside an enzyme cleaner. “Always stick with warm water instead of cold,” says Shields. “Enzymes work best at slightly warm temperatures, just don’t go overboard with the heat.”