Trauma cleaning with synbiotics in Japan

HeiQ partner Kai Corporation, a Japan-based provider of odor control solutions, introduced synbiotic cleaning into specialized trauma cleaning services for kodokushi (lonely death) rooms, where unattended deaths often lead to deeply embedded and persistent odors. Initially, odor control relied mainly on ozone machines, which typically required about a week of treatment and did not always prevent odors from returning from walls, fine cracks, or drain systems. Seeking a more effective approach, Kai Corporation integrated synbiotic cleaning products into these workflows around 2017.

Cleaning teams observed noticeably faster odor reduction, often within two days, compared with ozone-only processes, and odors were fully eliminated. Feedback from cleaning providers and residents indicated reduced odor persistence and no more odor-related complaints in surrounding areas. Synbiotic cleaning proved effective at reaching odor sources that were difficult to access with conventional treatments. As Riichiro Hosogai, President of Kai Corporation, explains: “In trauma cleaning, speed and reliability matter. By adding synbiotic cleaning to our processes, we were able to address odors more deeply and support cleaning professionals working in extremely challenging situations.” This experience became a foundation for Kai Corporation’s broader adoption of synbiotic cleaning technologies across professional and consumer applications in Japan.