An MIT graduate believes showering is overrated and uses a special bacteria spray, Mother Dirt AO+ Mist, to keep clean instead. Photo by MotherDirt /Instagram

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 12 (UPI) -- An MIT graduate and co-founder of leading microbiome startup, AOBiome, says he hasn't showered in 12 years and hopes others will catch on.

Chemical engineer Dave Whitlock told the Boston Globe there is no scientific basis proving showers to be the basis of healthy human hygiene. "No one did clinical trials on people taking showers every day," he said. According to him, showers and other products like shampoo strip good bacteria from human skin.


Instead of showering, Whitlock uses a spray of his own invention -- Mother Dirt AO+ Mist -- to keep his skin healthy and clean. As of this year, the spray is available for purchase by the public.

The AO+ Mist contains friendly ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, or AOB, which can act as skin cleansers to clean sweat and oil on the skin. The bacteria feed off of urea and ammonia in sweat and turn the substances into nitric oxide, which is good for the body's blood vessels among other benefits.

"AOB were once a crucial part of the skin's ecosystem, but they've been lost due to modern chemistry in today's products and our lifestyles" said Jasmina Aganovic, AOBiome general manager of consumer products. "With Mother Dirt, we're creating products that enhance and protect the skin biome. Last year we launched the AO+ Mist to a limited group and the response was overwhelmingly positive."