If your T-shirts tumble out of the dryer with still-stinky pits, or if your dinner plates emerge from the dishwasher as crusty as they went in, there’s a good chance you need to upgrade to a higher-quality detergent. And often, that means it should contain enzymes.Enzymes are naturally present in plants, fungi, bacteria, and animals, including humans. In cleaning, these catalysts speed up chemical reactions by breaking long chains of molecules down into smaller, more manageable pieces.Imagine making a pot of tomato sauce: If you leave whole tomatoes to cook on the stove for hours, they’ll eventually break down into smaller chunks. But if you crush or blend the tomatoes first, you can significantly cut down on cooking time, getting dinner on the table faster. And in this metaphor, enzymes would be your hands or the blender.Because enzymes can break down organic matter, they’re great at tackling stubborn stains on clothing, dislodging greasy food from dishes, and busting set-in stains and odors on rugs and upholstery. For these reasons, they’re commonly used in laundry detergents, dishwasher detergents, and stain and odor treatments.But not all enzymes excel at all cleaning tasks, and their presence alone is not always an indicator of a great cleaner. Here’s what to know about the most common enzymes used in your cleaning products, and when they actually make a difference.