We have the expertise and equipment to completely restore and decontaminate any scene where a bio-hazard incident had occurred.
Sometimes when people die, whatever the cause, their bodies are not discovered for a while. In the business I am in, we refer to this as an unattended death. These scenes can prove to be some of the most serious in terms of cleanup because of many factors… The smell of rotting flesh not being the least of them.
Even the initiated can have a difficult time dealing with the ungodly stench of death. Take a recent call we took in Oakland California, through our San Francisco office.
The scene was located in a poorer neighborhood, on the Southside of town. Row houses lined the dusty, dirty street that we pulled down slowly, and children in various states of dishevelment ran along beside the van, dodging barking dogs and parked cars as they went. The house we pulled up in front of was tiny to say the least, with nothing more than a patch of dirt for a yard, and was surrounded by a waist high chain link fence that was inadvertently decorated with discarded cans, and empty cigarette packs.
As we began to gather our gear from the vehicle, we heard the unmistakable sound of another car pulling up in front of our van. A few seconds later, a short, portly middle aged man with a terrible comb over appeared before us. He introduced himself as the owner of the rental property we now stood feet away from. With little fanfare, he led us into the attached single car garage, but just as he reached for the inner door to the home, the most putrid smell ever slammed into me and my trainees like a ton of bricks.
Apparently, the previous renter had passed away in the home from a drug overdose, but went undiscovered for more than three weeks. They said that when he was found, that his body had gotten so bloated from the gases of decomposition, that his abdomen had swollen to the point of exploding.
Stepping inside the living room directly adjacent to the garage, it was like something out of a movie. Bodily fluids had indeed been blown all across the room and it seemed to cover every surface with the foul smelling, noxious material. For a moment, even I was overwhelmed by the sight. The homeowner, however, shrugged and told us that this was the third death in the home in as many years. Then, with a shame of his head, he left us to our work.
We needed to begin by removing all the large pieces of debris that we could, but then the real work began. We had to literally scrub, decontaminate and sanitize every surface in the room. Thank goodness for our Halo Fogger which allows us to quickly eliminate not only dangerous pathogens which could pose a threat to human health, but also helps to eliminate the smell.
All in all, this job took us more than 2 days to complete, and at the end of it all, I had lost two meals, three pairs of work boots, and one trainee who just couldn’t take another minute of the odor.
If you’re handling the aftermath of an unattended death don’t worry, you are not alone. It’s not uncommon for several days, a few weeks, even months before an unattended death is discovered.
During that time, remains begin to decompose, releasing tissue, bodily fluids and blood that seep into mattress then onto the carpets and sub-flooring making cleaning and removal difficult. These substances can carry pathogens that cause serious infection and diseases while emitting death odors that permeate nearby structures, furnishings and personal effects. Advanced Bio Treatment offers professional death scene cleanup services.
If you need scene cleanup and decontamination guidance, have questions about your payment options, which clean up and decon procedures your current insurance policy covers or require our scene cleanup services immediately, don’t hesitate to give Advanced Bio Treatment a call at:800-295-1684
