All bodily fluids can carry blood-borne pathogens like bacteria, viruses, and fungi. This information comes straight from OSHA and the CDC. Additionally, because blood can be infected with deadly pathogens that cause HIV and Hepatitis, federal regulations consider all bodily fluids to be biohazards.
Many people, however, want to cleanup blood themselves, in effort to save money and because they don’t know the risks of DIY blood cleanup. In most cases, they don’t see how what they can do themselves is any different from what professionals do. In the long run, a do-it-yourself approach can end up costing considerably more in buying or renting the right tools, chemicals, and protective clothing, not to mention in health risks and time investment.
So, is cleaning up a scene where blood and bodily fluids are present ever safe?
Advanced Bio Treatment professionals recommend that you never attempt a large, widespread DIY blood cleanup, especially if it occurs in an area frequented by many people. The more people who enter an area, the greater the potential for exposure and liability.
We see it every day. We remediate a lot of failed do-it-yourself cleanup attempts. They almost always fail for these reasons:
- Incomplete or inadequate disinfecting of the area, often because the wrong chemicals or tools were used, which means the area continues to present a biohazard risk for anyone who enters it.
- Failing to recognize hidden contamination, which means the area continues to present a biohazard risk in addition to suffering structural damage.
When you are faced with the decision to call a professional or to attempt a DIY blood cleanup, we suggest you consider the following:
- The longer you are in contact with blood-borne pathogens and the powerful chemicals used to kill them, the higher the risk that your clothing will be breached. The first question you should ask yourself, therefore, is whether the amount of blood is small enough that you can clean it quickly by yourself with a just few sheets of paper towel. If not, you should call a professional.
- Second, sharp objects increase your risk of infection by blood-borne pathogens. If there are any sharp objects like broken glass, razors, knives, or needles in the area, we recommend the following:
- Don’t touch them with your bare hands. Contaminated sharp objects will spread disease to you if they break your skin. You should call your local health department and ask what the local guidelines are for safely disposing of contaminated sharp objects.
- If you find a sharp object, the safest option is to take no risks and call a professional cleaning company like Advanced Bio Treatment to handle the job for you.
- Third, examine the area for body tissue. Call a professional if you see or suspect body tissue is present at the scene.
- Has the blood begun to dry or is it fully dried? If so, special enzymes must be used to safely remove it and decontaminate the area, and you should call a professional to do this job for you.
- Has the blood soaked through carpet, rugs, drapes, or upholstered furniture? If so, any padding and subflooring underneath the carpet or rug may need replacing and the carpet, rug, drapes, or upholstered furniture may require special handling and chemicals to safely disinfect it, or these objects may need to be professionally packaged and removed.
- Is the blood on a wood floor? If so, it may have seeped through cracks and require special cleaning tools.
- Is the blood on a tile floor? If so, the grout between the tiles, which is porous, may need professional cleaning, or even replacing, to safely disinfect it.
- Does the blood cover more than a small surface that you can disinfect with chlorine bleach? If so, you should call a professional.
Here are a few of the things that Advanced Bio Treatment professionals offer versus performing a DIY blood cleanup:
- We work fast—much faster than you can because we are experienced. We have professional-grade chemicals and machines to do the job quickly the first time. Limiting contact time with blood-borne pathogens and the chemicals used to kill them limits exposure to these pathogens.
- PPE:
We wear professional-grade PPE (personal protective equipment) clothes, like head-to-toe Tyvek suits, layers of sealed rubber gloves, and ventilated respirators, which meet or exceed all OSHA guidelines so that we can clean deeply and thoroughly and guarantee a pathogen-free environment when we are finished.
- Training:
Our technicians are thoroughly trained in state and federal guidelines for handling biohazard waste and also in cleaning methods, chemical applications, hidden biohazards, and containment of the affected area to eliminate the possibility of spreading contamination to other parts of the environment.
- Cleaning Materials:
Advanced Bio Treatment professionals use professional (hospital)-grade chemicals to clean and decontaminate the affected area. We know which chemicals are appropriate for which surfaces. We know how long a particular disinfectant must stay on a surface to decontaminate it. We know what diseases are killed by which disinfectants. We are trained to avoid cross-contamination and re-contamination as we work.
- Removal:
Some things contaminated with blood cannot be cleaned and they must be disposed of safely and professionally. We are trained to recognize what cannot be salvaged. We are licensed to safely remove and transport biohazard waste. We follow all EPA, OSHA, and state guidelines for handling, packaging, and removing biohazard waste.
- Deodorizing and Disinfecting
We use state-of-the-art ozone machines and foggers to deodorize and disinfect contaminated areas after cleaning them.
- Cost
Our prices are reasonable, and many times, your homeowner or business insurance will cover most or all of the cost of the cleanup.
Before DIY Blood Clean Up, Call ABT
Crime and accident scene cleaning is an unregulated industry for the most part. That means a company can make its own safety rules. Here at Advanced Bio Treatment, however, we take no chances with your safety or with our own. We thoroughly train our technicians in strict adherence to all OSHA and state guidelines for the safe cleaning, removal, and transportation of biohazard waste.
If you find yourself facing the cleanup of an environment that contains blood or other bodily fluids, call Advanced Bio Treatment at 800-295-1684. We give free quotes, provide emergency services, and respond 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days out of the year.
