Biohazard Cleanup Rises with the increase of S.A.D.

Seasonal Affective Disorders (S.A.D.) affect thousands of Americans each year.  Although common with each season, winter seems to have the highest increase in suicide and deaths related to S.A.D.  Bio Clean Services provides cleanup and restoration for suicide, death, trauma, crime and other biohazard scenes throughout the Northeastern United States.

Because S.A.D. is very common and has a direct relation to depression, researchers at the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) have linked the increase of cases in the winter season to be that of decreased light, temperatures and other weather related elements that cause S.A.D. patients to become confined to indoor spaces during this season. Suicide cleanup is the most frequent calls we receive during these times. Although depression worsens during the holiday seasons the death and suicides are most often related to reclusive tendencies caused by weather.

During this season, in particular, it’s important that we realize the complications that these patients and our elderly populations face and do what we can to make sure that they receive human interaction, frequent visits and participate in activities that keep their minds active. In the majority of jobs that we perform, we learn that the victims are often alone and receive no visitors or have no human interaction for weeks at a time.  This is also difficult for biohazard cleaning companies like Bio Clean Services because we frequently cleanup unattended death scenes where the deceased isn’t discovered for days or weeks at a time. 

Unattended death scenes are not only emotionally difficult for the family and friends, but poses a huge risk for biohazard contamination and requires additional cleaning and  restoration of the scenes in order to completely return the property to a safe, inhabitable state.  Depending on the amount of time between the death and discovery, it is often necessary to remove major structural elements from the property in order to assure that all biohazards are completely removed.  This is a costly process that can cause even additional emotional distress on the victims families and friends that are responsible for the cleanup and restoration.

If you, or someone you know, has friends of relatives that you believe suffer from S.A.D, please do your best to ensure they have the care that is needed. If you experience a loss and need biohazard cleanup services, please contact our office immediately for assistance in cleaning up and maintaining the safety of all involved.

Why Police Departments Use Crime Scene Clean Up Companies

A crime scene is an integral part of a police investigation, but what happens once the investigation is complete? Who’s responsible for the cleanup of potential biohazard dangers that are a part of any crime scene?  In most cases, the property owner or a relative.  Bio Clean Services provides biohazard cleanup services for crimes, trauma, death and other contaminated sites.

Crime Scenes can range from breaking and entering to cases as severe as sexual assault of murder.  In any ordinary crime scene biohazards that can potentially compromise the health and safety of others is usually found. Most people don’t realize that the presence of one drop of blood, when exposed to outside elements, can contain pathogens that can make you sick. If fingerprint dust is used at a crime scene, microscopic organisms can be transferred in the dust to various places throughout a scene. The dust can also carry airborne pathogens that could potentially be ingested by others who come in contact with a crime scene.

Bio Clean Services maintains the necessary equipment to remediate and removal all biohazards from a crime scene. Our technicians are experienced in the cleanup of blood, bodily fluids, tissue matter and other materials found at crime scenes. We are a certified biohazard cleaning company and are familiar with both State and Federal protocols for handling biohazards.

Police departments do not clean crime scenes. Once the investigation is over, they leave the cleanup to the property owner or responsible party.  We often receive referrals from police departments clean and disinfect police cruisers, emergency transport vehicles and even jail / prison cells that may contain biohazards from inmates.

If you or someone you know has experienced a crime or trauma scene, please do not attempt to clean the scene yourself. Contact our office for assistance with your biohazard cleanup. We’ll ensure that the site is properly cleaned and returned to a safe, sanitized state expediently.

Hoarding generally occurs by cluttering of materials like garbage, furniture, clothing, flea market / yard sale items and more. Garbage is often considered as the major source for the formation dangerous biohazards associated with hording. Bio Clean Services performs hoarding and gross filth clean up for property owners and individuals who hoard. These hoardings are often very dangerous in congested household environments because the person lives in the contaminated surroundings every day. Hoarding in most cases is an addiction and the hoarder doesn’t realize that they are placing their health and the health of others at great risk.

Our technicians are experienced in disinfecting and sanitation of these types of sites. We maintain all necessary permits for the handling, removal and disposal of materials containing biohazards.  Even though we perform death, trauma and crime scene cleanup services, hoarding cleanup has become more prevalent over the past few decades. Our main objective is to remove the debris, remediate and disinfect the space and return the area to a safe habitable state for the property owner.

Most hoarders do not realize that accumulated garbage is a breeding ground for bacteria that can cause major health complications. It also attracts rodents and insects that carry diseases that can be fatal to the hoarder. In most cases, it is necessary to remove all items from the space in order to properly disinfect and sanitize the structure itself.  Our technicians, in some cases, are able to salvage good pieces of furniture and other household items though the majority of items removed have to be disposed of to rid the risk of further contamination.

If you or someone you know is dealing with a hoarding issue, please contact Bio Clean Services immediately. Our trained technicians can give an on-site assessment and help you develop a plan to eliminate the debris, sanitize the space and protect the health of the hoarder and anyone associated with these conditions.  Many people will not seek the assistance of a professional company because of the stigma associated with hoarding. Bio Clean Services technicians perform gruesome cleanup of death and accident scenes so conditions associated with hoarding are nothing to be ashamed of.  Call us today, we can help. 

Property owners unaware of dangerous biohazards

Photo Courtesy of Meth-Kills.org

Over the past decade the failing real estate market has ruined many homeowners across the country.  With the market decline and unemployment being at an all time high, there has also been a significant increase in the amount of illegal drug activity in our country.

Homeowners have been forced to relinquish their homes to the bank or mortgage company due to inability to make payments. Some homeowners elected to rent out their properties to individuals to cover the cost of the mortgage in an attempt to not face the financial devastation.  What these homeowners turned landlords didn’t expect was the dangerous rise in drug activities that turned may ordinary residential properties into full blow meth labs and illegal drug houses.

Bio Clean Services is experienced in the clean up, removal and remediation of these types of drug scenes. Not only is this type of activity illegal, there are extreme dangers to the health of anyone who comes in contact with these homes. The manufacturing of these substances ( or cooking as it’s sometimes called ) are not only hazardous to the health of the occupants, but animals, residents in the immediate surrounding areas and even the clean up personnel that have to restore these scenes to a safe environment.  The chemicals and methods used to manufacture these types of drugs are extremely flammable and one small explosion can blast through walls causing destruction to anything in it’s path.

Clean up of these biohazard substances and chemicals should never be attempted by an untrained individual. Bio Clean Services is certified in the removal and disposal process associated with these biohazards.  Our technicians are specifically trained to clean and disinfect all areas that have been affected by the chemicals, residue and paraphernalia that always remain in these homes.  We work closely with authorities and property owners to ensure that these homes are returned to a safe environment for the owner, surrounding neighbors and anyone who may come in contact with the property after our work is done.

Due to the severity of these types of chemicals and substances, it’s often necessary for our technicians to remove materials from the structure such as plumbing, flooring, walls and other items and dispose of the materials properly. We work directly with our contractors to ensure that these homes are restored to a pre-incident, safe condition.

If you own or manage a property that has been condemned because of illegal drug manufacturing or activity, please contact our office today for assistance.  We offer 24 hour dispatch and are able to respond immediately to help you ensure the safety of anyone affected by these incidents. 

Burglary Crime Scene Clean Up - The Hidden Hazards

When a crime occurs in a residential home or place of business, the aftermath can be overwhelming.  The biohazard materials left behind depend on the severity of the intrusion and whether or not violence with occupants are involved.  Even if no physical violence occurs, intruders can still leave behind certain biohazards from broken glass, wooden splinters and often times we find the presence of bodily fluids from vandals that damage a property.

The stressful cleanup of these types of aftermath require a professional company like Bio Clean Services to remove all biohazards and restore properties to a pre-incident state.  When intrusions are violent and involve a homicide, the evidence of biohazards is usually evident. In other cases, the use of special equipment is necessary to discover the trace elements of any biohazard materials left behind.

Bio Clean Services  maintains all equipment necessary and is experienced in the cleanup of death, suicide, blood, trauma and various types of crime scenes. Individuals, apartment managers and even general janitorial or cleaning companies are not equipped to handle this type of cleanup and to protect their health and the health of others, we advise that these scenes should not be cleaned by anyone without specific training, knowledge of biohazard removal and disposal or protocol of Federal and State guidelines.

Cleaning of most types of crime scenes involves the use of personal safety equipment to protect yourself from blood, waste and other pathogens that may be present.  Certified biohazard cleanup companies like Bio Clean Services use highly advanced sanitation equipment and effective EPA approved industrial cleaning chemicals or solutions that ensure your property is completely decontaminated and returned to a habitable state.  Any objects that come into contact with these biohazards must be cleaned, sanitized or in extreme cases removed from the scene.  Some materials can be handled in a simple medical waste box while others require proper removal protocols so they do not pose a health threat to the public.  In either event, if you attempt to clean a scene like this on your own and do not follow proper protocol, you may find yourself liable for health risks that may affect other people.

If you need more information about our services, contact our office for a complete list of our biohazard services and the areas in the Northeastern United States that we serve.

Fingerprint Dusting Cleanup and Potential Hazards

If you are the victim of a crime, you’ll have enough to worry about just dealing with the trauma and details after the police and investigators leave.  Some forces employ professional crime scene cleaners like Bio Clean Services to clean the aftermath of a crime however often times it’s left up to the victims themselves to clean.


Depending on the type of crime the scene may have hidden biohazards that most untrained people would not think about.  If it’s a violent crime scene, there is usually a presence of blood or other bodily fluids that can be transferred to various areas of the scene in the process of investigators dusting for prints. The dusting powder used leaves residue on everything in the area. Carpets, furniture and other elements like doors, windows and walls are often covered with residue.  Although very difficult to clean and properly remove, Bio Clean Services utilizes industrial solutions and various equipment to remediate crime scenes. We ensure your property will be returned to a sanitized pre-incident state.

If there is a presence of blood or other bodily fluids, we advise you not to attempt to clean the scene on your own.  Blood and other fluids, once dried, can become airborne and molecules can attach to the fingerprint dust. This means that these areas may potentially contain deadly bio-organisms that can be easily ingested with dust particles in the air or may adhere to clothing or other fabrics and transferred to other areas or people. This type of clean up generally requires a professional company that can remove and dispose of all biohazard waste the proper way. We are a certified biohazard removal company and possess the necessary permits and experience to properly clean and sanitize your property so it’s free from all biohazards.

If you have been the victim of a crime or know someone who is required to clean up a crime, death or suicide scene, contact our office immediately so we can help access the scene and provide you with protection from these dangerous biohazards. We offer 24 hour emergency dispatch services and guarantee that your property will be restored to a safe environment efficiently.

Why hospice agencies use biohazard cleanup companies

Bio Clean Services maintains relationships with several hospice agencies throughout the Northeastern United States. These agencies help terminal patients with end of life care, more commonly for patients who wish to die peacefully in the privacy of their own home. So, why do these agencies utilize the services of professional death scene and biohazard cleanup companies.

When a person dies at home several factors can cause the death scene to be a biohazard area that should not be cleaned by untrained professionals.  When a person expires, bodily fluids, urine, feces and in some instances blood are expelled from the body causing an immediate biohazard threat to the health of others.  After death, professionals like a coroner, or funeral home personnel remove the body but they do not perform clean up of the death scene.  These types of biohazard scenes cannot be cleaned with ordinary household products.  The cleanup process requires industrial chemicals and equipment specifically used for the removal and restoration of biohazard scenes.  The debris and materials that remain after the body has been removed must also be disposed of following proper biohazard waste disposal protocols.

Bio Clean Services is experienced in all forms of biohazard clean up and disposal. We clean many types of scenes such as death, crime, trauma, suicide, industrial accidents and even filthy living conditions from things like meth-labs or hoarding.  All of these types of jobs require trained professionals that know how to properly remediate a scene and return it to a safe environment free from contamination and health hazards.  Without companies like ours performing these clean up tasks, individuals and agencies like local hospices, police or coroners would have to complete these cleanups and the health risks and liabilities are too great. It would also be an exuberant cost to train these agencies in the proper protocols that need to be followed.

If you find yourself in need of these types of services, please contact our office for more information on how we can assist. Even if you are a private individual with an aging or terminally ill family member who’s wish is to die at home, it’s important that you know the risks associated once the patient has expired and the liability that you have if you do not properly cleanup these scenes.

Is your home filthy from hoarding, meth-labs or other biohazards?

As spring approaches and weather becomes warmer if your home is full trash, debris and generally unsanitary for living conditions, you are putting your health at an even greater risk for infections and other medical complications. Bio Clean Services frequently gets calls from property owners and health officials to assist in the cleanup of gross and filthy living conditions. These conditions contain contamination, bacteria, rodents and other debris that can be harmful or deadly to an occupants health.

We are specifically trained in the removal, disposal and cleanup/disinfecting of these types of scenes.  When evidence of these harmful biohazards are present, ordinary household chemicals are not sufficient to decontaminate the property. It requires trained professionals, industrial chemicals and equipment to return these properties to a safe and healthy living environment.

Our company is experienced in working with professional agencies and other officials to ensure that we recover any scene to a safe condition that adheres to health standards and guidelines.  Clients we work with are often elderly shut in residents, or property owners who property has been subject to homeless living, squatters and even illegal meth labs. Each of these circumstances contains different hazards and can affect the health of anyone that may come into contact with the scene.  Our decontamination technicians are certified and possess many years of cleaning, restoration and construction experience to get the job done.

If you own or know of a property that is currently in one of these conditions, please contact us immediately so we can help you access your situation and determine a proper plan of action for decontamination.  If these situations go unattended you are not only putting your health at risk but may potentially be liable for any health related issues that happen to others who come in contact with your property.

For more information on our coverage areas and the services we provide please visit our full website or call our office at 1-800-901-2988.

Spring fever contribuites to dangerous motorcycle accidents

As we find the weather changing to the springtime we all have missed so much, there is always an increase of motorcycle riding, drinking and mixture of both.  Over the fall and winter months drivers seem to forget to take a second look for bikers and this causes an increased risk for dangerous accidents.

Bio Clean Services begins receiving calls every spring for many many automobile or motorcycle accidents to clean up the accident’s aftermath.  You may not think that it’s a big deal to see blood or tissue and bodily fluids on a busy street or roadway.  Or is it?  After the investigators and emergency professionals leave the scene, what dangers really remain? The presence of blood and other substances, if not properly cleaned from an accident scene can cause a huge risk to others. Spreading of these materials through vehicle spraying can transfer these pathogens and possibly potential infectious materials onto people, other vehicles and even into the cabin air systems of passing vehicles.

We are extensively trained in the clean up and decontamination of accident scenes, death, crime, trauma and many other biohazard scenes. We offer 24 hour emergency dispatch services in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and West Virginia. We are also experienced in the removal, transport and disposal of biohazard waste.  We also provide vehicle clean up for auto accidents and we decontaminate / disinfect emergency transport vehicles to return them to service as soon as possible
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Our services cover a large 4 state region and we have emergency response units that are readily available to assist our clients with biohazard, trauma and other services.  So, as a reminder, take always take an extra second to look a couple times in both directions, you may think the roadway is clear but motorcyclists can appear in your path within an instant and in most cases these accidents are severe to both drivers.

Ordinary or Biohazard Waste? What you should know

Most people recognize that there are proper procedures that must be followed in transporting and discarding of medical waste.  Occasionally there are some that either choose to ignore the procedures or are simply not educated on the disposal process and don’t realize they are doing anything wrong.

Bio Clean Services provides commercial and residential cleanup services for death, crime, trauma, suicide and other biohazard incidents. Almost every clean up job that we perform contains biohazard waste that much be properly contained, transported and disposed of.  Regulations for biohazard protocols vary by state and can carry sever fines and penalties if not followed.

What you see in this article image is never the proper way to dispose of biohazard waste. Luckily, in this instance, these bags contain regular trash and paper from an office. You should never use biohazard waste bags as normal trash bags.  Red bags marked with a biohazard emblem found like this should be reported to the local health authorities who will investigate to determine who is responsible for the improper disposal and what type of biohazards they actually are.

Biomedical waste is any liquid or solid waste that may present a threat of infection to humans. Liquid waste includes blood and other body fluids from humans. Solid waste includes clothing, towels, rags, sheets, gloves, plastic bags, or any objects soiled with blood, or other body fluids. When biohazard waste is improperly managed , it places sanitation workers and the general public at risk for contracting dangerous diseases. We take every precaution and are certified in the handling, transporting and disposal of biohazard waste.  We always suggest that you never attempt to clean these types of scenes yourself as there are very high chances that these scenes contain blood and other pathogens that can be extremely harmful if you come in contact with them.  Most state regulations suggest that you contact a biohazard clean up provider like Bio Clean Services to assist you.

If you see disposal like the one pictured above, or suspect that someone is illegally disposing biohazard materials, we urge you to contact your local health agency (health department) or contact our office to report it.  If this type of disposal process continues, you may be placing your health and the health of others in jeopardy.

Pennsylvania high school resumes classes after stabbing

Photo Courtesy of AP

Bio Clean Services, a biohazard clean up company servicing Pennsylvania, extends thanks to all of the law enforcement and medical personnel who assisted victims of the stabbing incident at Franklin Regional High School in Murraysville, PA.  These types of crimes are at an all time high across the country and it’s imperative that victims and officials know the dangers and hazards associated with crime scenes like this.

Our technicians provide biohazard, crime, trauma and blood clean up services in OH, PA, MI & WV and in incidents like this recent stabbing, a professional company that is certified in decontamination of crime scenes and blood clean up is necessary to ensure the safety of the faculty, students and others who are in contact with the scene.

Because we have such a diverse group of individuals in a concentrated area like the high school, the presence of blood and bodily fluids are potentially pathogenic and considered a biohazard that could possibly transmit disease.  Any areas or surfaces that are in contact with blood must be properly  cleaned and disinfected. Protective wear and industrial chemicals need to be used and special equipment is necessary to see trace elements of biohazards that cannot visibly seen with the eye.

In circumstances such as this high school stabbing, where large areas are covered with blood, it’s important to take additional time to ensure that all areas are free from these biohazards.  The presence of dried blood can contain airborne pathogens that, if ingested, can cause disease and other health issues for anyone who comes in contact.  These pathogens are be present for weeks and even months after an incident occurs.  Because of the dense population in such a confined area, the risks are even greater.

Bio Clean Services maintains the necessary qualifications to clean up and remediate these scenes.  For a complete list of our services or qualifications, please visit our website.  Our technicians are familiar with the protocols and procedures necessary to ensure the safety of all occupants. If you are involved in an incident like this or need additional information regarding the services we offer, please contact our office. We maintain 24 hour per day dispatch services to handle this and many other types of biohazard clean up emergencies.

ODOR REMOVAL CONDISERATIONS FROM DEATH CLEAN UP

Bio Clean Services is frequently called to clean up after an unattended death or suicide in OH, WV, PA & MI. One of the very first questions we’re always asked is, “Can you get rid of this odor completely?”  The answer is yes however, several factors will determine the amount of time and work necessary to remediate these odors and return the scene to a clean, sanitary environment.


What we’ll need to know:

1.    Were did the death occur, and what elements are directly connected to the death scene?  For instance, did the person die in a bed, on a carpeted floor, in a bathtub or a car?  Death clean up requires decontamination of furniture, flooring, fabrics and virtually any porous surfaces related to the scene.  In certain cases, it may also be necessary to remove and replace walls, ceilings, sub-flooring and possibly insulation. Weather conditions also may affect the scene depending on temperatures and other factors.

2.    How long has it been since the death occurred? If the death was an accident, suicide or an elderly person and not discovered immediately, the cleanup process is more entailed as most likely decomposition has started. We would need to follow specific cleaning processes using chemicals, antimicrobial cleaners and ozone or neutralizing agents. Ozone is commonly used in death cleanup because of it’s quick reaction to carbon based molecules associated with death odors. It’s a highly useful tool but not a guarantee that it will completely get rid of the odor.

Bio Clean Services takes every measure possibly to safely and effectively remediate these scenes with as minimal disruption as possible. Our cleanup technicians are trained to provide our clients with the emotional support needed during these types of tasks. The unattended death of a friend or loved one is never something that anyone is prepared to handle. The emotions and questions that are brought on by this tragic event can make it difficult to determine what to do next.

Our goal is to offer clients the assurance that our work will completely restore the scene to a pre-incident condition and we are dedicated to the protection and safety of our clients. Hiring the proper cleanup company is difficult, after we analyze the scene, we provide a full plan of action and work directly with our clients through each step of the process.  Contact us today for more information about the services we offer.

Difficulties in removing odors from crime and death scenes

The removal of odors from homes and buildings is a tedious and often elusive task. Bio Clean Services is trained in odor remediation and disinfecting techniques that will eliminate any trace of odors from these types of scenes.  We are skilled at cleaning odors that arise from many sources such as disaster contaminates, blood and bodily fluids,  unattended death decomposition and others.


Most crime, trauma and death scenes contain trace elements of blood, fluids and tissues that are not seen with the human eye.  If these areas are not properly cleaned, you will have putrid odors that can last for weeks, months or in some cases even years depending on the severity of the scene.  Household cleaning solutions will not clean these areas and do not vacate the smell. They are only a temporary masking of the odors and soon as the chemicals dissipate, the odors will return.

Odor removal involves the following general principles:

• Removing the source of the odor as soon as possible. In certain instances, this may include removal of parts of the structure that are immediately affected by the source.
• Cleaning the affected surfaces and materials.  Every porous surface in the affected area must be properly cleaned and disinfected with commercial chemicals that are specifically used for this type of remediation.
• Use of counteractants to restore the area
• Sealing any surfaces that have been in contact such as flooring, porous surfaces etc; if possible

Bio Clean Services utilizes specialized chemicals and equipment to solve the odor contamination permanently by using specific solutions that chemically bond to odor molecules  in the air and on surfaces.  Our technicians have the knowledge and equipment to apply restoration techniques that return these scenes to their pre-incident condition.

If you are experiencing odors from a crime, trauma or death scene or you need specific help related to these service areas, please contact our office to learn more about the service areas we cover and our certifications.