When a friend of family member dies at home

Your loved one has signed a Do Not Resuscitate Order also known as a DNR. They have decided to take the natural progression into their next life and are requesting that this transition takes place in the comfort, peace and tranquility of their own home.  Knowing before the death will certainly give you time to brace yourself for the shock that comes with  loosing a loved one. Dealing with the death of a friend or loved one is traumatic enough without having the worry of cleaning up biohazard materials that remain after a person dies.

A number of steps must occur after your loved one has passed on.  First, you must call  911 and report the death to the police. The police will investigate the death scene, and the determination as to whether an autopsy is required or not.  When the police have determined that a homicide has not taken place and release the body, you may call funeral home personnel to remove the body and transport for the impending funeral.

Now that the body has been removed from the home, there are traces of pathogens and other biohazards that can be extremely harmful to you if the proper cleanup protocol is not followed.  Bio Clean Services is experienced in the clean up and removal of biohazard materials, waste, blood and other trauma scene materials. When someone dies, it takes as little as 15 minutes for the body to begin to decompose.   The area in which the body was located may become contaminated with these  hidden  pathogens which could possibly make you or other family members sick.
 
Our bio- hazard professionals at Bio Clean Services are trained to  re mediate the death scene back to its original sanitary state.  We are trained to deal with all situations in a discreet and professional manner.  Frequently, Bio Clean Services  receives calls to perform clean up for all death scenes types including murder, suicide or trauma clean up. 

If you or someone you know is in need of these services please contact our office, we are available with 24 hour immediate response dispatch. We can assist you with procedures for insurance claims and other payment assisted programs. 

3 common questions about biohazard cleaning

The most important thing in handling the crime scene clean up is that affected things should be cleaned in a way by which life will be danger free in future. Bio Clean Services provides  coverage in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is imperative that one employs the help of the experienced bio hazard technicians who are certified and well trained to remove the fluid materials of body and blood or other biohazard materials.  Often there are various items such as walls, carpet, furniture, wallpaper, flooring, etc that will need to be disposed of in the red bio-hazard bags.  Disposal can usually be taken to a state-regulated and federal- regulated site. Laws do not permit the use of dumpster to dispose the items. According to the laws of federal and state, a bio-hazard clean up will need to store the records of the place where disposal is taken place and include what was disposed. It is suggested that these records be stored for 30 years. It’s also important that permits and certification information be retained for the same amount of time should they ever need to be reviewed.

Why is trauma and crime scene clean up so dangerous? The cleanup process of a scene may be easy and simple. But, clean up technicians have to be trained in how to handle materials to avoid contact with deadly diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases that can be occurred by affection of bio-hazards. Frequently sharp items that can puncture your skin are found to be present during clean up. It’s also possible that a cleaner’s mouth and eyes can be affected accidently during the removal of biohazard items.

Why should someone call a biohazard clean up company?  When it comes to cleaning and removal from a biohazard trauma scene, family members, friends or people associated want to clean the scene themselves.  Seldom do they realize that the tasks are physically and emotionally overwhelming. Bio Clean Services is certified in the removal of biohazard items such as body fluids, decomposing bodies, human tissues, hypodermic needles, blood, etc.  Our technicians are fully trained and certified in the removal of these materials and have been specifically trained to restore a scene to a better than original condition. Utilizing a trained professional company like Bio Clean Services enables you to avoid the emotional distress of the work. Anyone attempting to clean a biohazard scene may also run the risk of certain liabilities should someone cleaning become exposed to harmful items and substances.

Who pays for biohazard and crime scene clean up? Depending on the circumstances and where the incident occurs, ordinarily the insurance company pays for the cleanup. Every insurance carrier is different and certain restrictions may apply.  Anyone having to hire a professional clean up company should contact the insurance company to review these limitations; if any.

Choosing the RIGHT biohazard clean up company

Having been in the Crime Scene and biohazard clean up industry for over a decade, I’ve personally worked hundreds of clean up scenes. Surprisingly, several of the jobs I’ve performed were as a result of non-reputable cleaning companies who did not follow proper protocols and techniques when cleaning these scenes.


 If crime, trauma, suicide and other biohazard scenes are not properly cleaned, weeks, months, and even a year later clients have reported horrible odors, infestations of bugs, stains and other problems that all stem from the fact that the original cleaning company did not properly remediate.

 How do you know if you are hiring a legitimate clean up company? Here are a few tips:

1. Work with a reputable provider – Usually law enforcement officials have a point of contact for a local company that can provide quality services.
2. Research multiple companies – There are tons of cleaning companies out there, but you need to make sure the company you choose is certified in biohazard clean up and disposal. In most cases local companies offer better rates and do a better job.
3. Discuss with your insurance company –Call your insurance company immediately to inquire about coverage. Your homeowners insurance may cover all or part of your cleaning service, while you may not be able to immediately find out exactly what the coverage is, you can ask if this is a covered loss. You have the right to choose any company you prefer if this is a covered loss.
4. If your loss is not covered by insurance, speak directly with your clean up company to learn costs, procedures and payment arrangements.

Not all companies are the same. Building a reputation in the biohazard clean up industry takes hard work, dedication and it’s not something that just anyone can do. Bio Clean Services has provided these professional, compassionate services for over a decade throughout the northeastern United States. We’ve worked on hundreds of jobs relating to crime, trauma, suicide, meth labs, hoarding, animals and more. Contact our office immediately if you have a situation that requires this type of cleaning. Never attempt to clean these scenes on your own. It will put your health and the health of others at a much greater risk.