Biohazard and Hoarding Cleanup for a Home in the Washington DC Area

When dealing with a traumatic situation such as a crime scene, hoarding, sewage backup, and more, hiring a professional biohazard cleanup company is essential. At PuroClean of Alexandria, we have trained and certified experts that can help you overcome such difficult losses. Here’s how we recently dealt with a crime scene and hoarding situation.

Back in July 2019, we performed crime scene cleanup and hoarding cleanup services in a residence located in Washington DC. The situation was challenging to deal with, considering what happened and the state the house was in.

A horrific incident occurred in the home and our customers (the family of the owner) were in shock when they contacted us. The owner, a single man living alone, had committed suicide and his body had been lying on the same bed for 30 days.

Furthermore, the police found the body after neighbors complained about a strong odor coming from the home. There was a lot of body fluid in addition to the pungent smell. On top of that, as the man was a severe hoarder, his house sheltered a lot of contents.

Performing crime scene cleanup after body decomposition

Once the coroner removed the body, we were able to start the cleanup job. We began by identifying all affected areas and contents. Then, we removed all these contaminated materials and items from the site. Our team sent all infectious substances, such as body fluids, to a licensed hazardous medical waste incinerator.

Next, we either removed or decontaminated the non-hazardous materials that were salvageable. After cleanup and sanitization, we deodorized the affected areas. Removing contaminated materials, then cleaning and sanitizing is often enough to control odors. In this case, the crew also utilized hydroxyls to eliminate the odor. It took our team five days to finish the job.

By the way, cleaning and decontaminating the biohazard fluids come under Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Blood and Other Potentially Infectious Material (BOPIM) regulations. These regulations specify the training, equipment, safety issues, and products that technicians use to safely remove and decontaminate an area damaged by BOPIM.

Working with empathy and compassion

The most challenging thing during a biohazard cleanup job is taking care of the clients who are suffering. Our team was sensitive to their loss and we understand that those involved are emotionally vulnerable. Thus, we made sure that our actions do not worsen the sense of loss of the family. When dealing with this type of cleanup, it is important to always show extra care and compassion. At the end of the job, the clients truly appreciated our work and the result.

For biohazard cleanup and hoarding cleaning services, call PuroClean of Alexandria!

When a biohazard or hoarding incident occurs, contact PuroClean of Alexandria to clean and disinfect the contaminated site. Our technicians use state-of-the-art equipment to mitigate the damage and bring the affected areas back to normal.