Blood Cleanup Help

Blood Cleanup Help
Homicide - Suicide - Unattended Death

I use this web site as one of many to help share information about blood cleanup and other cleaining issues. Homicide, suicide, unattended death, and other traumatic injuries to the human body require special cleaning concerns.

My cleaning experience includes military trauma cleanup, crime scene cleanup, and pack rat cleanup. After 8 years of self-employed cleaning, my subject matter expertise has grown enough to share some ideas.

Blood cleanup for significant blood cleanup events requires patience, forethought, and a willingness to clean thoroughly. Many times I use bleach and water, roughly 1:10 % bleach to water, for disinfecting before I begin cleaning.

The Center for Disease Control recommends the 1:10 % bleach to water for nonporous surfaces. I use blach and water in stronger bleach solutions for disinfecting large quantities of blood. Bleach begins to degrade once its lid has been opened. It degrades quickly when it contacts organic substances like blood, dirt, and other stuff in nature's catalogue.

Mattresses soiled by large amounts of blood require dissecting. If the cleaner cannot dissect a mattress for one reason or another, then the mattress must have a seal wrapped firmly around it before moving it from a room Even before sealing with a cellophane, plastic tarpe, or other sealing material, it might have a thick coat of Kilz or Zinnesser place on it.

Before moving such a mattress, though, the cleaner should have permission to dispose of it in a landfill. Some landfills do not care about bloody mattresses, others do. Whatever the case, a landfill must have notice of a bloody mattresses arrivial. Sometimes special considerations will be made for special disposal. Call and ask landfill information.

Acton, Adelanto, Agoura, Agoura Hills, Agua Dulce, Alhambra, Aliso Viejo, Alta Loma, Altadena, Anaheim, Anaheim Hills, Angelus Oaks, Antelope, Antioch, Anza, Apple Valley, Arcadia, Arcata, Arleta, Arroyo Grande, Artesia, Atascadero, Atwater, Avalon, Azusa

We do not alter or destroy floors or walls, generally. Sometimes doing so becomes necessary. Personally, I destroy no more than needed.

Since I rarely collect insurance money because of cronyism, I have no incintive to destroy walls or floors. That's where the big money comes in. Taking out floors and wall whether or not needed.

I focus on removing blood and other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) Once removed, my attention turns to areas heavily soiled and stained. I seal stained areas with a good primer, usually Kilz or Zinnsser. Remember though, I have already thoroughly cleaned and disinfected these stained areas.

Sometimes I decide to destroy part of a floor, part of a wall, or part of a ceiling. Believe me, when I do decide to destroy these areas, it's needed. I still seal the materials removed for safe handling.

Usually a good reason to remove any part of these areas follows from the blood's migration to another room or dwelling below.

A ceramic tile floor over a bathroom floor allows blood to migrate. Blood flows below toilets, down the sides of air mover vents, along and under walls. Whether or not this type of floor gets removed depends on the grout's condition. Good, thick grout restricts blood's flow within confines of the gouted area. Blood coagulates into thick, black ash-like formations. Blood has a cascading molecular property.

When to Remove

If a ceramic tile floor's covering has cracks in it, then I remove pieces. I can now check for blood contamination below its tile. Sometimes I do find blood below. So now I must remove more and more until I have chased blood to its final resting place.

Because blood seeps or somehow oozes below tile, it remains wet or moist for a long time. As such it remains biohazardous and smells. Letting dry or absorbing it with Comet, paper towels, or even dirt solidifies it. Sweeping it up without causing dust helps. Vacuuming it up while still wet or moist helps. Whatever steps I choose, I ensure it does not get loose.

Now the issue of cutting a piece of wall arises. Sometimes cutting out a small, rectangular piece of dry wall reveals whether or not blood dripped below. Actually viewing behind the wall to view the horizontal, supporting 2X4 clarifies the next step. Now I know if I need to continue my bloody chase.

If an earlier layer of linoleum lies below, blood may remain moist for as long as two weeks. Pathogen issues remain in this case because an incubating condition may exist. The same process of chasing blood on linoleum follows the ceramic floor's blood chase above.