Simply put, dealing with a biohazard in your home is not safe. There are a number of things that can go wrong, which is why you need a professional. Why is this so important? One hint is that the word “hazard” is in the word “biohazard” for a reason. Today, we’re looking at the critical role of a biohazard cleanup service and how it affects you.
What Is a Biohazard?
Before we dive into why a biohazard cleanup service is critical, let’s first define what a biohazard is. The definition of a biohazard, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “a biological agent or condition that is a hazard to humans or the environment.” Basically, it’s some kind of biological matter that can cause serious harm to you and the environment around you. This is because a lot of biohazards not only can cause physical damage to your body or your property but have the potential to lead to serious medical issues, as well.
What Kinds of Biohazards Are There?
Biohazards come in many forms. Here’s a list of some of the issues that a biohazard cleanup service will handle:
- Human blood
- Other kinds of bodily fluids
- Animal waste
- Microbiological waste
- Medical waste
Each of these presents a different kind of hazard and a different set of challenges in terms of cleaning up. For example, blood tends to have pathogens in it that can be dangerous if it’s exposed to human skin, especially if there is a cut or a scrape that could potentially lead to getting infected.
Why Can’t I Just Clean up a Biohazard Myself?
When it comes to cleaning a biohazard, there are several reasons why the cleanup should be handled by a professional. Sure, the most important reason is that it is physically harmful for someone to clean up a biohazard on their own. But there’s more to it than just that.
First, you might think you could just wipe up a biohazard with some bleach and call it a day. Bleach is okay for smaller applications, but for a large-scale biohazard situation, bleach will do you no good. Hiring an OSHA-certified biohazard cleanup team means that you’ll have professionals who know how to tackle the job safely. Furthermore, they’re going to have industry-standard and OSHA-approved cleaners. These cleaners will make the area look clean and will meet safety and sanitary standards.
Another reason you might consider doing the job yourself is that the source of the biohazard was from a healthy person, so you think it shouldn’t be an issue to handle yourself. Just because someone looks clean doesn’t mean that there can’t be some underlying contamination that can make the biohazard a much worse situation. You could be exposing yourself to some serious bloodborne pathogens that can lead to infection and severe health issues, especially if you don’t know how to take any kind of precautions when cleaning things up.
The last reason you shouldn’t handle this is because it isn’t a job that can just wait. It’s important to not only call immediately for biohazard cleaning but to also seek medical treatment to ensure that you don’t have any sort of medical issue due to exposure.
What Do Biohazard Cleanup Services Do?
A biohazard cleanup service is a team of trained professionals who have the proper equipment and knowledge to thoroughly clean a biohazard area. They will also ensure that it’s 100% sanitized when they’re done. They go through a specific process to properly clean any biohazard area.
The process involves first removing all biological materials such as clothing, blood, body parts, carpeting, furniture, etc. Once everything has been removed, the decontamination process starts. This means specialized cleaning solutions are utilized to sanitize the area, removing 100% of everything hazardous. Then the area needs to be deodorized. This is because biohazards tend to leave some awful smells that can linger for long periods. This removes those smells from the area. And then finally, the restoration process can start, to get the area back to the way it was before the biohazard.
If You’re in Need of Biohazard Cleanup Services, Call PNW Restoration
If you have a biohazard that needs to be cleaned up, don’t try to tackle it yourself. Give the professionals at PNW Restoration a call today at (971) 247-3381. We have OSHA-certified technicians who have the right tools and know-how to get the job done properly. We’ll leave your home clean and safe when we’re done.
Contact us today to set up your appointment.
