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Here at the Cleanup Team, we offer a range of cleaning services that might require the cleaning of blood and body fluids. Our Trauma and Crime Scene Cleaning and After Death Cleaning may require us to follow certain procedures to ensure we clean everything correctly in a way that is safe both for our cleaners and you as the property owner.
To be clear: Our guide today is NOT to help you clean up blood and bodily fluids yourself. A professional who knows which protective equipment they need to wear and stringent procedures they need to follow should always do this. Instead, our guide is here to show you simply how well-trained our cleaners at the Cleanup Team are, and to give you an idea of the steps we'll follow when on site carrying out cleaning for you.
Want to find out more about what we'll do to help you clean blood and body fluids on site? Then join us below.
That's just to give you an idea of the sort of things we can tackle, so if you require assistance with any of the above (or other bodily fluids not mentioned) then contact the Cleanup Team today.
To assist with our cleaning of bodily fluids, we need certain cleaning materials that will help us tackle the area immediately and allow us to stay safe whilst cleaning:
When tackling bodily fluids, we have to review the situation immediately whilst on site to determine the course of action we'll be taking.
Whilst assessing the area, we're looking for a few things to help us determine how we will proceed:
Although how we tackle specific spills will be different, we will always follow the same procedure at the start and end:
If the spill is less than 10cm, then we can simply wipe the area with paper towels before disposing of them in an appropriate container.
Next, we take warm water and an appropriate detergent and rinse the area fully to remove any chance of contamination.
Then we wipe the spot again with paper towels as wet areas can attract contaminants more easily.
Finally, we dispose of all the equipment used in the appropriate leak-proof bags and containers before taking it away to be disposed of according to local guidelines (typically incineration is recommended).
Large spills of over 10cm need to be handled differently, and again, depending on the place the spill has happened, a different approach may be necessary.
A wet area is anywhere that a spill can be properly disposed of safely directly into a sewage system using water and detergents to flush the area properly. Places like toilets and bathrooms.
When a spill occurs in a wet place, warm water and detergents can be used to rinse the area. Once that has been completed, we can then use a mop and bucket to properly decontaminate the space. This mop and bucket then need to be cleaned thoroughly - typically in a bucket of water and bleach (sodium hypochlorite or sodium hydroxide) for an hour before being washed and dried to prevent the risk of contaminants.
When large spills of over 1ocm occur in a dry area, we will react differently again. These areas are so defined because there isn't a sewage system that can be safely used and so flushing the area won't work.
Here, the blood or bodily fluid needs to be handled differently. The sachets of granular formation containing chlorine need to be used here, to take out the moisture from the bodily fluids. When this happens, the granular formation absorbs the spill, and a scraper and pan can then be used to sweep up the bodily fluids and granular formation.
Once disposed of properly in an appropriate leak-proof bag or container, we can then mop the area before placing the mop in a bleach solution to decontaminate as described above.
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After all the examples discussed above, our cleaners will then dispose of their protective gear (gloves, apron, etc) and then wash their hands thoroughly before leaving the scene.
Sodium hypochlorite or bleach isn't always necessary. In fact, all scientific evidence indicates that bleach has no additional effect on the contaminant content of bodily fluids.
With that said, sometimes bleach is necessary. If there is ever a risk of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease prions, then bleach is always recommended (Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease prions are common in brain tissue, so this spill is very rare). And sometimes home and business owners may feel better if bleach is applied to the area afterwards, anyway. Although unnecessary in most cases, we can do this for you if it makes you feel more comfortable in your own home or work place.
You should NEVER attempt to clean up blood or body fluid spills yourself. If there has been an accident in your home or you require assistance after a death, contact the Cleanup Team today. We're always happy to help whenever we can and we can assure you that our team will follow all the latest health and safety guidance whilst on site.
