Blood spills are more dangerous than you may realize. Depending on the size of the spill, they can carry hundreds of trillions of viruses, some of which may be infectious. Spread through open wounds, sores and other orifices (i.e. eyes, nose, mouth), these disease-carrying microorganisms—or pathogens—can cause severe illness or death if left untreated. Though the risk of infection depends on the volume of blood involved and the pervasiveness of the virus, it is prudent to consider how to protect yourself against different types of bloodborne viruses. Although they are easily preventable, contracting one demands urgency. As their name suggests, these pathogens travel through the bloodstream infecting host cells and disrupting the body’s biological machinery. As the virus multiplies, cells will die or function improperly, leading to distressing side effects. Here are some of the most common bloodborne infection you should be aware of:

Hepatitis A—Hepatitis A infects the liver. Though the virus commonly comes from food and water contaminated by feces, it can be transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids, such as semen, breast milk and saliva. It is extremely contagious, but given the availability of effective vaccines, most people are able to make a full recovery.

Hepatitis B—Hepatitis B is another highly contagious and severe liver infection that can be spread through blood and bodily fluids. Young people—particularly infants—are more at risk of developing a chronic infection than adults, which can lead to long-term side effects, liver failure and cancer. People infected with acute—or short-termed—hepatitis B are most likely to make a full recovery.

Hepatitis C— This viral liver infection is transmitted blood-to-blood and usually results in a chronic illness. Though hepatitis C is curable today, more than half of those infected are unaware that they have the disease. Unlike hepatitis A and B, there is no vaccine. Treatment involves 12 weeks of oral medication.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)—HIV destroys cells that combat infections. If untreated, it will progress until the infected person contracts AIDS—the final stage of the disease. Spread through unprotected sex, exposure to blood and shared hygiene instruments, HIV affects 1.1 million people today. An effective cure has yet to be developed.

How to protect yourself—The safest way to protect yourself from bloodborne pathogens is by avoiding blood spills and practicing safe, protected sex. Refrain from sharing razors, needles and toothbrushes as well, which may carry traces of blood from someone else. Smaller blood spills—such as those caused by nose bleeds or minor head injuries—can generally be disinfectd safely at home through tight gloves and protective eyewear.

But you’re going to want to contact the professionals for anything larger. Allowing trained specialists to do the work protects you from accidental blood exposure and ensures that your property is thoroughly disinfected. Bio-One hires certified technicians to comprehensively and efficiently clean biohazardous blood spills. Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions or concerns. We’re always available to assist you.

When a loved one commits suicide it’s fair to assume that first responders will decontaminate the scene. But they don’t, creating yet another dilemma for families who are freshly traumatized by a sudden and devastating loss. Driven to remove the memory from your home as quickly as possible, your first impulse may be to clean the space yourself. But there are several reasons why you shouldn’t take on this burden.

For one, suicide cleanup is a traumatic and overwhelming experience of its own. Although you may think you can push through this task by suppressing your emotions, you’re at risk of developing PTSD and prolonging your grief. It's best to avoid the scene and leave this process to the professionals.

Additionally, you may be subject to harmful diseases if you don’t clean up the scene properly. Pathogens linger long after a surface has been scrubbed, leaving you and your family at risk of developing bloodborne infections like Hepatitis C and HIV if your cleaning process has not been thorough enough. Certified specialists in biohazard remediation are the only people qualified to perform this intensive work. Let them restore your home with the assurance that it will be sanitary.

Bio-One is here to help in this regard. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need assistance. We’re on standby 24/7, every day of the year, and are always available to answer any questions you might have.

Luckily, very few people are tasked with the unfortunate responsibility of cleaning up a hoarders home. Because it is an uncommon event, there are very few resources out there. Once the initial call is made, whether it be by a friend, family member, property owner, or the hoarder themselves, one of their first questions to me is always, “I'm not sure where to begin. How does this process work?”

The first thing I request from my clients is complete honesty about the situation. The more honest you are with me about the problem, the more honest I can be with you about the solution. Most of the hoarders I speak with are very embarrassed about their situation and haven't allowed anyone in their home for years. I understand. There isn't much I haven't seen, smelled, touched, and cleaned. But if my crew starts working in piles of clutter and all of a sudden come across an uncapped syringe and we learn the client is diabetic and there are hundreds of them throughout the home, we are now dealing with a serious safety hazard that we should have been made aware of before we started.

During the conversation, the topic of cost always comes up, and understandably so. I try to explain that it is impossible to give an accurate quote over the phone because everyone has a different idea of what is “really bad” and what's “not too bad.” I've been to homes that were described to me as having “a few bags of trash lying around” that literally had piles of garbage up to my waist throughout the entire home, and another that was described as “horrendous,” but turned out to be refreshingly clutter free (to my standards at least!). At Bio-One, although no job is too big or too small, we are typically dealing significant problems that require hours of hard work by dedicated and skilled technicians.

Once we are able to agree on a date and time for me to come over and view the property (my bids are always 100% free), all I'll need is maybe 30 minutes to look around and, with your permission, take some photos. The reason I take photos is so I can review them once I get back to my office. They are never shared with anyone unless I have your permission after the job is done. While speaking with you on location, I'll be able to get a better understanding of what exactly you're looking to accomplish, and I'll be able to better explain what I feel should and shouldn't be done, and what you can expect throughout the process. Once I have seen the property in person and have a better understanding of the task at hand, I can go back to my office, look over the photos to refresh my memory, then figure out all of the details, crunch some numbers, and get you a detailed job proposal and cost estimate in writing.

There are many factors that go into bidding a hoarding clean-up job. What is the size of the home? How many floors does it have, and is there a basement or a garage and/or shed? Just how much clutter is there and how many dumpsters will be needed? Are there bio-hazards such as feces, urine, or blood inside the home? Did the hoarder have any diseases such as MRSA, C-Diff, or HIV? How many of my crew members will I need and how long will it take us to finish the job? Is there water damage or mold? Are there mice, roaches, or any other creatures in the home? All of these questions, and many more, need to be considered when I give an estimate.

I hope this has answered some of your questions about the hoarding clean-up process. I also hope it has alleviated some of your concerns. I hear time and time again from clients that have tried to clean up a property themselves, only to barely scratch the surface, become quickly overwhelmed, and realize that it would literally take them months, if not years, to finish the job. I take great pride in making the process as easy and stress free for my clients, usually finishing the job in less than week, with unbelievable results.

If you have any situation you would like to discuss with me, whether it be about hoarding or any other bio-hazard clean-up situation, please don't hesitate to contact me.

By now, everyone who is familiar with Bio-One knows that we specialize in crime scene cleaning, hoarding remediation, and general bio-hazard removal. And yes, many times when we do clean up blood, vomit, feces, urine, and other body fluids, it is because of a traumatic event or severe hoarding remediation, but there are also many times when we are contacted clean up messes due to medical issues.

Recently, we remediated three homes within two weeks that were contaminated with clostridium difficile, commonly known as C. diff. C. diff is a bacterium that typically causes diarrhea, but in severe cases in can cause life-threatening inflammation of the colon. It most commonly affects older adults in hospitals or in long-term care facilities and typically occurs after the use of antibiotic medications.

Spores from C. diff bacteria are passed in feces and spread by touch to food, surfaces, and objects when people who are infected don't wash their hands thoroughly. These spores can persist in a room for weeks or months, and if you touch a surface contaminated with C. diff spores, you may then unknowingly swallow the bacteria

When a client calls Bio-One about a C. diff contamination, it is usually because the diarrhea had become uncontrollable and they weren't able to make it to the bathroom, causing a mess on the mattress, carpet, bathroom, and in many cases, all of them and more. Knowing the risks of C. diff, that is obviously not a safe environment for an untrained, and unprotected, individual to attempt to clean up themselves.

At Bio-One, we have the top of the line chemicals, tools, and personal protective equipment capable of disinfecting the entire home quickly and effectively. Because C. diff is a bacteria transmitted by touch, many people are under the false impression that a home can be disinfectd simply by wiping hard surfaces with a bleach mixture. That may work for some surfaces, but we use high quality chemicals specifically designed to kill these bacteria, as well a chemical fogging machine that creates a dense smoke of potent chemicals to kill all of the hard to reach bio-hazards inside your home. This method is incredibly effective and usually allows our clients to return to their home that very same day.

If you have a question about C. diff or any other bio-hazards, please do not hesitate to contact us.

When people find out I own a Bio-One and that we specialize in crime and trauma scene cleaning, one question I get asked often is, “How do you find employees that want to do this?” The truth is, they usually come to me. As surprising as it sounds, many people are fascinated by this industry and want to be a part of it. I get phone calls and e-mails on a regular basis from people asking if we are hiring. That doesn't always mean that they're cut out for it, and I'm obviously not hiring all the time, but I appreciate the interest and always forward them an application to fill out and return so I can look it over once I do open up another hiring process.

The last time I put a help wanted ad on-line, I received over 110 applicants within 24 hours. Seriously. I had to take down the ad after one day because I got so many responses. It was extremely overwhelming having to sort through all of those applications and resumes, but eventually I found the perfect fit for the position.

There are no specific qualifications that will necessarily give you an edge when applying for this job, and no experience is necessary. Experience is helpful but that's understandably hard to come by. Once I think you'd be a good fit for the team, I would provide you with all the training you needed to be able to do the job safely and effectively.

The traits I look for when hiring a crime scene technician are (in no particular order):

Personality – I will not hire someone with a bad attitude or that would be incapable of communicating with a client in a professional manner. Not only will we have to work side by side for extended periods of time, but often times the clients are on the scenes with us, and I will not allow someone with a bad attitude ruin the reputation of my company.
Work Ethic – You must be dependable, punctual, motivated, and have an extraordinary attention to detail. When it comes to the crime scene clean-up business, Bio-One is the best. I am very proud of the work we do, and I insist on the best for our clients.
Physical Fitness – It may not seem like it, but the work can be very physically demanding. Just last week we cleaned up a suicide in an attic converted into a bedroom. It was very hot and there was no air conditioning. Even though we weren't doing anything necessarily physically demanding, when I took my bio-hazard suit off it looked like I had jumped in a swimming pool with my clothes on. We also complete many hoarding jobs, so we can be wearing bio-hazard suits for hours at a time while lifting refrigerators, couches, etc. If you are not in decent shape, you won't be able to do it.
Strong Stomach – This should be an obvious one. We work in blood, vomit, feces, urine, and any other body fluid you can think of. We come across spiders, roaches, mice, maggots, and other numerous insects and animals, both alive and skeletalized. It all smells as good as you can imagine. Typically, you either know if you could handle it or not. If you are applying for a job in this industry and you think you can handle it, I would have to think long and hard about hiring you.
Schedule – We are on call 24 ours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. My phone rings regularly in the middle of the night. Sometimes the job can wait until the morning, sometimes it can't. It's whatever the client needs. I understand things happen and all of my employees aren't available 100% of the time, but if you aren't available most of the time, I can't use you.
Pay – Again, this is an on-call business. The work is extremely streaky. Some weeks you will make lots of money, some weeks you will make zero. It's the nature of the business and you have to be prepared for that.

I should clarify that at the time that I am writing this blog, Bio-One is not currently looking to hire anyone. I am writing this in the hopes that I answer some questions for the curious.

Following the suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade this week, we have all been bombarded with suicide warning sign and prevention messages on television, radio, and especially social media. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media outlet, lately we can't seem to scroll for more than a few seconds without seeing someone posting or sharing a message about suicide.

That's wonderful. It truly is. Suicide is a tragic event that shatters countless lives and it needs our attention. At Bio-One we see it first hand on a much too regular basis. But why must it take the suicide of a celebrity to raise these levels of awareness? The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) lists the following statistics on their website (https://afsp.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/):

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States
Each year 44,965 Americans die by suicide
If you're counting, that's 123 per day
For every suicide, 25 others attempt suicide

These are shocking numbers and they should not be forgotten about until the next celebrity commits suicide, or the suicide of a loved one affects your family. For a list of ways you can help raise awareness, visit the the AFSP website at www.afsp.org. Or if you or a loved one may be contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

We’re here to meet your needs, wherever you are. From the parched land of Southern Nevada to the aquamarine beaches of West Florida, Bio-One has over 80 offices located across the nation—and we continue to grow. You can find us in areas as metropolitan as Philadelphia and as pastoral as Colorado Springs. But even if you don’t live in one of these cities, our offices service multiple counties nearby. Please visit our “locations” tab on our website to find your neighborhood, and we’ll be available to assist you.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, compulsive hoarding disorder affects an estimated 2 to 6 percent of the population. That’s between 6.5 and 20 million people respectively—if you consider the latest figures from the United States Census Bureau. While inadvertently mythologized through reality television, hoarding is a serious problem that can diminish one’s quality of life and create significant safety hazards. As opposed to collectors, who invariably organize their material in a clean and organized manner, hoarders obsessively and haphazardly accumulate a myriad of items that often have no practical value. They face severe distress when confronted with the prospect of discarding these items, leading to a dangerous and unsanitary aggregation of clothes, trash, broken appliances and more.

In addition to generating mold, harboring disease and creating fire hazards, hoarding—according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America—often causes distress within the family and threatens the social development of children. While the nation’s leading psychiatrists didn’t classify hoarding as a distinct mental disorder until 2013, it’s a significant problem that many Americans face within our local communities. That’s why you shouldn’t feel ashamed if you’re thinking about contacting Bio-One to assist you or a loved one with hoarding cleanup. We will work with you to address your individual situation, especially if that includes removing extreme piles of clutter, searching for sentimental valuables, and restoring your home’s sense of safety and comfort. Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns. It can be the first step towards recovery.

Sudden and inexplicable tragedies like suicide and homicide are emotionally devastating experiences that leave trauma, property damage and unanswered questions in their wake. Our certified technicians conduct their work in a manner that is sensitive to your needs, considerate of your privacy and empathetic towards your grief. That’s why we strive to be on-site, at your side, an hour after you give us a call. We don't require payment or insurance authorization before a service because our primary concern is restoring your home quickly and courteously. Staying true to this prerogative is what makes us the most compassionate organization in the industry. Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions or concerns. We’re happy to help—day and night.

Needles and sharps can be dangerous and carry infectous fluids. If you want to know how to properly dispose of your sharps, please visit https://safeneedledisposal.org.

You SHOULD NOT be throwing needles and sharps directly into the trash. They need to be handled carefully and by a trained professional. Did you know Bio-One will pick up these items for you?

If you are a part of the medical field, dental industry, or a tattoo shop, these are all places we can pick up from! If you think you might need this, take a look at our locations page to find a Bio-One franchise close to you.

Bloodborne Viruses