Blood and body fluids

Blood and body fluid cleanup

A bad fall, a deep cut, an animal bite, a death at home: blood ends up on floors, furniture and walls. When it has soaked in or spread, an independent cleanup company can remove it and disinfect what is left.

Call (707) 271-4587

Answered 24 hours a day, every day

Worker in white coveralls and a respirator spraying disinfectant on bathroom tile

Why blood is handled carefully

Blood and some other body fluids can carry bloodborne germs. That is why California requires employers whose staff may touch blood to keep a written exposure plan and give those workers protective equipment (Cal/OSHA).

At home nobody checks, so the choice is yours. The cards below may help you decide.

Do it yourself, or call?

Small spill or a job for a company

A small spot on a hard surface

Many people clean this themselves. Wear disposable gloves, clean the surface first, then use a disinfectant and keep it wet for the time on the label. Never mix products (CDC).

Blood that has soaked in

Carpet and pad, mattresses, upholstery and the gaps in wood floors hold blood below the surface. Cleaning the top leaves the rest behind.

Blood that has spread

Several rooms, a stairway, a heating vent or the inside of a car are more than a mop and bucket can deal with.

When you would rather not

If it was someone you love, that is reason enough to hand it over.

Common questions

Can a carpet cleaner deal with it?

A carpet cleaning machine works on the surface. Blood that has reached the pad or the subfloor usually means cutting out that section, which a biohazard company does and a carpet cleaner normally does not.

What about the rest of the house?

Ask the company to check where people walked after the incident: hallways, door handles, light switches and the car.

Talk to a cleanup company about your home

Describe what happened and which rooms are affected, and say whether the police or the coroner have finished. The company will explain the work and its price.

Ready to talk to a cleanup company?

You will speak with an independent biohazard cleanup company that works in Santa Rosa and nearby towns. Ask what it would do and what it would charge. Nothing is agreed until you say so.

Call (707) 271-4587

Answered 24 hours a day, every day

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