Infectious illness and contamination
Disinfection after illness in the home
After someone has been very ill at home, or a room has been contaminated with vomit, diarrhea or other body fluids, careful cleaning and disinfecting lower the chance of germs spreading. A cleanup company can do it when the job is too large or too much to face.
Answered 24 hours a day, every day
How disinfection works
Cleaning comes first. Soap or detergent removes most germs along with the dirt. Disinfecting then kills germs that remain. The product should be registered with the EPA for the germ involved, and the surface has to stay wet for the contact time printed on the label (CDC guidance).
The CDC does not generally recommend fogging or wide-area spraying as the main way to disinfect surfaces, unless the product label allows it. If a company proposes fogging, ask which product it uses and what the label says.
Before work starts
Questions worth asking
When you are ready
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) 271-4587Answered 24 hours a day, every day
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