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.
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.
Author: Kris Elliott
I often times get asked, What is Bio-One and what do we do? You should see the looks I get when I tell people that we handle many traumatic events like suicides, homicides, undiscovered deaths, or hoarding situations. The almost always say “I bet you have seen some crazy stuff”. People think that we are crazy, nasty, or even disgusting for dealing with these scenes. Well, I really enjoy what I do and here is why.
I am not some sick and twisted person that loves the site of blood. We are kind, compassionate, caring individuals who want to get families through a tough time. In fact, it makes me very sad every time we are on a scene and I know that someone has lost a friend, family member, coworker, etc. The truth is these individuals have a tough enough time dealing with the stresses associated. They must work with coroners, funeral homes, law enforcement, court systems, and many other things that they never thought about. The last thing they should have to do is clean up the remains of their loved ones. That’s where we can help.
I have looked back on my past as a manufacturing expert and a volunteer firefighter. When I dwell on these my experience I have come to realize that my passion is helping people. I really enjoy knowing that I can and have made a difference in some way. Here at Bio-One we have the experience, knowledge, techniques and proper equipment to get these scenes cleaned up quickly and safely so that the family can focus on the grieving process to get their lives back to normal as quickly as possible.
The best part about all of this is that in most cases we can utilize the clients home owner’s insurance to pay for our services. We gather policy information and take it from there. In most cases we call in the claim for the client to get the process started and deal with the insurance companies directly. One less thing for the client to deal with on their end.
We generally don’t even discuss payment on the scene. We would rather get in get the situation resolved and get out. We will worry about payment when the time is right, and the stress has calmed down.
We hope you never have to use our services, but we are here if you find yourself in a tough position. While we can’t make the hurt go away but we can make the circumstances better. If you find yourself asking “What do I do now?” Give Bio-One a call and we will be more than happy to help get you through it.
People with hoarding disorder excessively save items that others may view as nonvaluable. They have difficulties getting rid of or parting with possessions, leading to clutter that disrupts their ability to use their living or work spaces.
Hoarding disorder occurs in roughly 6 percent of the population and often leads to substantial distress and problems functioning. Hoarding is more common among older adults--three times as many adults 55 to 94 years are affected by hoarding disorder compared to adults 34 to 44 years old.
AT Bio-One we strive to work with Hoarders to resolve their concerns and get their lives back on track. The normal process is that a hoarder, family member, or friend contacts us about a problem they have. We set up a time that is convenient for the client for us to come out and access the situation. We generally spend 1-2 hours walking through the home to fully understand what the client expects from us and review what items are to be retained vs discarded. Once we have a full understanding of the owners wants/needs we write up a detailed estimate along with pricing. If the client is satisfied we make arrangements for personnel, equipment, and dumpsters to complete the job. Usually we can complete a hoarding job in 2-4 days depending on the severity.
Just last week our crew was working on a hoarding job in Orangeburg County approximately an hour and a half from our office (we travel where we are needed). This particular job hit our hearts with an urge to help this family in need. A woman and her three kids lived in a home that was not only cluttered but had been infested with bed bugs. Her son got hit by a car just outside their driveway a few months back. Not being able to get around the house in a wheel chair or having family and friends coming to visit him during this difficult time they decided they needed to take action. On top of mounds of trash and debris in the home, there were holes in the floor and bedbugs crawling everywhere. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere- crawling on the walls, on the furniture, on the debris in the home. There were two dogs in the home as well as a ferret who also used the home as a bathroom. With all that said it was our goal to get the home back to a suitable environment and we were there to fulfill the family’s needs.
Hoarding creates many safety concerns that people do not realize. One of the major concerns of hoarding is the inability to move through the home quickly in case of a fire. With limited access the hoarder cannot escape if needed nor can firefighters access the areas in case or emergency. Other concerns we see with hoarding is infestation of rodents/insects. The copious amounts of clutter allow many places for these critters to hide and make it even more difficult for them to be removed. Once the animals have settled in the home they begin urinating and defecating in areas throughout the home. This in turns creates biohazards that could cause severe health concerns.
We often find large amounts of mold in homes of hoarders. The amount of items hides water damaged concerns that cannot be seen or just simply cannot be accessed due to the debris. Mold is a very dangerous health concerns for anyone who breathes the spores and without treatment could be fatal.
You think these conditions are rare? I did too until I stepped into the Bio-One world. We, Bio-One SC, get calls each week for hoarding bids- and they are rarely for homes with a slight clutter problem. Hoarders have this stigma that they cannot shake mainly because people are unaware of what causes the desire to hoard. These people are not 'crazy' nor are they any different from you or me. I have found with experience that many hoarders are hoarding due to a significant loss and do not know how to deal with their pain and grief other than to surround themselves around things.
At Bio-One, all we can do is help get their home to a safe condition, and help the family understand that the problem is not fixed, it is just now being dealt with. Constant check ins of the hoarder from family members and even something as simple as hiring a maid service to come in once a week can help the hoarder live with their illness yet also keep their hoarding tendencies in better check.
