One of the most important jobs that we do is cleaning up after a death on a property. Many times, death is unattended by family or others and not discovered for a period of time. The body starts to undergo the natural processes of death, rigor mortis and then decomposition. Rigor mortis is caused by chemical changes in the body’s muscle tissue and usually lasts about 24 hours, after which the body starts to break down and decompose.

Decomposition Cleanup

After death, as the body begins to decompose, hydrogen sulfide, known in the industry as “dead man odor” begins to be expelled by the body. Hydrogen sulfide results when body bacteria begin to break down sulfites in amino acids, especially during decay. The speed of this naturally occurring process depends much on the air temperature, (i.e. weather, if windows are left open) and conditions inside of a home or apartment at the time of death. I have seen situations in which there was very little biohazard, even after a few weeks because the air conditioning was on, which made the home cool and slowed down the decomposition process. The most common cleanup that we do associated with an unattended death is the odor remediation. While the above example was most favorable, the odor in the home was still overwhelming.

    We do not begin to treat the odor problem until the biohazard is completely removed. We do have special enzymes, specifically made for human decomposition odor that will help with odor temporarily while working or when items need to be found and/or removed from the property, but this is only a temporary solution. Is the odor of hydrogen sulfide harmful? In large amounts in confined spaces, yes, but we have hardly ever seen this type of condition with one person in an unattended death setting and usually the odor can be reduced by opening some doors and windows when first discovered.

    The odor of death will not terminate until the biohazard is removed (cleaned up) completely since that is what is causing the smell. Biohazardous waste goes far beyond what the eye can see. It is not uncommon to see the outline of the body in an unattended death on carpeting, tile, linoleum or cement. In the case of carpeting, of course it must be removed but what can be seen on the top sometimes is not always indicative of what is underneath. Blood and body fluids may pool under carpeting to a much larger area. Biohazardous waste can also seep through flooring and concrete. I have seen biohazardous waste seep through standard quarter inch plywood floors, run up drywall, under 2 by 4 wall studs and into other apartment units and even to the outer stucco on buildings. Although these are the most serious cases in which the deceased was not found for a lengthy amount of time, it does prove that what is apparent on the outside, might not be indicative of an entire death scene. Simply mopping up what is readily seen is only the beginning of an unattended death cleanup. Leaving the smallest amount of body fluids and human waste will also attract ants and animals and the odor will surely not disappear.

    We at Caldecon are experienced licensed professionals who do more than just mop up your property. We have dedicated our lives into doing the job correctly and by industry standards, treating your property as if it were our own. We understand what types of materials, machinery and equipment to use to properly sanitize and restore your home.

    For more information regarding our odor remediation services please click here >> odor remediation <<. We employ the use of industrial ozone generators to property remediate your home and property.

    The State of California is one of two states in the United States at the time of this writing to impose laws and regulations in regards to the disposal of biohazardous waste. Biohazardous waste must be cleaned up and disposed of by a state licensed company or person who must also hold a contract with a biohazardous waste facility, special to the disposal of blood, body fluids and bio-waste. Safety is a major concern.

*All biohazardous waste materials are removed and disposed of as required by the State of California Department of Public Health Medical Waste Laws, Regulations and Standards, Medical Waste Management Act; Cal/Osha Blood Borne Pathogen Standards as listed in CCR Title 8, Chapter 4 (Division of Industrial Safety), Sub-Chapter 7 (General Industry Safety Orders), Group 16 (Control of Hazardous Substances), Article 109 (Hazardous Substances and Processes);

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