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: Justin Turley
Most people don’t think they will ever find themselves needing the services Bio-One offers. No one expects to suffer the loss of a loved one to suicide, or expects their pipe to break in their crawl space. Even our services for hoarding cleanup aren’t usually expected by the ones who need it the most because to them, it’s not that bad.
But when a person does find himself or herself needing our services, you can certainly count on us to do the best job possible. From Suicide/homicide cleanup to mold remediation, to hoarding cleanup, and even sewage backup cleanups, Bio-One stands apart from the rest. These are the situations we specialize in, and no one can handle them better than us.
Our motto as a company is Help First, Business Second. We will never make a client feel ashamed about all the different things they have collected and cannot let go and have now overtaken their living spaces. We will always be respectful and sensitive to the family who just lost their loved one to suicide. And we will never be afraid to have to suit up and crawl on our bellies in raw sewage in your crawl space, to get it cleaned up for you.
Bio-One is here for you when you need us the most, 24/7/365. We can help make the worst day of your life, into something better.
Dealing with the suicide of a loved one can be one of the most difficult things to cope with. Suicide has only increased over the years, and can affect the lives of anyone. Here are some things to keep in mind to help those dealing with the tragedy of a suicide, or if you yourself have experienced the suicide of a loved one.
Keep in touch. Reach out to loved ones, friends and spiritual leaders for comfort, understanding and healing. Surround yourself with people who are willing to listen when you need to talk, as well as those who'll simply offer a shoulder to lean on when you'd rather be silent.
Grieve in your own way. Do what's right for you, not necessarily someone else. There is no single "right" way to grieve. If you find it too painful to visit your loved one's gravesite or share the details of your loved one's death, wait until you're ready.
Be prepared for painful reminders. Anniversaries, holidays and other special occasions can be painful reminders of your loved one's suicide. Don't chide yourself for being sad or mournful. Instead, consider changing or suspending family traditions that are too painful to continue.
Don't rush yourself. Losing someone to suicide is a tremendous blow, and healing must occur at its own pace. Don't be hurried by anyone else's expectations that it's been "long enough."
Expect setbacks. Some days will be better than others, even years after the suicide — and that's OK. Healing doesn't often happen in a straight line.
Consider a support group for families affected by suicide. Sharing your story with others who are experiencing the same type of grief might help you find a sense of purpose or strength. However, if you find going to these groups keeps you ruminating on your loved one's death, seek out other methods of support.
They are here to help! When speaking with different Victim Advocate Programs in Bonneville, Bannock, and Twin Falls Counties, they all emphasized they wanted people to know that they are not alone in whatever struggles they are dealing with. Their programs are designed to help those in need.
They cannot operate on their own. They really appreciate their, “Big Heroes” which are community donors, businesses, grantors, and volunteers.
They help make it easier to report any kind of abuse. They are aware how scary it can be to report abuse, especially for a child. They work directly with law enforcement, and can be the bridge between the victim and police officers, to help make the victim feel more comfortable.
If they are not the organization that can help directly, they will know someone who can. They want people to come to them when they feel they need to. If that particular program doesn’t specialize in that specific type of case, they can point you in the right direction to get you the help you need.
Most people don’t dream of growing up and owning a crime and trauma scene cleanup company. In fact, it’s a profession most people don’t ever even think about. So when people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them I own a company that specializes in crime and trauma scene cleanup, I usually get a blank stare followed by the question, “How did you get into that?” Well let me tell you.
Growing up with my dad as the County Coroner in Twin Falls, I was exposed to the world that unfortunate events can happen to anybody. I will never forget the first time my dad took me on a call with him, it was the first time I had ever seen a dead body. It was a suicide by hanging, so it wasn’t a scene that required a biohazard cleanup company, but to a young kid, a shocking scene nonetheless. I quickly realized that suicides and other related scenes happen more often than most people realize, even in quiet little Twin Falls, Idaho.
So how I got into this business. I had worked at the INL for about 2 1/2 years, focused on helping clean up the nuclear waste that had been buried out in the desert. I could never shake the feeling that I needed to be doing something more, where I had more passion, more fulfillment. Something that would allow me to help others who were in need. I came across Bio-One while searching for businesses that were for sale in my area. The idea intrigued me to say the least. My first phone call was to my dad, to ask him how companies like this worked, and if there was a need for it. He told me a story that I’ll never forget. He said a month or two prior he had a case of a young 15 year old kid had commit suicide using a firearm. The paramedics and police came and did everything they could do to try and save his life. Unfortunately, the young kid passed away on the way to the hospital. While his mom was away at the hospital, his younger sister who was still at home tried to clean up the mess to help her mom. It broke my heart to hear that story and I instantly knew this was what I wanted to do. I wanted to help those families who were having the worst day of their lives. I wanted to do everything I could do to help make those terrible days seem a little more bearable.
Many see my profession as someone who just cleans up crimes scenes and other situations most people don’t want to deal with. What they don’t see is the family who has had their world turned upside down can now start taking the first step towards recovery. I was able to help with that first step.
Hoarding is a disease that has been made more aware thanks to shows like “Hoarders”, and “Hoarding: Buried Alive” on TLC. But for those who suffer from hoarding, it is their reality and oftentimes they feel stuck. Here are a few tips to help people who suffer from hoarding tendencies:
Make immediate decisions about mail and newspapers. Go through mail and newspapers on the day you receive them and throw away unwanted materials immediately. Don’t leave anything to be decided on later.
Think twice about what you allow into your home. Wait a couple of days after seeing a new item before you buy it. And when you do purchase something new, discard another item you own to make room for it.
Set aside 15 minutes a day to declutter. Start small–with a table, perhaps, or a chair–rather than tackling the entire, overwhelming house at once. If you start to feel anxious, take a break and do some deep-breathing or relaxation exercises.
Dispose of anything you have not used in a year. That means old clothes, broken items, and craft projects you’ll never finish. Remind yourself that many items are easily replaceable if you need them later.
Follow the OHIO rule. Only Handle It Once. If you pick something up, make a decision then and there about it, and either put it where it belongs or discard it. Don’t fall into the trap of moving things from one pile to another, again and again.
Ask for help if you can’t do it on your own. If you feel these strategies are impossible to carry out and you cannot cope with the problem on your own, seek out a mental health professional.
