If a musty odor pervades your home, you should take a closer look at your walls and fixtures. In rooms exposed to moisture, a series of highly concentrated dark patches seem baked into some of the surfaces. At first glance, they resemble insect colonies or messy blots of ink. But you’ll notice that they have a fuzzier, more organic complexion to them. If you come across one of these confusing patterns, it’s clear that you have a mold problem. But you shouldn’t panic. Hiring a mold remediation team quickly will spare you from any serious health hazards and property damage. Despite their infamous reputation, these unsightly fungi are simple and cost-effective to treat during their early stages of development.
Although they are practically ubiquitous indoors and outdoors, mold spores are only bothersome when they begin to reproduce in mass on surfaces in our homes. A colony forms when spores are exposed to water or excessive humidity. When that happens, the fungi will stick to the damp surface and grow in chaotic arrangements, producing unpleasant odors and particles that aggravate our respiratory system. At some point, everyone in the home will start sniffling, sneezing and wheezing. But those with asthma may suffer from an asthma attack if the mold continues to cultivate unattended. Even worse, some species—like black mold—will generate toxins that harm healthy people. For those with allergies or asthma problems, these spores may be fatal. While toxic molds are rare, it’s important to address a colony quickly. Not only will doing so improve the air quality in your home, it will prevent extensive property damage and costly treatments over time. The larger the colony, the larger the price tag.
The EPA says that moldy areas less than 10 square feet can be removed without professional help . But some people may have problems with recurring growth. This likely derives from the mold’s source. Colonies form 24 to 48 hours after they are exposed to water, or in areas with above 50 percent of relative humidity (You can measure relative humidity with a hygrometer bought from a local hardware store). You probably are unable to eliminate the mold because it continues to thrive off moisture in the room. Reducing water exposure—even if it means halting shower use for a couple of weeks—is likely the key to solving the problem. But as mold colonies grow, they become increasingly dangerous to address. Because of the hazards of treating colonies larger than 10 square feet, they should be avoided.
Buying a respiratory mask will temporarily protect your respiratory system as you try to fix the problem. But to remediate the area, you also need to seal the room that’s being worked in. As you clean the colony, spores will travel into adjoining rooms, stick to furnishings and repopulate in moist spaces. Hidden mold, which grows behind wallpapers, ceiling tiles and dry wall, may burst if you attempt to pry the area open, spreading spores even more effectively. To solve the problem, you need to clean the growth with the right chemicals, prevent spores from spreading and suppress the underlying water source from attracting new fungi. Because of the time-sensitivity of this process and the expertise it demands, it’s best to leave the job to the professionals.
Bio-One can remove mold from your home permanently. We hire technicians who will isolate the source of the growth, decontaminate the area and remove and reconstruct surfaces that have been affected. Our services are remarkably quick, and they are efficient. Once our team is notified of the job, we’ll usually complete the work within a 24-hour window. Give us a call at your local Bio-One office and you’ll be put in touch with a representative who can address your unique situation. Our phone lines are open 24/7/365. We’re happy to help.
Lingering odors frustrate homeowners and business owners alike. Cigarette smoke, animal waste and mold produce foul, pervasive smells that are difficult to remove. Despite your best efforts, they often survive over-the-counter cleaning agents and air fresheners, and return with the same potency as before. An ineffectual process of spraying and scrubbing ensues, prolonging the issue and circumventing the problem. Why are some odors so intractable? The answer depends on the concentration of a smell’s source and the permeability of whatever it touches. Cat urine, for example, is a highly concentrated chemical solution that soaks a given area with powerful compounds. These molecules sink deep into porous surfaces and fester over time, making them extremely difficult to remove. Left unattended, these urine stains will produce an overwhelming odor that will only go away if the right cleaning chemicals saturate the affected area. A similar situation occurs in the homes of chronic smokers. While not nearly as concentrated as cat urine, cigarette smoke penetrates walls, carpeting and wooden fixtures. As these surfaces absorb the molecules that irritate our noses, a lingering odor develops. These smells are stubborn and persistent.
Sometimes, they’re even dangerous. Mold, feces and decayed animals produce noxious odors that pollute your home with airborne bacteria. Once inhaled, these germs can cause respiratory problems that require medical treatment. They’re the reason why people who haven’t been trained in biohazard remediation are discouraged from cleaning up unattended deaths and large decomposing animals themselves. Air respirators and other professional equipment are required in these situations to stymie infectious airborne pathogens.
Unfortunately, home appliances and common cleaning solutions are not effective at dealing with lingering odors. Instead of pushing these smells outside, ventilation systems circulate them throughout the home. Your ability to eradicate them depends on where the odors are coming from and the severity of the source. In hoarding situations, unattended trash and waste rot for months and years, creating a cornucopia of complex odors that are nearly impossible to remove. A single pet stain, conversely, can be remedied easily. But if your carpet is continuously soaked with animal waste, or your walls are frequently exposed to cigarette smoke, you may face a more serious challenge. In extreme scenarios, scented candles and reed diffusers will do little to purify the air quality. While fresheners like Febreze neutralize bad smells, they only offer a temporary solution in these situations. Because the odor’s source often lies beneath carpeting, behind vinyl and inside walls, these products only hide the problem. It will resurface once the deodorizer drifts out of the room, leaving you back where you started.
So what are you supposed to do if you’re struggling to remove a lingering odor? You may need to contact a professional odor remediation company to ventilate your home or business. Bio-One offers a simple and effective approach to restore your property’s air quality in a timely manner. After identifying the source of the smell, our odor removal experts use powerful chemicals and special equipment to comprehensively decontaminate the area. Fixtures in the home that sustain the odor—like porous walls, carpeting and flooring—will be removed and disposed of in accordance with state regulations. Please give us a call so we can address your unique situation. Our phone lines are open 24/7, any day of the year.
You’ve probably seen grey lockboxes with biohazard stickers mounted to walls in pharmacies and libraries and wondered what they are. These containers have been implemented in public institutions to contain sharps waste, a dangerous kind of medical refuse. Referred to colloquially as “sharps” in the health care industry, this category of infectious waste includes anything that can pierce the skin. Needles, knives, scalpels, broken glass, lancets and razors are included under this definition. As are syringes, which tend to feature in the most publicized examples of sharps mismanagement. For instance, CBS News reported that officials in San Francisco collected 13,000 used syringes off the streets in March 2017. While these numbers were certainly amplified by the opioid crisis, this extreme example illustrates why everyone must take precautions to ensure that discarded needles are properly disposed of. Moreover, it underscores the fact that this is a ubiquitous and contemporary issue in the US. What makes sharps so dangerous is that they’re almost always contaminated with someone else’s body fluids. When the instrument pierces another person’s skin, it can easily transmit bloodborne pathogens like HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. To suppress the spread of disease, you’ll need to know how to dispose of sharps properly.
Allowing a trained medical professional to handle sharps is ideal. But some situations may require you to dispose of them yourself. If you need to pick one up off the ground, be sure you’re wearing thick, puncture resistant gloves and that you’re walking slowly. Point the tip away from your body and from others, and dispose of the item in a secure sharps container as quickly as possible. Regulated by the FDA, these containers are distinct for their red, puncture proof exterior and clear top. They are also marked by the internationally recognized biohazard symbol, which looks like three rings pinned together concentrically by a nail. You will find these at a number of disposal sites in your state. They include hospitals, some libraries, pharmacies, universities, police stations, health departments, fire stations and doctor’s offices. Wall mounted sharps containers come in red and grey, and look like lockboxes. If you are unsure, an official collection box will always carry the biohazard symbol.
Often times you’ll need to transport the item to one of these disposal sites. Placing sharps in a puncture proof, leak proof container is required to avoid an accident. While the vessel can be something mundane, like a bleach container, be sure to mark it as hazardous for additional safety. Although this process is inconvenient, the law mandates that you dispose of sharps at a collection site. So make sure you never throw them in the trash or flush them down the toilet. Doing so puts trash collectors, landfill operators, sewage workers, children and other household members at risk. Do not place sharps in a container that is overflowing, and never try to force them inside. If you are stuck with a sharp, wash the wound with soap and water, and seek immediate medical attention.
Bio-One transports and disposes of medical waste daily. Contact us if have any questions about sharps management. We’re available to help 24/7/365.
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.
