Crime Scene Cleanup Company Near Me

When should you call a Crime Scene Cleanup company?

Because a violent crime and serious accidents are mainly out of the ordinary, most people are not prepared or have plans in place. At times, the services of a skilled remediation and biohazard company, like Bio-One Raleigh, may be needed. In general, the answer is “if you do not feel comfortable or safe cleaning it up yourself, you should call a professional cleanup company.” In so many instances, family members and friends cannot emotionally handle cleaning up after a traumatic event.

Equally important, employees, family members, and friends generally do not have the right tools—or experience–to ensure that blood and other biohazards are cleaned properly. If they are not cleaned properly, odors and diseases/bacteria can linger as unwanted reminders of the traumatic event. If proper protection is not used, individuals doing the clean-up, and others with whom they come into contact, can be in danger of being injured or becoming ill.

Homicide or Suicide

A homicide or suicide in your home is a traumatic event, blood and other bodily fluids can contaminate parts of the scene, including floors and walls, doors, and even personal possessions. The problem can be compounded by law enforcement and investigators after the event. Anything from tear gas to forensic chemicals might be present, and many of these substances can be hazardous. That’s why it’s important to have the area quickly cleaned and thoroughly disinfectd by professional trauma cleaners.

Unattended Death

At times, a death may occur without anyone discovering it. Days, weeks, or even months can pass. Decomposition of a corpse begins very quickly, and in some cases the presence of a body can start to affect a room within hours of the event. The results are often strong odors, stains, and dangerous bacteria, all of which are considered biohazards.

Communicable Diseases are a Risk

Diseases such as Hepatitis B, C. diff, and Salmonella are highly dangerous and potentially life threatening. If the incident involves a serious illness, typical household cleaning methods may possibly spread the contamination further. We make sure that when we step into your home, we are ready to protect your family as well as ensure that our employees remain safe while they do their jobs. Bio-One Raleigh technicians are trained to use specialized PPE to protect themselves from potential hazards on the job; they are also informed of local and federal rules that impact the cleaning and disposal of materials from the site of a biohazardous situation.

In Industrial Areas

The need for clean-up isn’t just restricted to the home. Accidents happen in workplaces too, and industrial accidents can lead to biohazards that put everyone at risk. A professional cleaning company will comply with regulatory standards such as lock out tag out, and will help get things running smoothly again.

Call Bio-One Raleigh today. Our Help First, Business Second motto is one we live by, especially in these sensitive situations. We are available 24/7/365 and you will always speak with one of the owners; not a call center.

Karen & Rick Jacobs are the owners of Bio-One Raleigh and Raleigh Hoarding. We offer trauma, mold and hoarding cleanup services including biohazard, blood cleanup, suicide/homicide, feces & bodily fluid, animal waste, undiscovered death, and mold testing & remediation.

We proudly serve North Carolina’s Triangle and surrounding areas including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Pittsboro, Holly Springs, Clayton, Carrboro, Fuquay-Varina, Garner, Hillsborough, Mebane, Morrisville, Wake Forest, and Wendell; as well as the following counties; Wake County, Durham County, Cumberland County, Guilford County, Orange County, Chatham County, Harnett County, Johnston County, Nash County, Franklin County and Pill County. We also provide services to Greensboro and other areas throughout North Carolina.

Bio-One Inc. is the world's first crime scene cleaning franchise. Nationally respected and locally owned, Bio-One has earned its reputation through being trusted to handle the Mandalay Bay mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017, the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida in 2016, and consulted on the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012. In 2019, Bio-One was once again included in the best and most comprehensive franchise ranking list – Entrepreneur Magazine.

If you hear fluttering, squeaking and other strange noises in the night, you likely have unwelcome guests living behind your walls. Bats are among the most troublesome. Because most species are endangered, federal law prevents you from harming or killing them. That means you cannot seal off entry points in your home while they are roosting inside. Doing so jeopardizes the safety of young bats who do not know how to fly. In lieu of starving to death, the adults will force themselves into your living space out of desperation, resulting in an unsettling experience for you and an often-fatal encounter for them. The complexities of removing them from your home make it easy to pass the problem off for another day. But you’ll want to act quickly. While bats are helpful to humans for controlling bug populations and stymieing the spread of the fatal mosquito borne Zika virus, they are dangerous. But not in the way you might think. Only about six percent of bats carry rabies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and they hardly ever attack people .The far greater risk to your health comes from guano—or bat excrement.

Guano are black, shiny pellets that crumble to the touch. You’ll find them directly underneath a roost and around entry points, and they’re usually accompanied by dark, muddy-looking urine stains. Because bats eat a third of their body weight in insects each day, they can produce voluminous heaps of excrement in just a couple of weeks. The size of the buildup depends on the number of bats in your home and the length of time they are unattended. In severe cases, these piles will grow several feet high. But if you have large masses of guano in your home, it will become apparent quickly. An overwhelming odor, distinct to bat guano, will emanate from the roost and attract other invasive pests, like cockroaches and beetles.

A few scattered pellets can be swept up without a problem. But when guano pile up, they become a culture medium for fungi. When unaware homeowners try to remove these crumbling heaps of feces, noxious spores that cause histoplasmosis—a life-threatening lung disease—are released into the air and inhaled. Fortunately, not everyone who contracts the disease will exhibit any symptoms. A strong immune system will usually kill the bacteria before a virus develops and the infected person will move on with their life not knowing that their body had been fighting a fungal disease. But people with weakened immune systems, like small children, the elderly and AIDS patients, are especially vulnerable. Early symptoms are closely associated with the flu. In two to three weeks, fever, chills, muscle pain and headaches will set in. But people who do not reach out for help may begin to exhibit alarming respiratory symptoms. Shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain ensues, with the problem worsening until the lungs fail. Histoplasmosis can be treated effectively with prescribed anti-fungal medication if the infected person seeks a doctor quickly enough. But because of the health risk, homeowners are advised not to clean up guano themselves. Untrained and unwary cleaners will easily inhale spores while working in the narrow spaces that bats occupy. In some cases, they spread through the ventilation system and put everyone in the house at risk. Because of the size of the task, you’re better off hiring guano remediation specialists.

Bio-One Raleigh cover the entire Triangle and surrounding area and has the equipment, the experience and the expertise to get the job done right. Our technicians will remove guano, urination stains and odors from your home for the most affordable price in the industry. We’ll also comprehensively disinfect the property to eliminate lingering bacterial threats. Contact us today and we’ll get the job done within a 24-hour window. Our offices never close.

The Journal

Oct 19, 2019 by Gail Gilman

You may have seen reality TV shows about people who hoard mail, gadgets, cats, and even trash. Or, maybe for you, the reality is a little closer. It could be a neighbor or a family member.

When people aren’t able to throw things away, piles can grow to the ceiling. These piles can make it impossible to use bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchens.

The piles may fall over, trap, and injure people. They can catch on fire. Cluttered homes and yards may attract pests. Neighbors may call the police. Parents may lose custody of children.

People don’t choose to be hoarders. And they aren’t being sloppy or lazy. “This is a very real mental disorder,” says hoarding disorder expert Dr. David F. Tolin of Hartford Hospital’s Institute of Living. “It is important to recognize that people with hoarding disorder have lost control of their decision-making abilities.”

Tolin’s research suggests why it’s hard for people with this disorder to part with items, even things with no real-world value. He found that brain activity was different between people with hoarding disorder and healthy people.

“We’re always puzzled by the fact that many people with hoarding disorder often don’t seem terribly bothered by their circumstance,” he says. “If they don’t have to make a decision, the parts of their brain that are largely in charge of becoming bothered are underactive.”

If they are forced to decide about whether to discard something, that part of the brain becomes overactive. “And so, the brain is essentially screaming that everything is important.”

Doctors don’t know what causes hoarding disorder. There’s no X-ray or blood test for a diagnosis. Instead, doctors assess how well people are functioning in their lives.

Hoarding disorder can start during a person’s teens or later. It may grow more severe over the decades.

Try not to start an argument. “If a person is not really motivated to do something about the problem, they can dig in their heels. Arguing can even make the problem worse,” Tolin warns.

There’s no effective medication for hoarding disorder, although studies are in progress. Tolin says, “Right now, cognitive behavioral therapy is the only evidence-based treatment we have for hoarding.” This is a type of talk therapy that teaches people how to change their thinking patterns and react differently to situations.

Tolin’s team hopes to improve cognitive behavioral therapy so that it’s even better at helping people to discard items. They’re analyzing the brain activities of people before and after they’re successfully treated for hoarding disorder. If the research team can identify the biological mechanisms of successful treatments, they may be able to develop treatments that are even better.

Some people with hoarding disorder are helped by joining a support group with others who have the disorder. There are also organizing professionals who specialize in helping people get rid of clutter.

How to Help a Person Who Hoards

Explain why you’re concerned:

“I’m worried that you could fall or become trapped.”

“I’m concerned that you may lose custody of your children.”

“I’m afraid your home will catch on fire.”

Then say how to get help:

“I can help you find a therapist who specializes in hoarding.”

“We can look for a self-help program on how to let things go.”

“We can find support groups for people who hoard.”

“We can ask the county for resources.”

Information adapted from article by National Institute of Mental Health, in the Caregiver Newsletter 2-8-18.

If you or your family member has progressed to the point that cleanup is a possibility, you may begin to feel overwhelmed and unsure of where to begin. Cleaning out a hoarder's home is difficult and, in some, cases it can even be dangerous.

It is best to hire professional help for a hoarding cleanup. Bio-One Raleigh and Raleigh Hoarding is a trusted Triangle hoarding cleanup specialist services Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Cary, Apex, Pittsboro, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Fayetteville and the entire surrounding areas.

Our compassionate, professional team has helped people reclaim their homes from this condition. We don't just show up with shovels and dumpsters and start emptying the home. We work closely with the homeowner and family. The Bio-One Raleigh team is committed to making our clients feel safe and comfortable throughout the process.

Trust the hoarding cleanup to professionals.

Contact Bio-One Raleigh today at 919.800.9435 or info@biooneraleigh.com.

Don’t let it ruin your Real Estate Sale.

Are You a Real Estate Agent Looking for Permanent Answers to Remove Mold, Cigarette Smoke, Pet Urine, and Other Difficult Odors In Your Property Listings? No matter if you represent the sellers, buyers, or both we have a solution for you and them.

MOLD –
Certified Mold Technicians
Vapor Barrier Removal & Replacement
Drywall Removal & Replacement

ODOR –
Human, Animal, Smoke Remediation
Eliminate Viruses & Bacteria
Clean & Treat Air Ducts, Furnace and Cooling System

HOARDING –
Complete Junk out & Removal
Gross Filth Cleaning
Disinfecting & Disinfecting

Contact us today at 919.800.9435 or info@biooneraleigh.com.

Locally Owned & Operated
Free Estimates
365/24/7

An unattended death occurs in solitude. It often takes several days before somebody suspects that something is wrong. Sometimes it takes weeks, months and even years. When phone calls, text messages and emails go unanswered, friends, family members and landlords check in on the person at home, only to find that they’ve passed. If you’ve been in this position, you’re not alone. It happens more often than you might think.

Discovering an unattended death can be an emotionally wrenching experience. It’s even more traumatic when the victim is a loved one. Although you may feel obligated to clean up the remains yourself, there are several reasons why you shouldn’t do that.

For one, it’s dangerous. Body fluids from corpses release dangerous pathogens into the immediate area, creating a hazard for anyone without personal protective gear. To understand why this happens, you need to know how the decomposition process of the human body works. When someone dies, bacteria in the body lose the nutrients that keep them sustained. They look for other food sources to nourish themselves, and end up settling on the organs. These organs, which include the liver, the pancreas and the intestinal tract, are broken down with remarkable speed. To put this feeding process into perspective, there are trillions of bacteria in our bodies. That averages to about four pounds of bacteria for a 200-pound adult. Operating all at once, bacteria remove all the organs from the body within a 48-hour window.

Depending on the temperature and humidity of the room, the skin will begin to tear within this timeframe, allowing biohazardous materials to seep from the body. Rising pressure from the body’s gasses will quicken the process, releasing a terrible odor that’s often referred to as the stench of death. Sometimes, these gases will even cause the body to explode. As harmful pathogens pool on the floor, they release noxious gasses into the air, which can be inhaled through the nose and mouth. People who haven’t been trained to deal with biohazard remediation should remove themselves from the scene to escape these fumes and other threats from the decomposing body. Although it may not be obvious, people who approach a body without safety equipment risk exposing themselves to disease. Proper precautions must be taken, which brings us to another reason you shouldn’t embark on this endeavor yourself.

You likely don’t have the training or equipment to safely dispose of human remains. Gloves, goggles, respirators and body suits are necessary to protect yourself against airborne and bloodborne pathogens. But they’re not enough to keep you safe. Biohazard remediation follows a regimented process to disinfect the area safely and effectively. The chemicals allotted to clean decomposing bodies are regulated by the state. Thus, over-the-counter solutions simply aren’t powerful enough to remove and decontaminate body fluids soaked into the floor. While a surface may look clean, harmful pathogens will linger behind and pose a threat to others if the proper chemicals haven’t been used. Bio-One Raleigh hires certified technicians that have the training and materials to thoroughly disinfect and disinfect an area contaminated by biohazardous waste. Moreover, they carry chemicals that can effectively deodorize the scene, which often proves difficult to do for death odors.

You also don’t want to clean up human remains if you’re connected to the deceased. If you do so, you will only exacerbate your trauma and prolong your grief. Asking professionals to take care of the task will not only spare you additional anguish, it will leave you assured that the job is done right.

Bio-One Raleigh is available 24/7/365 to speak with you about undiscovered death remediation. We complete this work across the nation with compassion and confidentiality. Give us a call if you have any questions and we will help you.

Mental illness can be experienced in a variety of different ways for different people. A few people open up about their personal experience with mental illness, and how it has affected their lives.

Prevention is something that we can all individually help with. A short conversation with another person can sometimes be enough to make the difference between life and death for them.

The advice ‘WAIT’ is one good way to remember how you can support another person who may be suicidal. It stands for:

Watch out for signs of distress and uncharacteristic behavior

e.g. social withdrawal, excessive quietness, irritability, uncharacteristic outburst, talking about death or suicide

Ask “are you having suicidal thoughts?”

Asking about suicide does not encourage it, nor does it lead a person to start thinking about it; in fact it may help prevent it, and can start a potentially life-saving conversation

It will pass – assure your loved one that, with help, their suicidal feelings will pass with time

Talk to others – encourage your loved one to seek help from a GP or health professional

Property managers adopt no-smoking rules for a reason. Strong odors diminish the market values for apartment units, homes, restaurants and office buildings. According to one estimate by the National Association of Realtors, homes lose 29 percent of their worth when they’re blemished by cigarette smoke .These properties may never sell, forcing landlords to invest in expensive restoration services to eliminate the odor and turn a profit. A study approved by UCLA and supported by the California Department of Public Health estimates that restoring multiunit apartments damaged by cigarette smoke in California will cost roughly $5,000 per unit on average.

Though market values will differ depending on where you live, it’s fair to say that odor remediation services are almost always costly. They’re also time-consuming and laborious. Property managers lose money when they’re unable to rent out a unit and must find time in their day to conduct tedious research into restoration options that fit within their budget. Bio-One Raleigh makes this process easy. We provide the most effective odor remediation service in the industry, and work with property managers daily to find an economical solution to their unique situations.

Odor restoration involves a comprehensive process that targets virtually every item in the building, including floorboards, drywall, ceiling panels and light fixtures. Technicians must ventilate the property, disinfect all surfaces and discard items that absorb and sustain the odor. That means carpeting must be uprooted, curtains must be replaced, and walls must be repainted with sealers that trap unpleasant aromas. Odors will return if this process is not conducted thoroughly, forcing remediation specialists to undergo an exhausting and meticulous cleaning procedure for every property they work on. The arduousness of these services explain why they are often so pricey. When you call your Bio-One Raleigh office for a service, we’ll give you a breakdown of total costs.

Once you contact us, we respond immediately, giving you the quickest opportunity to place your property back on the market. Our process eliminates the possibility that odors will return, which often happens when people without the right training attempt to clean the space themselves. According to PBS, cigarette smoke pollutants linger on surfaces for up to five years. Because of the pervasiveness of these compounds, weak chemicals and superficial cleaning jobs simply mask odors for a couple of days. We’ll remove porous structures in the building that retain the odor, like carpeting and flooring, and use a powerful chemical solution to eradicate surface-level pollutants. Call us today and you’ll be connected to a representative who can address your situation. We are on standby 24/7/365.

Every generation has certain historic days that are seared into their collective memories—days that we each know exactly where we were and what we were doing when we got the news.

For folks in my parents’ generation, one of those days was 7 December 1941, “a date which will live in infamy”—the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. For many of us “Boomers” it is 22 November 1963, the day that President Kennedy was assassinated. Unfortunately we added 11 September 2001, the day of the attacks on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the crash of Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to this list.

September 11th is now officially known as Patriot Day, or more fully “Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance.” While not a single one of us will ever forget, or be the same, after “9/11,” it is a powerful testament that this day has also taken on aspects of service to America as well as remembrance.

Many observe this day by doing acts of service. If you are looking for volunteer opportunities in the Triangle and surrounding areas, check out Corporation for National & Community Service.

If you find yourself in need of a biohazard cleaning company, it’s important to know what to look for when deciding which provider to hire.

The problem is that many people have never even heard of such a service—until the day they need one following an unattended death, suicide or homicide cleanup, to handle a hoarding situation, or other event.

When you consider that the quality of the work could impact the health of others who spend time in the home or business, it’s easy to understand why selecting a fully qualified company is a must.

Here are few things to look for:

Licenses and Certifications
Crime scene and trauma cleanup is much different than normal janitorial services. You will want to ask your potential cleaners to tell you about their credentials and length of experience in the industry. Companies that perform such services must comply with OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard and the best companies will have completed relevant training in order to provide thorough and effective services.

Bio-One Raleigh employees receive in-depth and ongoing training, and we hold full licensing in biohazard services. Bio-One Raleigh owner Rick Jacobs is Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) certified.

Experience
Biohazard cleanup is not the kind of job you want to trust to a novice. Instead, find a provider with significant experience who will be able to handle any type of cleanup situation.

Our technicians have the experience and training they need to get the job done right.

Ability to Handle Paperwork

There is typically a significant amount of paperwork involved during the biohazard cleanup process. Your cleaners should be able to handle most of this paperwork on your behalf. For example, you will want to ask your cleaners whether they can work with your insurance company to file a cleanup claim. Your cleaners should also be able to provide you with documentation that proves that the biohazard materials have been properly and safely eliminated.

Bio-One Raleigh will provide you with detailed paperwork outlining every step of the removal and remediation. We are able to assist in checking your insurance coverage and opening the claim, as well as continue the follow-up throughout the process. With the proper coverage, they may be no out-of-pocket expenses to you.

Reviews from Past Clients
A cleanup team that offers top-quality biohazard cleaning will have great reviews from other customers in the local area. Check references and read reviews to see what past customers have to say about the work performed.

Bio-One Raleigh is happy to provide references, and we do what it takes to earn 100% customer satisfaction. Check out our Google Business comments and our FaceBook page.

Quick Response Times
When you need trauma cleanup, you can’t wait. Choose a company that responds quickly to return your home or business to its pre-event condition.

Bio-One Raleigh answers your call 24/7, and we respond fast with our compassionate, expert services. In fact, you can reach the owners directly at any time of day, and we’ll typically have a team on the job within an hours.

We hope you’ll never need biohazard cleanup services. If you ever do, Bio-One Raleigh is the smart choice. Contact us today for a free consultation and to get the fast, fairly priced, expert services that have made us the trusted choice for the Triangle and surrounding areas in trauma cleanup.