20 Common Thoughts Inside a Hoarder’s Mind

Hoarding is not a mere accumulation of useless junk. 

It involves many thought processes with the decision to discard. These thought processes impinge on the hoarder’s decision-making process which ultimately results in the item not being discarded. 

Following are some common thoughts what a hoarder is likely to think.

1. “I’ll throw this away later…”
2. “I might need this at a future time…”
3. “I do not know where to store this. It doesn’t belong anywhere.”
4. “I have a feeling that I will clean up soon and that is when I will need some items I have collected.”
5. “This item might be valuable in the future and if I discard it, I will be at a loss.”
6. “I need to prepare myself for the next Great Depression!”
7. “These things offer me a sense of comfort. I am inaccessible to anyone. No one would dare come close to the pile, leave alone me. Hence I am protected.”
8. “These items are actually gifts from someone close. How can I even think of discarding them?”
9. “This reminds me of my lost loved one…it is perhaps the last piece of interaction I have between us two”
10. “My loved one, whom I lost years ago, liked these items. I believe s/he will come someday to collect it.”
11. “I collect these things so that I can possibly gift them to someone later.”
12. “I might be financially deprived to afford these items. Hence, I need to save them, even if they are small things like wrapping paper or ribbons.”
13. “I need to keep this item so that I remember something which I am likely to forget at a future date.”
14. “I feel relieved when I discard my stuff. However, once it’s done, I feel suddenly exposed. They are my safety pile.”
15. “Survival is about being prepared. Hence, I need to collect these items. I need to rely on myself and not on anybody”
16. “People can walk out of your lives. Things don’t.”
17. “Discarding these items makes me feel guilty about discarding it. Like it’s a criminal thing to do.”
18. “Right now, I do not have the time at my disposal to sort through these things. I will keep them here, so I can go through them, another day.”
19. “It gives me an excuse to get out of social obligation. I can always say I can’t go to a party because I have so much cleaning to do.”
20. “I believe in recycle and reuse.”

Contact Bio-Cleanse for Hoarding Cleanup and Management Services. 

Visit www.biocleanse.com.au for more information.

Reporting During a Bio-Hazard Cleanup

A bio-hazard occurrence like murder, blood spill, accidents and water damage can uncover a host of infections, many of which remain undetectable by the naked eye. Even if the area appears virtually clean after evacuation of the bio-hazard materials, infections can seep deep into crevices and pores of surrounding materials. For example, in the event of a murder, the blood might be splattered in various areas and spills can get into absorbent wooden floor or walls or matting. Hence, it is necessary that a cent per cent clean up be carried out to eliminate all risks of potential diseases and infections. 

It is necessary to hire a professional cleaning service, as bio-hazardous waste can have a serious impact on other untrained professionals such as insurance agents or police personnel. When the lights of the ambulance and police cars depart, it is the cleaning professionals who take up the charge. And the cleaning is more than a matter of just mop up and trash. It involves thorough assessment of the area, application of proper and safe scientific procedures, following of fixed protocols and protection of the contaminated area from further infecting the surrounding inmates or neighbours. 

One important step in the bio-remediation process is thorough documentation or reporting. This documentation starts right from the planning stage to completion. Every step, every protocol used, every methodology and every assessment procedure should be properly reported by the professionals along with the respective on-site photographs. The documentation should also give a risk analysis of the exposure to disease and infections before and after the cleanup. In the end, the company should give a catalog of the particular in-situ bioremediation process.

The documentation process has manifold uses. Not only does it adhere to a systematic approach of a critical situation like a bio-hazard event, it also facilitates smooth settlements between the policy holder and the insurance company in the process of making any claims of loss. It will also make both the parties understand why some structural materials were removed or disposed or displaced or altered.

At Bio-Cleanse Pty Ltd, we are adept at handling all types of bio-remediation and cleaning services with thorough documentation and reporting procedures. Visit www.bio-cleanse.com.au to avail of our services.

Tips to prevent fire accidents at home

Do you know that a serious fire accident can burn your entire house or building in minutes?

Thousands of people die in fire accidents all over the globe annually. Fire accidents are more common in homes than any other place. Here are a few tips that can avoid all this. 

Clean your chimneys: Matter like creosote residue can clog your chimney and catch fire. Your chimney should be inspected and cleaned regularly. Use a cap to prevent debris clogging the flue. 

Flammable Liquids: These should be kept in well ventilated areas and securely sealed in appropriate containers. 

Furnaces: Gas furnaces should be inspected periodically for cracks in burners and heat exchangers. Also, furnace filters must be replaced periodically to prevent the furnace from overheating. 

Over loaded circuits: Too many appliances connected to a single outlet or circuit overloads the circuit wiring, which may lead to short-circuits. 

Refrigerator: Clean the coils which are typically accessible under the unit. When coils become coated with dust, their cooling ability diminishes. Overheating can cause an electrical fire. 

Smoke detectors: Place a smoke detector outside each room. 

Stoves: Never leave a stove on or even unattended. This is another cause for fire damages in houses. 

Wiring should be proper: All inside wiring should be properly insulated. Faulty wiring can cause fire damage instantly. A qualified specialist is required when handling/undertaking such work. 

Clothes dryers: Ensure vents and filters are cleared from any accumulation which can cause dryers to overheat. 

Hope these tips will help you to stay alert and avoid any future disasters from occurring. For services regarding fire damage restoration you can contact us on 042 741 1789 or visit http://www.bio-cleanse.com.au/.

How dry ice blasting fits into the CSR strategy

With the rise of global warming and other environmental problems the world is facing today, there has been a strong call for businesses, whether small or large, to adhere to eco-friendly practices. This is where CSR has come up as a sounding board for companies to measure their practices along three dimensions – people, planet and profit. CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility. It is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns to be in tandem with business operations and interactions.

Some of the thrust areas under the CSR are eco-efficiency; operational costs savings and workers safety. Under CSR, businesses work towards refining the business operations in terms of the impact it will have on the wellbeing of the staff, community and the environment in general. 

Dry Ice Blasting is a type of cleaning which is employed in aerospace, food and beverage, foundry and historical restoration. It uses Dry Ice pellets which are blasted onto the contaminated surface, severing the dirt from the surface. The pellets undergo sublimation, whereby it is directly transformed from solid state to gas state without passing the liquid state. This is advantageous as the dry ice will vanish, leaving only the cleaned debris behind. Hence, there is no other secondary residual waste to be cleaned. This is unlike traditional cleaning methods such as soda blasting, sand blasting and water blasting, which leave behind a great deal of secondary waste for cleanup.

Therefore, Dry Ice Blasting fits into the CSR strategy for the following reasons: 

• It leaves back no carbon footprint. Hence business operations are able to swing back into routine within less downtime. It saves time for business productivity. 

• Since it leaves no residue and is not a chemical cleaning process, worker safety and health is ensured. There is no risk of exposure to airborne chemical residues for workers. 

• Dry Ice Blasting doesn’t use water as a medium. Hence, the risk for mould or mildew is eliminated. 

• Since there is no need for secondary cleanup, additional costs are eliminated. 

• It is non-abrasive, non-flammable and non-conductive. 

• As there is no emission of harmful gases or substances into the environment, it is not a hazardous process for the ecosystem. 

• The Dry Ice pellets are manufactured by recycling Carbon Dioxide. 

Bio-Cleanse provide professional Dry Ice Blasting services, besides many others. To harness this eco-friendly cleaning process, visit www.bio-cleanse.com.au/services/dry-ice-blasting/ for more information.

JAIL/PRISON CELL CLEANUP

Incarceration cells or jails often conjure the image of a gloomy room with one-away entry and exit that is filled with dust, dirt and odour. One is led to believe that this is as cleanest it can get. On several occasions, a prison cell becomes the scene of various bio-hazardous wastes such as sweat, faeces, urine, vomit, bodily fluids, saliva or blood.

Cleaning the aforementioned scenario is a professional task as lay people are not readily willing to help in the cleanup process. Secondly, cleaning such bio-hazardous waste is a risky affair as it is a carrier of many pathogens which can cause diseases such as AIDS, Tuberculosis and Hepatitis C. Thirdly, prompt cleaning intervention is necessary, as officials working in the prison such as policemen and staff can get infected by the exposure to these pathogens.

A thorough bio-hazardous cleaning is a must due the following scenarios, as listed below:

• The prisoners can engage in a dirty protest – a situation where by they will involve in defecating or urinating in cell quarters or themselves, as a form of fighting back. Sometimes, they might do so as a symptom of a psychological problem. 
• The pathogens can lodge into cracks and crevices of the walls. 
• Communal areas are being used by many inmates and can be the site for bio-hazardous wastes. 
• Cleaning calls for professional intervention as health and safety regulations have to be adhered to. 
• The inmates can get into fights or brawls where there can be a lot of sweat and bloodshed. 
• Prison lockers need to be professionally cleaned, as pathogens can be left behind if the lockers were used to contain blood-covered objects/clues. If the lockers are used to store handcuffs that were used on suspects, then this also calls for intervention. 

Due to the confined nature of the prison cells, rapid contagion is highly probable. Hence, quick and professionally cleaning bio-hazardous wastes in prison is imperative. Contacting professional services can also guarantee operational efficiency and minimum time required to bounce back to routine activities.

Bio-Cleanse provides prison decontamination services.

Visit www.biocleanse.com.au/ for more information or call us at 042 741 1789.

OHIO Rule for Compulsive Hoarding

Of recent, hoarding behavior has come into public purview and is almost being reconsidered as a psychological condition on its own, rather than being grouped with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Hoarding is a condition when the patient is unable to discard items such as belongings, newspapers, journals and even trash leading to clutter. This leads to acquiring of seemingly useless items which are difficult to sort and organise. There are probabilities that a hoarder has undergone some trauma in his/her life or is suffering from social isolation. 

A lot of psychological and organisational programs are being targeted at hoarders relinquishing by their unusual behaviour. One approach which is usually considered is the OHIO approach: an abbreviation for “Only Handle It Once.” It goes by the philosophy that if one picks something; one must make the decision then and there, to either retain it or discard it, thus avoid piling it. This can rather be an influential approach as it influences the decision making process of a hoarder and eggs him/her to avoid piling up. 

However, the OHIO rule might not be feasible in all cases. In some cases, it might even have a backfiring effect: the hoarder might come to a halt in their decluttering efforts, deciding whether to really discard an item or not. Some items just cannot be discarded by a hoarder due to a psychological connection with it, such as an heirloom or gift.

In the above scenario, there are some alternatives which can be considered, rather than going OHIO. Compartmentalise the items which one is unsure of discarding in order to think of it at a later point of time. Create another section where one will be chucking the items but will be reconsidering them one last time before chucking. The third compartment should be stuff that you are sure of chucking (discard them, there and there). If you keep mobilising these items by compartmentalising them, one is likely to move along the discarding process rather than remain stagnant and cluttering all over again. Hence, mobilisation is the key.

- Bio Cleanse Pty Ltd.

Health Hazards of Meth Labs

Methamphetamine or Meth is a man-made drug that significantly affects the central nervous system. Health hazards resulting from meth labs can be a thief in the night as meth is often concocted or “cooked” in secret locations to avoid the long arm of the law. More often than not, these labs operate in rural areas, posing a severe risk to surrounding environment, as well as humans.

An operating meth lab can be highly flammable capable of generating harmful fumes and residue. A shut-down laboratory is also a potential store-house of health hazards as the property may remain contaminated with hazardous residues. 

The health hazards of a meth lab depend on the amount and length of the chemical used. It also depends on the medium of infection/exposure of these chemicals. The severity of the health hazards varies proportionally with the proximity of the chemicals. The more closer the exposure to these harmful substances, the severe the infection. 

Those who are directly involved in the concocting of these chemicals are most vulnerable. The cooker’s family and persons in direct contact are also at high risk. Such individuals are prone to lung infections, chemical burns and also death. It also causes shortness of breath, chest pain, irritation, disorientation, giddiness and coughing. Less severe symptoms include nausea, fatigue and headache. These less severe symptoms are likely to be felt by new occupants of a non-active meth lab site. If the chemical is present in the form of solvents, the effects can affect the central nervous system. 

If the exposure to meth labs is prolonged over a longer period of time, it can lead to severe cases such as cancer, brain damage, liver infection and kidney infection. Children can get affected easily as their brains and vital organs are in the developmental stage whereas in the case of a pregnant woman, it can lead to miscarriage. 

Residues are adept in finding their way into every nook and cranny of the property - be it carpet, walls, furniture or even the surrounding air. It also poses a risk for neighbouring inhabitants. Therefore, it is imperative that the new occupants of former lab meth labs get the site promptly cleaned-up. 

For prompt assistance, contact Bio Cleanse Pty Ltd, 

visit: http://bio-cleanse.com.au/ for more details.