Steps in Meth Lab Cleaning

                                                   Pic credit: https://goo.gl/cBVKfg

Meth (methamphetamine) labs, used to make the illegal drug methamphetamine, turn up in houses, apartments, motel rooms, sheds, trailers and even motor vehicles. Any house that has been used to cook meth can still have the harmful chemicals present in the vicinity even though the cooking has stopped. Cleaning of meth labs is essential as the fumes contain toxic chemicals that give rise to a number of health problems like headaches, nausea, dizziness, breathing problems or respiratory irritation and, skin and eye irritation.

You need to get a thorough cleaning done before moving into the property. Here are some DIY tips to clean the place before asking for professional help.

1. First and foremost, determine if the property was used for meth lab cooking. And if so, to what extent? 
2. After being seized, the property is aired out, decontaminated and closed for security reasons by the professionals. This short term airing-out is not enough for the area. Therefore it is necessary to air out the area before and during the cleaning process. Air out the property for at least 3 to 5 days. 
3. Before starting any cleaning process, wear certified protective gear like gloves, goggles, and protective clothing. Respirators that offer protection against fumes are recommended. 
4. Get rid of all the unnecessary items and dispose them properly. 
5. Get rid of all the visibly contaminated objects or items that have odour. Most of the area in the vicinity of the cooking kit will be full of stains. Its best to get rid of it. 
6. All the surfaces need to be properly cleaned with adequate cleaning methods, keeping personal healthcare in mind. 
7. The ventilation system carries the air around in the house and particularly has most of the fumes sedimented. Cleaning the ventilation is very important before starting to reside in the premises. 
8. Leave the plumbing and any additional odour removal to the professionals. 

Meth lab cleaning is a complicated process involving the use of many counter chemicals in order to neutralize the effect of the existing chemicals used to cook meth. It is highly advisable to hire expert professionals for meth lab cleaning.

We, at Bio Cleanse Services, cover all aspects such as assessing the property, devising a solution, removal and disposal of hazardous chemicals, property cleanup, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVACs), High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) vacuuming, decontamination and sanitisation of property and post sampling to ensure that it is chemical free and safe to occupy. Our service areas are Goulburn, Canberra, Batemans Bay and surrounding areas of NSW.

Death Cleanup

When death occurs, the family typically doesn't move out. It’s the job of the remediation service to remove any sign of incident. This is done to avoid any infection caused by the tragic circumstances.

The federal regulations consider all bodily fluids to be biohazards. Blood or tissue at a crime scene is considered to be a potential source of infection that could harm a living organism.

Biohazardous technicians have the knowledge to safely handle biohazardous material and to know what to look for at the scene. It’s necessary to call a biohazard company to deal with a suicide clean up. They are experts in handling various types of messy situations, violent deaths, animal-hoarding sites, meth labs, etc.

When a tragedy occurs these professional bioremediation technicians come well equipped with personal protective equipment. They then assess the situation and decide what equipment to use to make the site inhabitable once again.

This protective equipment includes: 

• Personal protective gear which is non-porous, the suits are one use suits with filtered respirators and safety gloves.
• Use of biohazard waste containers to dispose of the waste materials.
• Use of disinfectants to destroy viruses and microbes.
• Using industrial-strength deodorizers to eliminate bad odour after a disaster.
• Use of solvents to kill bacteria and viruses.
• Use of chemicals to kill broad spectrum bacteria.

The process of cleaning up a scene that involved a violent death, including suicide, needs to include these resources so that the remediation of the area goes beyond purely wiping up blood.

We at Bio Cleanse Services are specialized in death and trauma cleanup. We have helped thousands of families and businesses to reinstate their property in its pre-loss condition.

We know exactly how to deal with death and trauma with compassion, care, and communication. As a result, we can help alleviate some of the grief when such tragic circumstances occur. Call us on 0412547547 to avail of our services.

Keeping the Toilet and Bathroom Clean

Did you know that the toilet is one of the high-humidity areas in the house? Due to the amount of water in the cistern, it is prone to germs breeding there.

Bacteria can be found in the toilet bowl, on the floor, in the flush and even on the door handle. It is important to know that every time you flush the toilet, bacteria is projected up to 1.5m high into the air and covers all the surrounding surfaces. Bacteria can even land on your toothbrush if your toilet is in the bathroom.

Types of bacteria found in the toilet/bathroom

Microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, & pathogens on bathroom surfaces can survive for up to a week or more. Some of the bacteria commonly found in the toilet are listed below :

•    Gastrointestinal viruses that like Norovirus cause stomach ailments in humans and are easily transmitted.

•    Enteric pathogens, are organisms usually spread by contaminated foods but are also carried in faeces.  E. coli, salmonella, shigella, and campylobacter are some examples of these pathogens. An infected person can suffer severe diarrhoea with bloody stools.

•    Skin and respiratory organisms include the staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria. They also include the antibiotic-resistant MRSA strain, and Group A Strep, also known as ‘flesh-eating’ bacteria.

•    Dermatophitic fungi causes infections like athlete's foot which is transmitted by walking barefoot in the bathroom.

•    Residual fungi like mould and mildew that can grow in shower areas don't usually cause infection. However, it can aggravate illnesses like asthma and allergies.

Keeping a toilet and bathroom clean as well as practicing good hygiene helps in lowering the risk of infections and preventing illness affecting the aging and unhealthy individuals.

Here are some useful tips and advice to help you maintain a clean toilet and bathroom.

•    A clean bathroom requires daily wiping of surfaces and weekly deep cleaning.

•    Use cleaning products specifically designed for toilet/bathroom.

•    Direct contact areas like the flush and taps as they are breeding grounds for bacteria should be cleaned with extra care.

•    Clean the toilet brush properly.

•    In order to reduce the spread of bacteria in the room, flush the toilet with the toilet lid down.

•    Preferably use a push-pump soap dispenser which doesn't allow bacteria to collect. Wash hands thoroughly every time you use the toilet.

•    Ensure the ventilation system is working and air the toilet to reduce the level of humidity.

Are you faced with a messy and dirty toilet and bathroom, and are in need of a professional cleanup? Bio Cleanse Services has trained, qualified and specialized cleaning technicians.  We ensure a thorough cleaning & decontamination of all affected areas.

Call us now on 0412 547 547 for Sydney, Canberra, Goulburn and NSW areas.

Visit http://www.bio-cleanse.com.au/services/urine-and-faeces-clean-up/ to know more.

Tips for Fire Safety During the Fall Season

With the daylight becoming shorter and leaves taking a new form of green to orange, you’re preparing for the cold season and all the exciting festivities. But are you really prepared? Here are a few important fire safety tips to keep in mind:

Replace smoke/carbon detector batteries and test the alarms. It’s advisable to change your smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries when Daylight Savings Time begins and ends. This ensures the alarms don’t fail when you turn on the heat in your home. Once the batteries are changed don’t forget to test the smoke alarms. Ensure all the fire extinguishers are in working condition.

Before cranking up the heat, have your heating devices fully checked:

• Have a certified HVAC contractor inspect your HVAC system. Check and replace furnace filters with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.
• Ensure sufficient space of at least three to four feet around space heaters. Don’t place fabrics on space heaters to dry, and turn heaters off every night before bed.
• Have a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean your chimney. Keep flammable objects at least three feet away from the fireplace and install a mesh metal screen around it.

Halloween safety – Excited to decorate your home and mastermind scary costumes for Halloween? Don’t forget the safety aspects. Ensure considerable distance between decorations and open flames and other heat sources, and replace candles in jack-o-lanterns with battery-operated lights. We strongly advise you not to use real candles for decorating your home, but if you do, follow utmost care.

Outdoor fire risks – Periodically remove the leaves and other flammable debris that builds up around the house. Prune trees and rake up leaves and twigs. Avoid fuel storage in your home or garage. Clean your roof, gutters, and downspouts of debris and drain the fuel from lawn mowers before storing them for winter.

See also:  Safety with Flammable Liquids at Home 

Formulate a fire escape plan and make sure everyone in the house is well aware of it. In case a fire breaks out at 2 AM and your smoke alarms wake you and your family up – what do you do? This is when the fire escape plan comes into play. Designate an escape route for each area of your home and establish a meeting place outside. Practice escaping your home while staying low to avoid breathing in smoke. Also, practice escaping through windows using emergency ladders.

We, at Bio Cleanse Services, have an expert team of fire damage restoration technicians. If you ever face a fire incident in your home/office, contact us on 0427 411 789 for property remediation.

How to detect odour

    Pic Credit: https://goo.gl/8wGwur

Does your home smell funny? Can't really figure out what it is, but it's a bad odour that has been lingering for a while. Unpleasant musty odours are a common cause of indoor air quality complaints. This could be the most challenging issue to solve.

Identifying the source of odour within the environments could be a difficult task. Odour in offices, buildings or homes may arise right from the simplest things like plain soil to more complex things like biological materials.

Indoor odours can be caused due to:

•     Poor maintenance of ventilation, heating and air conditioning systems

•     Dampness caused due to moisture

•     Electrical odours caused due to overheating of the electrical units

•     Carpet, paint and surface coatings

•     Rodents and animals piddling

•     Chemical/fuel spills or gas leakage

•     Unattended deaths and carcasses

Mould odour is more common in households nowadays. It can grow where there's excess moisture, such as water leaks in rooftops, pipes, and walls. Mould odour has a pungent smell. They start growing in patches and can be hidden behind walls or wallpapers.

Indoor and outdoor contaminated air odour arising from biological materials like smoke, contaminates, urine, faeces, mould and human decomposition are some of the obnoxious odours. One needs to be very cautious as these could lead to discomfort, severe headache,  and other respiratory problems. Getting rid of substances like these using traditional methods is troublesome.

The need for professional help is necessary with appropriate training and equipment to identify and eliminate these offensive odours. By identifying the root cause and determining the conditions which caused the odour, it can often be eliminated over time without a trace.

If you ever come across such a situation, contact us by visiting our website: http://www.bio-cleanse.com.au/services/odour-control/ or call – 0427 411 789 to schedule an appointment.

Facts you need to know about biohazards

Biohazards are known to be the greatest threat to humankind. Here are some important facts you need to know about biohazards. The risk and extent of exposure to biological materials/ hazards depend on the industry and workplace. Exposure to biological hazards is can be widespread and is not always obvious.
Hence it is important to have a good understanding of what constitutes a biohazard material as well as the different categories of hazardous waste. This allows you to take the right actions to protect your health and property.

What is a biological hazard?
A biological hazard or biohazard, refers to any biological substances that pose a threat to the health of living organisms – humans or animals.
Exposure to biohazards can cause a variety of effects ranging from skin irritation and allergies to infections (e.g., tuberculosis, AIDS), cancer, etc.

What are the sources of biological hazards?
Sources of biological hazards may include bacteria, viruses, insects, plants, birds, animals, and humans.

What are the categories of biohazard waste materials?
They are categorized into broad groups based on the source of potential transmission.

Solid and liquid biohazardous waste
Human bodily matter and blood products which includes blood and other body fluids, tissues, vomit, urine, faeces, semen, saliva and breast milk etc, These may contain viral or bacterial infection.
Animal products including raw and cooked meat, offal, skins, bones, blood, milk and eggs

Microbiological waste
Laboratory cultures like animal and human tissue cultures, bacterial and cell cultures waste, biopsy materials.

Pathological waste
Refers to human or animal organs, tissues, and body parts that have been removed or from medical procedures or autopsies.

Animals/birds, their wastes and carcasses
Live animals and birds, or any material used by that them which may be infected. Their wastes include urine and droppings/faeces. Carcasses and body parts tend to get contaminated with infectious agents or parasites.

Sharps waste and rubbish
Needles, blades, syringes, scalpels, microscope slides, and broken glass tubes. These dangerous items can penetrate the skin and allow toxins from the biohazard materials to enter the bloodstream.

Biohazard Safety Levels
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, USA, there are 4 levels of biohazards. Each level has specific controls for containment of microbes and biological agents and requires specific laboratory practices, safety equipment and facility construction. The bio safety levels range from BSL-1 (low-risk microbes) to BSL-4 (high-risk microbes).

Biohazard Level 1
The viruses in this level are not very dangerous and usually only cause mild sickness. Precautions against the biohazardous materials are minimal, mostly involving washing hands with soap, wearing gloves and some sort of facial protection, and putting waste materials in specially-marked bins. Some of the bacteria and viruses include canine hepatitis, E-coli, Bacillus subtilis, chicken pox.

Biohazard Level 2
The microbes like Staphylococcus aureus in this level pose moderate to severe hazards to laboratories and the environment. Diseases associated with this level are of varying severity such as Hepatitis, influenza A, salmonella, mumps, measles, dengue fever, HIV. Access to the laboratory should be restricted and appropriate personal protective equipment should be worn

Biosafety Level 3
The microbes are airborne and can cause severe to fatal disease in humans like SARS and yellow fever, tuberculosis and malaria. However, vaccines or other treatments do exist for these diseases. Access to these areas should be restricted and controlled at all times with persons there being kept under medical surveillance and might receive immunizations.

Biosafety Level 4
It is the highest level of biological safety as these microbes are dangerous and exotic. They cause diseases that are frequently fatal to humans. Treatment or vaccines are usually not available for such diseases like Ebola and Marburg viruses, smallpox. Here, the use of a positive pressure personnel suit, with a segregated air supply, is mandatory. Areas dealing with this has to be in a separate building or isolated and restricted zones. There are strict decontamination procedures before and after entering such areas


If you are facing a biohazard situation, call us at Bio Cleanse Services 0427 411 789. Our trained professionals eliminate the biohazardous substances and dispose them properly. They are equipped with necessary safety apparatus and cleaning products, to decontaminate the area and help turn your property into a clean & safe place.

BUSTING MYTHS ABOUT CRIME SCENE CLEAN-UP

Dealing with an unexpected crime in your home can be stressful and highly emotional. To avoid any further turmoil of dealing with the cleanup of the crime scene, it should not be attempted by yourself. It is best to employ the services of professional crime scene cleaners. They can ensure proper clean up of blood, pathogens, bodily fluids and any bio-hazards, leaving your home odour free, safe and liveable.

However, despite their importance, most people have misconceptions of what crime scene cleanup is all about. Some of these myths are addressed below:

Crime scene cleaning is impersonal/doesn’t respect victims.
Crime scene cleaners are professionals, and are trained to be compassionate and respectful to the family and friends of the victim. They will get the clean up job done with care and concern.

Crime scene cleanup services is done by Law Enforcement authorities.
Your tax dollars do not take care of a crime scene cleanup. Law enforcement officials do not handle it. It is the responsibility of the property owner to pay for it and ensure it is done. Hence, cleaning and restoration is best handled by professional crime scene cleaners.

Crime scene cleanups can help in investigations.
Due to popular television crime shows, people often think that crime scene cleaning crews can help in solving a crime. However, these cleaning professionals take over only after the investigators have collected evidence left the scene.


Professional crime scene cleaners are equipped with the right equipment, techniques, and skills to ensure that crime scenes are not left contaminated in any way. These technicians are certified and experienced to handle the situation.

Contact Bio Cleanse Services on 0427 411 789 in case of any crime scene cleaning emergency.