Infectious illness
Disinfection after an infectious illness
After a serious illness at home, or a death from one, you may want the rooms cleaned and disinfected by people with the equipment for it. An independent cleanup company can do that.
Calls answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
What the CDC says
When disinfecting makes sense
When someone is sick
The CDC advises disinfecting, in addition to cleaning, when someone in the home is sick.
A weakened immune system
Also when someone in the home is at higher risk of getting sick because of a weakened immune system.
Otherwise, cleaning
Without sick people in the home, the CDC says sanitizing or disinfecting is likely not needed.
Use products safely
Read and follow the label, don't mix products, keep the room ventilated and leave the product on for its contact time.
When to call
When a company is worth calling
Most illnesses at home never need a cleanup company. It makes sense when there are body fluids beyond what you can handle, when a person died at home of an infectious illness, when a rental or business has to be ready for the next people, or when someone vulnerable is moving back in and you want it done thoroughly.
Be careful with promises. No honest company can guarantee that every germ in a home is gone. What it can tell you is which products it uses, on which surfaces, for how long, and what it removed.
Ask
Questions to ask the company
- Which disinfectant will you use, and is it registered for this use?
- Which rooms and surfaces are included?
- Will soft furnishings be cleaned or removed?
- How long before people and pets can come back in?
- What will you remove and dispose of, and how?
Price
What the price depends on
This site publishes no prices, because every job is different. The cleanup company prices it after it knows the details. These are the things that move the number:
- How large the affected area is, and how many rooms
- Whether fluids reached carpet pad, subfloor, drywall or framing, which then has to come out
- How much time has passed, and whether the heating or cooling system was running
- How much furniture and how many belongings are affected
- How much sealed waste has to be packed and taken away
- Access: stairs, narrow halls, a crawl space or a vehicle
Questions
Disinfection questions
Can a company guarantee that every germ is gone?
No. Disinfecting kills most germs on the surfaces it reaches. Be wary of anyone who promises more.
Do I need this after a cold or the flu?
Usually not. Ordinary cleaning, and disinfecting while someone is sick, is what the CDC describes for homes.
What if the person died at home?
Read what happens after a death at home. If the death was unattended, see unattended death cleanup.
When you are ready
One call, and someone else takes this on
You don't have to clean this yourself, and you don't have to decide everything today. A short call is enough to ask questions and hear what the work would involve.
Talk to a cleanup company
The line puts you through to an independent biohazard cleanup company working in your ZIP code. Tell them what happened and where. You decide whether to hire them.
Call (843) 555-0162Calls answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
The referral network can record calls; the referral disclosure and privacy policy say how.