There are many situations where you might need biohazard cleanup. Backed-up sewers, dead animals in an attic, the unattended death of a person, and crime scene cleanup are all situations where people are looking for biohazard cleanup services.
If you’re facing one of these situations, it’s hopefully the first time you need the specialty cleaning services of a biohazard cleanup company, and you might not have a sense of how much the service should cost. Unfortunately, it’s hard to give you a good idea of what you might need to pay because the range of costs is very large. Some simple biohazard cleanup jobs might cost as little as $1500 while some very complicated jobs might cost as much as $25,000 or more.
Here are some of the factors that can influence the cost of your cleanup.
Type of Biohazard
One of the big factors influencing the cost of biohazard cleanup is the type of biohazard that the cleanup company needs to deal with. People often refer to the concept of biosafety levels, which were developed to define the risk level of pathogens that people work with in labs. But biosafety levels can also be used as a shorthand for the risk and complexity of biohazard cleanups.
You don’t need to understand these levels directly, but it’s important to know how much of a difference they can make in the cost of labor and equipment for particular jobs. Labor costs for dealing with the lowest risk materials may be as low as $25 an hour, while dealing with the highest risk materials may cost as much as $600 per hour. In other words, the labor cost alone for a 10-hour job can range from $250 to $6,000!
Alongside labor costs, there may also be charges for equipment and materials that may scale in a similar way. The more dangerous the biohazard, the more disposable supplies will be exhausted.
Size of Affected Area
The size of the affected area will influence the cost of the cleanup. Often, costs will be quoted on a per square foot basis, so the costs will scale as the affected area gets larger.
Note that it’s not always obvious how much of the area is affected. There may be an area that is visibly impacted, but there might be a much larger area that will need treatment of various types. You know that odors can permeate materials far from the source. Pathogens and other contaminants can do the same.
Volume of Material for Disposal
Another factor to consider is how much biohazardous material will have to be disposed of. Cleanup in your space is only the first step of the disposal process. All the biohazardous materials removed from your home or business will have to be disposed of in a safe manner. The costs for this disposal will depend on the type of material, as well as the volume. The more material to dispose of and the more complex the disposal, the greater the cost.
Remediation and Deodorization
Cleanup of biohazards doesn’t stop with what you can see. Instead, it must continue until everything is eliminated, including odors and invisible hazards.
Some types of biohazards can infiltrate building materials, such as drywall and insulation. In this situation, it’s not enough to clean the space. Biohazard cleanup may require removing all potentially contaminated materials. Wherever materials get wet, they can lead to the growth of mold and mildew, which can have dangerous health effects.
Depending on how long biohazardous material was in a building, the odor may have permeated everything that shared the same air. Some materials can be deodorized in place, but for others, it makes more sense to remove them to a controlled environment, where deodorization can be accomplished more reliably.
Experience and Expertise
Finally, expect to pay more per hour when working with highly experienced biohazard cleanup crews. These crews know their business, and their education and experience make them more capable of dealing with the most difficult situations.
Not only are you likely to get better results, but you might not end up paying more for the experienced workers. Highly skilled biohazard cleanup crews are more likely to quote high and come in under budget, while inexperienced crews are more likely to quote low and have cost overruns.
Why Hire Professionals for Biohazard Cleanup
Of course, you might consider cleaning up biohazards on your own to try to save the fee for biohazard cleanup and disposal. However, there are many good reasons not to try to clean up biohazardous waste on your own.
Safety – Biohazardous materials are dangerous, and you put yourself and those around you at risk if you decide to handle them yourself. It might seem easy at first, but it’s easy to make mistakes if you don’t fully understand the risks. When this happens, you can make yourself sick, and the medical costs from your illness are likely to be much higher than the biohazard cleanup costs.
Cleanup to Standards – Another aspect of the cleanup that you might not understand is what counts as fully clean after a biohazard exposure event. You won’t know what materials might need to be removed, or how to properly clean them if they stay. This may mean ongoing risk for anyone who uses the contaminated area in the future.
Legal Protection – There are many regulations that govern how these types of materials should be handled and disposed of. If you don’t know those regulations, you may find yourself in significant legal trouble.
At a minimum, hefty fines for improper handling of biohazards can cost more than the cleanup. However, you may also face very serious criminal charges, which can lead to prison time. In addition, if you sell or rent a building or apartment that wasn’t properly cleaned, you can be targeted with a lawsuit that will cost you many times more than specialty cleaning services.
Peace of Mind – All those potential complications listed above can weigh heavily on your mind if you try to DIY biohazard cleanup. Think of all the hours wasted worrying about potential illness for you or your family. Why worry about bankruptcy-level lawsuits when you can pay a simple fee to properly handle the situation now.
Choose JRCC Damage Restoration Experts for Biohazard Cleanup
If you need biohazard cleanup on your property, choose the qualified experts at JRCC Damage Restoration Experts to handle it. We are the leading disaster restoration and specialty cleaning company in the greater Seattle & Spokane Metro Area, and our team will ensure the process is performed correctly.
We offer 24/7 emergency services, so we’re prepared to arrive quickly and immediately get to work handling your biohazard situation. We use the most advanced equipment and the latest techniques to deliver results that meet all rigorous standards for biohazard cleanup.
Don’t let the situation get worse. Contact us today, and we’ll take care of it. JRCC Damage Restoration Experts serves customers in the greater Seattle & Spokane Metro Area.