Compassionate Cleanup: How Bio-One of South OC Serves the Community

What happens when science meets compassion in the challenging world of biohazard cleanup? Meet Armand, a high school physics and chemistry teacher who, alongside his wife Michele, runs Bio-One of South OC - a specialized cleanup service handling everything from blood scenes to hoarding situations throughout Orange County.

During our conversation, Armand reveals the surprising intersection of education, faith, and biohazard remediation that defines his unique business. "We're just the kind of company that's just like your neighbor," he explains, describing their "help first, business second" philosophy that sometimes means educating clients on how to safely handle situations themselves - even when it costs them business. This refreshing honesty extends to every aspect of their operation, from free consultations to the emotional support they provide during traumatic circumstances.

The services Bio-One offers extend far beyond what most people realize, covering blood cleanup, rodent dropping removal, drug residue remediation, and compassionate assistance for hoarding situations. Particularly noteworthy is their approach to discretion when working with hotels and resorts, using specialized zipper walls to shield operations from public view while ensuring spaces return to pristine condition. Their technicians bring not just technical expertise but genuine care, sometimes spending hours simply listening to clients processing difficult events.

Armand's story demonstrates how unexpected career paths can emerge from core values and a desire to serve others. Whether you're facing an emergency situation or simply curious about this essential yet often overlooked industry, this episode offers valuable insights into the science, compassion, and practical realities of biohazard cleanup. Check out Bio-One of South OC at BioOneSouthOC.com and discover how they're bringing neighborly care to life's most challenging messes.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, rachel Fyfe.
Welcome to the Good NeighborPodcast.
Now are you in need of havingsome biohazard materials removed

(00:21):
or cleaned up?
Well, you know, I have aresource for you that might be
closer than you think.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
armand, with BioOne of South OC.
Again, that's BioOne of SouthOC, armand.
How is it going?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
I'm great.
How are you doing, Rachel?

Speaker 1 (00:41):
I'm doing good.
I'm doing good'm doing good.

Speaker 2 (00:43):
So you know we're really excited to learn about
your business, so tell us aboutyour company so, as you
mentioned, yeah, we definitelytake care of biohazard cleanups
in the home or even in abusiness area, um, so some of
the things that that mightinclude would be cleaning up
blood or any kind of scenes thathave blood.
That also includes scenes thatmay have feces and urine,

(01:06):
sometimes even just vomit, inwhich you're a little concerned
about.
We also do deal with likerodent dropping.
So you know, after strong rainyseason, if you have like a
storage unit or a garage thatrodents get into and you're a
little queasy about cleaning itup, we definitely can come in
there and take care of it, nomatter how much material you
actually have in the garage aswell, to clean as well.

(01:26):
So we take care of that.
And then one of the otherthings that we specialize in is
also hoarding cleanups.
Sometimes hoardings cleanupsare actually really clean and
there's not a lot of biohazardsin there.
We will help you with that aswell.
But sometimes it's not so clean.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Sometimes there's mold in there, Sometimes there's
, you know, rodent droppings forsure, or even animal feces and
urine, and if you ever need thatkind of help, that's something
we definitely take care of aswell.
Wonderful, I'm curious.
How did you get into?

Speaker 2 (01:55):
this business.
Well, my wife and I are, youknow, we've always been just
educators.
So I actually teach high schoolphysics, chemistry and
mathematics, so I love thescience aspect of what we do.
But the other part of that'sreally important to us is, you
know, that really drew us to BioOne, because it's a franchise,
it's 130 of us actuallynationwide and it's the help

(02:18):
first business.
Second motto you know we'reparishioners actually at a local
Catholic church and we just,you know, we just love giving
and just giving back to thecommunity.
And so, whether that's sometimes, you know, teaching at church
or, in our case, teaching atschools, you know we're, we just

(02:39):
just a big part of us is justusing that care and compassion
that you know grew out of ourfaith to really help people in
times of trouble.
You know, when you think aboutblood scenes, there's something
tragic that probably happened,and so we come in there with a
lot of care and compassion tomake sure that you know we take
care of you, not only thecleaning part, but sometimes

(03:00):
emotionally as well.
You know, with the hoarders,for instance, you know they're
definitely there's some issueswith them wanting to hold on to
things, and so when we come in.
You know we don't try to forcethings, we don't try to just
walk in there and just try toget rid of everything, but we
just help you sit down, sortthrough things.
You know decide what do youwant to keep, what do you want
to throw away, what do you wantto donate?

(03:20):
And you know work.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
That's really wonderful.
Now, what are some maybe mythsor misconceptions, do you think
in your industry?

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Well, I think you know, I think some of the
misconceptions are that youcan't do the job yourself as a
person and that you need to calla professional all the time.
And I'll just tell you like theCDC gives very clear guidelines
on how to take care of ityourself, how to dispose of
things yourself as well.
You know, obviously we're runin the industry by specific

(03:58):
guidelines that, as a business,that we have to abide by, and so
that's because of those rulesand regulations things are a
little bit more expensive.
We can't just throw things inthe trash so we have to take it
to a biohazard location you know, and you know, when it comes to
even, like you know, drugcleanup cause we actually do
drug cleanup as well Um, youknow, can you do that?

(04:21):
Maybe not that one,particularly especially if
there's, like fentanyl, known tobe in the in the actual space,
you might wind up puttingyourself in danger, Um, but
there are ways that, uh, youknow, at least in our industry,
that you know we don't like topush people, Like, if people
want to try and do it themselves, we'll teach them how to be
safe.
I know that means sometimes welose money, but ultimately we're
there to help.

(04:41):
And so you know, we're just,we're just the kind of company
that you know, we just like yousay like, we're just like your
neighbor.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
And sometimes neighbors just help by just
giving you some good advice onhow to take care of things.
Wonderful, you know, we knowmarketing is really the heart of
every business.
So how are you targeting yourcustomers or attracting?

Speaker 2 (05:03):
them.
Well, you know, we definitelytry to put ourselves in front of
cities and because you knowthey have at least some areas
have more homeless encampmentissues than others, we try to
work with cities with that.
Unfortunately, there have beensome, you know, tragic events
that happen on the streets whereblood is all over the streets.

(05:25):
We just did a job recentlyactually down in Carlsbad, or
just an unfortunate situationwith a driver hitting a
bicyclist and it was pretty badand you know we took care of
that.
And so we work with cities, forsure.
We also work with people whokind of sometimes show up on

(05:48):
scenes to help out families in atime when those situations are
actually occurring, andsometimes we get referrals from
them.
One of them is actually down inSan Diego, tip, san Diego.
We have a good relationshipwith them and then, last but not
least, marketing wise.
Sometimes you just have to walkup to another business that

(06:10):
might refer work to you.
So like a pest control company,and sometimes we just knock on
their doors, go to apartmentcommunities and just talk to
people about what we do, educatethem and then, if they want to
work with us, great.
If they don't, we understandthat as well.
Last but not least, like, evenlike resorts and hotels you know
, we're very good about beingvery discreet.

(06:31):
We want to make sure that ifwe're working on the scene,
we'll put up a zipper wall sonobody can see behind them and
then that way, when we'recleaning, everything looks like
it's just something that'shappening in the bathroom and
when we're done, the walls comedown, everything's clean,
everything's back to normal.

Speaker 1 (06:47):
Wow Now.
Have you ever thought aboutdoing your own podcast?

Speaker 2 (06:52):
You know I do have a YouTube channel and so I've done
some videos in the past.
I've not really done a podcast.
You know, one of my challengesI'm not going to lie to you is
that I teach full time as ateacher at a high school and I'm
trying to run a business.
So you know, if the time evercomes, where this business is

(07:18):
actually doing what it?
should be doing.
Maybe I can walk away from theteaching aspect, although I do
love my teaching and workingwith the kids.
It's really about where God'scalling me If a podcast is the
calling, then the podcast is thecalling but right now.
I think I'll leave that up toyou.

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Okay, well, okay, outside of work.
Now, what do you like to do forfun?

Speaker 2 (07:35):
You know a lot of time I spend is actually just
serving in the community, so youknow, whether it's most of the
time it's a church.
I play the guitar and I sing.
I used to play a lot of tennis,but my body's kind of worn down
a little bit.
You know, I'm past 50 now, so,and then I've carried a little

(07:57):
bit more pounds, so that's alittle bit more challenging.
Then the other thing is justspending time with family,
whether it's hanging out with mybrothers watching football
games or doing Thanksgiving andChristmas, or hanging out with
my wife's family and making sure.
And then, ultimately, I'd loveto visit with my mom, but she's
all the way in the Philippinesand that's a little bit more
challenging, for sure.

Speaker 1 (08:11):
But family time is really important.
I bet, I bet Wonderful.
So, armand, please tell ourlisteners one thing they should
remember about Bio, one of SouthOC.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
I mean, the biggest thing for us is that you know
you're going to contact someonewho, number one, has a friendly
voice.
When you contact us on thephone and then know that we're
going to be coming to help youwith a lot of care and
compassion.
Sometimes the care andcompassion is pretty simple,
because it's just something easyto clean.
Sometimes the care andcompassion means like we're

(08:44):
talking to you on the phone for45 minutes to an hour just
because you need somebody tolisten to.
And then other times, you know,we actually go on site, we give
free estimates and again,sometimes those estimates only
take five minutes, sometimesthey take another hour or two.
And you know, we just we spendthe time with the people and
that's what we do.
We really just make just wespend the time with the people

(09:06):
and that's what we do.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
We really just make sure we spend the time we
educate and our and our and ourtechnicians are just top notch.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
They just really they represent who we are as people.
Meaning Michelle and myself,meaning caring with a lot of
care and compassion.

Speaker 1 (09:18):
Wonderful.
How can our listeners learnmore about Bio 1 of South OC?

Speaker 2 (09:24):
So we definitely have a YouTube channel Right now,
it's all.
It's singular because we havetwo locations, one in Oceanside
and one in South OC.
So it'd be, you know, look usup at bio1oceansidecom, and then
you could go on our Facebookchannel as well.
I mean Facebook page at Bio 1SouthOC.

(09:45):
And then, last but not least,you know, if they just want to
just Google us and go on ourwebpages you know Bio1SouthOCcom
you can learn a lot about theservices that we provide as well
as the kind of people thatMichelle and I are Well,
wonderful.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
Well, Armand, I really appreciate you being on
the show and we wish you andyour business the very best
moving forward.
All right, Thank, Armand, Ireally appreciate you being on
the show and we wish you andyour business the very best
moving forward.

Speaker 2 (10:08):
All right.
Thank you very much, Rachel.
It was nice meeting you.

Speaker 1 (10:10):
You as well.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tognporangecountycom.