Beyond Grief: The Science and Compassion of Biohazard Restoration

What Makes Unattended Death Biohazard Cleanups So Complex?

Death comes for us all, but what happens in the aftermath when someone passes away alone and isn't discovered for days or weeks? The biological reality is both fascinating and sobering.

Chad Mallonee from Hazard Clean Restoration pulls back the curtain on one of restoration's most challenging scenarios: the unattended death. The human body begins decomposing within four minutes of death, and by the 72-hour mark, significant changes create serious biohazards. With approximately 85% of our weight comprised of soft tissue and blood, these biological fluids penetrate carpets, drywall, floorboards, and surrounding materials, creating contamination that extends far beyond what's visible to the naked eye.

What many don't realize is how extensively contamination spreads throughout a home. Vectors like flies transfer biological material across surfaces, while first responders and family members unknowingly track contaminants up to 72.5 feet from the scene. Even beloved pets become carriers, potentially spreading biohazards throughout an entire residence. The restoration process involves meticulous forensic cleaning, hospital-grade disinfection protocols, and sometimes the complete removal of materials that cannot be safely sanitized.

Beyond the scientific approach, Chad's work carries profound emotional weight. "The last thing we want is for family members to have to deal with any more pain," he explains, highlighting the deep compassion driving this specialized field. Every restoration aims to remove all traces—both visible evidence and lingering odors—so grieving families aren't faced with traumatic reminders when they return.

Curious about how environmental factors affect this process or what happens when a professional restoration team arrives? Listen now to understand a vital service that happens largely out of public view but provides essential support during life's most difficult moments. Share this episode with someone who works in healthcare, emergency services, or property management—knowledge that might one day make a difference when it matters most.

To learn more about Hazard Clean Restoration visit:
https://hazardclean.net/
Hazard Clean Restoration
772-259-5018

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Restoration Revolution podcast,
where we help restore hope andput your family on the road to
recovery, one episode at a time.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
Here's your host and owner of Hazard Clean what
happens when someone passes awayalone and isn't discovered
right away?
Unattended death scenes requireprofessional restoration and

(00:37):
more empathy than you mightexpect.
Welcome back everyone.
I'm sophia yvette, co-host,slash producer, back in the
studio with Chad Melanie, ownerof Hazard Clean Restoration.
Hi Chad, how have you been?

Speaker 3 (00:50):
Hi Sophia, I'm glad to be here today.
Thanks for having me ofbiohazard cleanup.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
That isn't often talked about, but it's something
your team deals with regularly.
Can you talk a little bit aboutunattended death?

Speaker 3 (01:12):
Yeah, yeah, of course it's the kind of call really no
one really wants to get.
It's really the kind of scenethat a lot out there aren't
prepared to handle, whether it'ssome companies, if it was
family.
When it comes to an unintendeddeath, it isn't just a tragedy,

(01:34):
it's a crisis that unfoldsbehind closed doors, and when
someone passes away and they'reundiscovered for days, weeks,
nature really begins to takeover in ways that a lot of us
don't understand, unless you'rein this industry.
It's heartbreaking, but it'salso hazardous, and that's why

(01:54):
the cleanup is really meant fortrained professionals.
It's a sad situation, and itreally is.
You know, when someone passesaway, the human body starts to
decompose in about four minutesafter death, and that's been
proven through science and aboutthe 72-hour mark.
If the conditions are warm,you're going to start seeing
bloating, tissue liquidification, the release of biofluids, and

(02:20):
about 85% of our weight isactually just soft tissue and
blood, and about 85% of ourweight is actually just soft
tissue and blood.
And so all that has to go as itdecomposes somewhere and it
typically penetrates the carpets, the surrounding materials, the
baseboards, the drywall,anything in that If it's wood
floors and it's a lot, and soall that's going somewhere, all

(02:43):
that biological matter is goingsomewhere.
You know, then you're going tohave what we call vectors and
vectors are, like you know,flies or vectors and they're
going to spread thatbiocontaminate
cross-contamination somewhereand they're going to spread it
basically throughout the the,the structure, the room,
anything like that.

(03:03):
And what happens is they'llland on some of the biohazard or
the biofluids and then they'llland on walls and counters and
dishes and other rooms andspread it throughout the
structure and not only thosefactors.
When the first responders showup or the family shows up or
friends.
It's been proven that itactually they'll

(03:27):
cross-contaminate up to about72.5 feet throughout the
structure wherever they go.
And that really means thatfirst responder, if they walk
through that scene, anywherethat first responder or anywhere
that family member walks,potentially they may now have
cross-contaminated that scene.
There's also things we don'tthink of all the time, like pets

(03:49):
and so dogs.
You know, let's think of a pet,like a dog, if they were in the
home, which we've seen time andtime again, they will almost
cross-contaminate the wholestructure because they'll be
there with, you know, with theirowner who's passed away, and
you know they their owner who'spassed away, and you know
they'll stand next, they'll sitnext to them, it'll get on their
fur, they'll walk through thestructure and that really can

(04:11):
impact that.
You know what we do is weforensically clean.
And so you know we're going toclean forensically clean, which
means that we're going toprepare the both vertical and
horizontal you know the verticaland horizontal area of the
structure for professionaldisinfection or neutralization.
When we do that, we alwaysapply an EPA registered hospital

(04:35):
grade tuberculosis sidedisinfectant with a six log kill
to.
It's been proven to kill bothgram negative and gram positive
bacteria and it also inactivatesboth enveloped and
non-enveloped viruses.
And you know, if we find thatthe biohazard has gone into

(04:56):
maybe the poorest material fromthere, if we can't be clean, if
it can't be clean you thinkmattresses, if it got soaked in
a drywall then we're going toremove them.
You know, if we can't clean itand verify that it was clean and
it's going to be safe, then weremove it.
We really do this by just usingscience to make sure we don't
just get all the services andI'm talking all the services,

(05:19):
not just clean visually clean.
Someone looks at it and is like, okay, it's clean, but we
actually get them food-gradeclean and hospital-grade clean.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Wow, now Chad.
One other question for you howdo environmental factors like
heat or humidity accelerate thedecomposition process?

Speaker 3 (05:43):
So it's a great question.
You know it can accelerate orcause the decomposition to slow
down, and so really it'sinfluence.
68 degrees really is the magicnumber to either slow down that
cell breakdown or speed it up.
And so if we come into a homeand you know or it's winter time
or something like that, and youknow it's been 60 degrees in

(06:07):
that environment, then thatprocess will slow down
dramatically.
You know we've gone into, youknow into homes and you know the
owner wasn't feeling well andactually put the heat up, you
know, because they weren'tfeeling well before they passed
away, and you know, in thatsituation actually speeds up,

(06:29):
you know, the decomposition veryfast, and so it's really 68
degrees kind of is the magicnumber for that.
You know, and no matter if andI guess what the point I would
make is that when we show up, nomatter if it's the
decomposition is days, weeks,anything like that we do what's

(06:50):
right to make sure that we'rebringing safety back to those
spaces, because the last thingwe want is for family members.
You know they're alreadydealing with enough pain and so
the last thing we want is forthem to have to deal with any
more pain, and so we doeverything to make sure that
when the family member or anyonewalks in afterwards, there's no

(07:11):
sign of it, there's no smell ofit.
It's taken care of.

Speaker 2 (07:17):
Well thanks, chad, for your in-depth discussion
today about unattended deaths.
We'll catch you in the nextepisode.
Have a fantastic rest of yourday.

Speaker 3 (07:27):
Bye Sophia.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
Bye.

Speaker 1 (07:33):
Thanks for listening to the Restoration Revolution
Podcast, where recovery startshere.
Let us help put your family onthe road to recovery.
Go to hazardcleannet or call772-259-5018.
That's 772-259-5018.