Nobody likes cleaning up vomit, faeces, urine or blood but unfortunately it has to happen far too often at work and at home.
It happens because;
Children pick up bugs going around at their schools and nurseries because their bodies haven’t built up immunities.
The elderly start to suffer from urinary and bowel incontinence.
Pets need to be house-trained and can get ill.
All of us are at risk of the occasional unfortunate accident when we catch a virus.
These body fluids are unpleasant and can carry biohazard threats that may cause serious illnesses for the people doing the cleaning and others in the environment
In the ideal world, these cleanups would be done safely, quickly and easily but far too often, common mistakes are made:
Common Body Fluid Cleanup Mistakes
Using tissues, paper towels and kitchen paper to cleanup the spill which are far too flimsy and will easily fall apart when they meet the liquid and will spread the spill over a larger surface. Instead absorbent fibre or powder should be applied and then picked up. .
Not wearing gloves to prevent contamination and especially where there are cuts and grazes on the hands. .
Using a traditional mop and bucket to clean the affected area will spread the biohazard over a wider area and contaminate the mop and bucket which, if used again, will risk spreading infections. .
Using a standard disinfectant is unlikely to be effective against virulent bugs like norovirus. Instead a broad spectrum antibiotic like Bardac 22 (data sheet) should be used.