What items are salvageable from blood contamination

1/13/2020 (Permalink)

It happens, someone we know has been involved in a gun, knife or other sharp item incident. Whether it happens to be a kitchen accident or an accidental discharge on a firearm, SERVPRO knows how to handle any situation.

There are many items that can be cleaned by a professional that had previous blood contamination. Here is a short list of what cannot be saved:

Some Electronics – Depending on the type and how far the contamination went down into the item will come into play. You cannot wipe off just the outside and say it is good to go. If blood falls between the vents of the item there is a chance it could land on a circuit board and cause a short at minimum or Cause a fire. This is a very serious issue that should be handled by a professional.

Soft Goods/Certain Textiles – Some can be cleaned depending on the material make, age and contamination level. Certain items like pillows or stuffed animals will need to be dissembled, filling removed, exterior cleaned and put back together with clean materials.

Engineered Wood/ Press wood - Any wood item that has been modified where contamination has come in contact with an unfinished surface cannot be cleaned. This is due to the many cavities that pressboard and engineered wood have. Natural/Solid wood can be treated and sanded to remove the affected areas, then re-stained to match existing colors.

Carpet/Pad – If at any time there is blood contamination that has soaked through to the carpet or pad the area must be removed! There is no way to guarantee that the carpet and pad are fully decontaminated.