About the service
Is Biohazard Cleanup Yonkers a cleanup company?
No. It is a referral service. The cleaning is done by an independent company that you speak to and hire yourself. What happens when you call sets out each step.
Which places does it cover?
Yonkers and several neighboring parts of Westchester, including Mount Vernon, New Rochelle and the villages along the Bronx River and the Hudson. The service area page lists them.
Is it only for homes?
No. Shops, offices, restaurants, apartment-building common areas and vehicles are all usual.
About the work
How long does a cleanup take?
A single hard-floored room can be a matter of hours. A death that went undiscovered, or a hoarded apartment, can run to days. The company will give you its own estimate of time once it knows the details.
Can I stay in the home while it is done?
Usually in another part of it, yes, but most people choose to be elsewhere. The affected room is closed off while work is going on.
What does a cleanup company need a license for in New York?
That depends on what the job disturbs. The state labor department recommends licensed asbestos contractors for removing asbestos, and paid work that disturbs paint in pre-1978 housing requires EPA lead-safe certification. Ask the company what it holds and ask to see its insurance.
Does the company replace the floor or repaint?
Some do and many do not. Cleanup ends with a room that is safe. Putting it back together is often a separate contractor, so ask where the company's work stops.
Is bleach enough?
On a small spill on a hard surface it can be part of the answer. It does nothing for what has soaked into wood, padding or a mattress.
While you wait
What should I not do?
Do not start cleaning, do not throw anything out, and do not run fans through the room. Keep people and pets away and write down what you remember while it is fresh.
Should I tell the neighbors?
Only what they need. In an apartment building, tell the super or the managing agent, because they control access.
I cannot face making the call. Can someone else?
Yes, anyone you trust. On the suicide cleanup page there are also numbers for when the person who needs support is you.
Once the police hand the home back, phone
The person who answers works for an independent cleanup firm active in and around Yonkers. Put any question to them. Whether to hire them is up to you.
Phone answered at every hour, weekends and holidays included
Calls can be recorded. How that works: privacy, and how this service is paid.