Blood Spill Cleanup in East Swope Highlands, Kansas City, MO

A small spill on a hard surface can be cleaned with gloves, eye protection and an EPA-registered disinfectant. Do not do it if you have an open cut, or if blood has soaked into carpet, wood or grout. When in doubt, call a blood cleanup company.

Surface stains may lift, but blood that soaked through carpet and padding can sit in the subfloor and keep carrying germs and odor. In that case the soaked carpet and padding are cut out and disposed of as waste.

At a home, the owner or the family usually pays. At a rental or a business, the landlord, property owner or employer often gets the cleanup done. In a rental, the lease and local law decide, and a landlord, an attorney or a tenant rights group can say.

No single product is best for every surface. Blood is lifted first, then the area is disinfected with a product made for bloodborne pathogens. Porous materials such as carpet or drywall often have to be removed instead of cleaned.

Many homeowners policies cover crime or death cleanup after the deductible, but an ordinary injury may not be covered. Renters policies often cover cleanup but not the building. Call the insurer before cleanup starts, take photos and keep every receipt.

Employers have to protect workers who may be exposed, and the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard applies. A small spill may be cleaned up by staff who have the right training and supplies on site. Larger spills or blood that soaked in call for a commercial blood cleanup team.