CLEANING LIFE OF GRIME
Specialised Cleaning Services owner, Sarah Southworth, talks to Tomorrow’s FM about some of the more difficult specialist cleaning jobs she has faced and explains why some things are best left to the professionals.
There is cleaning – and then there is specialist cleaning. When it comes to the worst cases of filth, crime scenes and ‘Life of Grime’ scenarios, experienced cleaners with strong constitutions and specialist expertise are needed. Specialist cleaning companies like ours are unique; the very nature of the work we take on demands a lot more than a pair of rubber gloves and a mop and bucket. It involves specialist equipment, expertise in safely handling and disposing of contaminated materials, needles and wastes, as well as a host of other specialised knowledge and experience.
No one day is the same in the world of specialist cleaning and our work can include cleaning a void property for a Housing Association in a state of disrepair, the clear up of parks and other public spaces left with a variety of drug paraphernalia to
remove, and traumatic crime scenes with a variety of body fluids to be cleaned up.
Although, on the face of it, these situations and the types of jobs we face seem very different, we always need to ensure that the outcome is the same. The property, business or grounds have to be cleaned thoroughly and transformed into safe and clean environments that meet exacting health legislation.
“The men and women in the extreme cleaning business come face to face with the grimmest and grimiest of jobs.”
The most challenging jobs we face involve the cleanup of bio hazards, including bodily fluids and faeces that are hazardous to our health as
they carry a number of potentially deadly viruses including hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
One scenario that required a strong constitution and was potentially dangerous to my staff occurred when we entered a void property in a deprived area in Lancashire. The house was in a terrible state and the owner’s dog had been living in the kitchen and hadn’t been let out for some time. Needless to say, we were faced with knee-deep faeces and urine which had to be shoveled out of the property before the clean up could begin. In the end, the dog was rescued and the house was cleaned up and, when finished, was unrecognisable from the place we originally entered.
This is the type of scenario where, if it was left up to someone without the training and equipment that specialist cleaners have, the health and safety of the individuals carrying out the
26 | TOMORROW’S FM
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