Cleaning up after illness: vomit, accidents and sanitizing

Sick kids, sick pets, sick adults. Vomit on carpet is a mix of acid, protein and whatever was eaten, and it needs to be handled quickly because the acid can permanently discolor some carpet dyes if it sits.

Remove the solids with a spoon or a piece of cardboard, scraping toward the center. Blot the liquid with paper towels. Sprinkle baking soda on the spot to neutralize the acid and absorb liquid, leave it twenty minutes, vacuum. Then treat with an enzyme cleaner to break down the protein, blot, rinse, blot dry.

Sanitizing

Household cleaning removes the stain. It does not necessarily remove the bacteria or virus that caused the illness. If someone in the house has had a stomach bug, norovirus in particular survives on surfaces for a long time. Professional hot water extraction at the temperatures our truck-mounted units reach, followed by an EPA-registered sanitizer, is what we recommend after illness, and it is a popular same-day request.

Sensitive situations

We regularly clean rooms after medical accidents involving elderly family members, hospice patients and people recovering from illness. Our techs handle these jobs discreetly and kindly. If you are calling about something like this, just say so and we will prioritize it.