Cleaning Up Blood in the Shop

A fresh ten-to-one solution of water and bleach works well for sanitizing purposes. October 3, 2007

Question
We are looking for a simple cleaner for dealing with minor blood cleanups. For instance, melamine and laminate cuts leaving streaks of blood on parts. Could we get by with a diluted bleach solution? And if so, what concentration of bleach to water, or full strength? Or is there a readily available cleaner? I see Clorox makes a Formula 409 germicide.

Forum Responses
(Dust Collection and Safety Equipment Forum)
From contributor J:
A few short years ago I was a Service Engineer for Ortho Clinical Diagnostics. We built/serviced blood analyzers for hospitals/clinics. Dealing with blood specimens required special care and attention. If my memory serves me correctly, and I think it does, a 10% mixture of bleach-90% water was a very satisfactory way of cleaning anything that had been covered with a blood specimen. Alcohol and water was also frequently used.

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From contributor O:
My wife used to run the blood lab in a large hospital and now works for the Kentucky State Health Lab. The section she is responsible for works with the CDC testing for things we don't talk about at home. Standard cleanup for blood is Clorox bleach; depending on the area, it can be a 1:1 mix or as low as a 1:9 mix as described in the last post. 1 part Clorox to 9 parts distilled water.

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From contributor N:
One thing to remember is, the 10% bleach solution is only good for 24 hours. Bleach begins to break down in light and water, so don't mix a huge batch and keep it for a year, just mix it when you need it.