Handling a loss of any kind can put an emotional burden on a person that they may not know how to cope with. It can be an intense, turbulent time and recovering from it takes time in the best of conditions. For some, Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) are proving to be a useful ally in the processing of grief.  This time on the BIOClean blog, we are taking a look at ESAs and how a pet can help with loss.

What is an Emotional Support Animal?

While most commonly a dog, an ESA can be any animal, as the name implies. According to the AKC, “the pet needs to be prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to a person with a disabling mental illness. A therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist must determine that the presence of the animal is needed for the mental health of the patient.”  In this instance, the pet may help ease someone’s anxiety, or help give them something to focus on in their daily life, a purpose of sorts. The ESA can be any breed, any age.

To be clear, these are not the same as service animals. Those animals are trained to perform very specific duties to assist someone in their everyday lives and are able to go anywhere the public can be, accompanying their owners to restaurants, etc. ESAs have more limited scope of where they can.

How Do Animals Help?

Pets give their owners a whole host of positive benefits just by being around them! Here are some of the better understood benefits.

Produce Beneficial Neurotransmitters

Studies show that looking into the eyes of a pet dog increase oxytocin production in both owner and pet. Oxytocin is most commonly recognized as the bonding chemical in our brains, but it provides plenty of other positives along with bonding. These feel-good chemicals being produced create a cascade of other positive effects in the body as well. 

Provide Unconditional Love

When coping with a loss, human relationships can feel complicated, or messy. In a state of depression, even getting out and socializing can be too much. Having a pet that is constantly around providing companionship and unconditional love and affection can be the support someone needs when they can’t even get out of bed.

Regulate Daily Emotions

A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that there is clear evidence that owning a pet, their presence, and even petting them all provide positive effects for a person’s emotional wellbeing. This helps stabilize moods day to day, allowing for healing and growth to occur.

Social Support

That same study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology also found that the presence and companionship of pets provides social support. This in turn provides incredibly real health benefits including better cardiovascular, endocrine,and immune functioning. Loss can devastate social support networks, having a pet can help mitigate that.

Of course, all of this applies to pets as a whole, as well. While ESAs need to be prescribed in order to receive the associated privileges, pets in general provide these same benefits to those suffering from depression, loneliness, anxiety, and other mental health problems.

Experiencing a loss is never easy. Taking care of a pet may be the help some need, providing real psychological and health benefits through the release of dopamine, the presence of positive attention and a social support that the brain and body both recognize as powerfully necessary. We hope this blog helps anyone who needs it. The BIOClean team cares and is here to help.

Thinking about your insurance isn’t usually the first thing on your mind when your home is the site of a crime, or loss of a loved one. While we hope it’s something you never have to consider, it can be helpful to know ahead of time what your homeowners insurance covers – and the good news is this: most homeowners insurance policies cover cleanup services.

Homeowners Insurance

Insurance is a safety net, to help you recover from life’s curveballs. However, a safety net isn’t any good if it doesn’t cover those surprises! You know your policy covers a fallen tree, you know it covers hail, but what about disasters, riots, or crime? For the most part (we can’t say all of them) your homeowners insurance has your back. Here are some, perhaps surprising, things your policy covers you might not know about.

Your Homeowners Insurance Can Cover…

Protesting Masses

Times are turbulent. With a country more politically active than ever, it seems like a daily occurrence that there is a march or protest somewhere.  If your home is damaged from protests or rioting, worry not – your homeowners insurance will cover the cost to repair damages.

Disasters

If you’re local to SoCal like us, then you know how insurance handles earthquakes or floods (usually separate policies for those specific disasters) but damage to your home caused by falling volcanic ash is frequently covered under standard policies. Not bad huh?

Break Ins

If you have ever been the victim of a breaking and entering, you know criminals don’t tend to treat your home with respect when they are thrashing your home. If your home is trashed, furniture broken, that sort of thing, your homeowners policy will cover the damages – though the amount covered varies on individual policies and how they handle depreciation.

Deaths

It is not something we ever hope to see, but it can happen. Homes can be the site of an unattended, undiscovered passing, or a crime that leaves a biohazard state behind. If this should happen, rest easy knowing your homeowners policy likely covers the necessary work to bring it back to a livable condition. 

Final Resting Places

You might be surprised to learn that your policy covers family member’s final resting places, whether they are on the property or elsewhere. Should a grave marker be damaged, vandalized, or removed your policy will help cover it.

The important thing to take away from this blog is that homeowners policies often cover much more than we might initially suspect. The only way to be certain is to reach out and ask!

The BIOClean Team and Homeowners Insurance

We are a bit of a niche industry, as you might imagine. A part of what enables us to help people as quickly and seamlessly as possible is to work with insurance companies as much as possible. That’s why The BIOClean Team works so closely with insurers to have solid relationships. When they know what our process is it makes us an easy call for them to make, or recommendation to give. It cuts out the run around and gets everything on the path to normalcy that much faster.

It makes the whole process smoother, and now you are a part of that process. You know your policy covers these kinds of incidents, you can move to get help right away, as soon as you’re able.

You Don’t Need Insurance For Our Help

If you are in a situation where you don’t have insurance but you need help don’t hesitate to give us a call. The BIOClean Team is here to help you, not companies. When dealing with the aftermath of trying times, the last thing you should have to worry about is cleaning. 

Hopefully finding this blog has given you the peace of mind you need to move forward. Know that the BIOClean Team works to make the process as efficient as possible, whether that’s with or without insurance. You already have to deal with so much, let us shoulder that burden and bring your home back to a livable space again. Should you need our services, give us a call – we are available 24/7/365 and ready to move out and restore your property to livable conditions.

In homes all across America there is something sinister lurking just beneath the surface… all houses have a history and some of them are dangerous.  In the spirit of the season we’re looking at something spooky here on the BIOClean Team Blog, we’re looking at what can happen when you live in a former meth house and how to identify them. 

Dangers of Living in a Former Meth House

Living in meth houses is dangerous, everybody knows that. The handling of volatile chemicals can lead to explosions and fires amongst other health concerns. What many might not realize is that even when the house is no longer an active meth lab, the health complications are still there. Here’s why.

Methamphetamine is a crystal substance that when heated vaporizes, that’s how people ingest it. That vapor  goes off and into surfaces and as it cools, it recrystallizes. This trace amount increases over time and in the case of homes that used to be meth labs, can leave incredibly unhealthy levels of the chemicals in the walls, ceilings, carpets – you name it. When meth is ‘cooked’ in a home these toxins spread everywhere.This remaining chemicals can harm those living in the home, as they are exposed to the residual meth daily.

In some cases families report constant sickness, inability to sleep, sinus problems that require surgery, babies unable to gain weight. Others have methamphetamine traces show up in their bloodwork without any history of using the substance. Migraines, respiratory difficulties, skin burns, irritation. The list goes on, and these are just the short term effects. The possible long-term health problems are less understood, but no less scary.

Coming down with these illnesses repeatedly, seemingly out of nowhere can seem like something out of a horror movie!  If you have experienced any of these symptoms after moving into a new home, it may very well be that your home’s history wasn’t properly disclosed to you. 

Signs of a Former Meth House

Whether you are looking at purchasing a new home or you’re renting out a property and wonder what might be going down – keep your eyes peeled for some of these common meth house signs.

Stay Alert for Strong Scents

While older homes might have a normal, musty smell, meth homes have a clear scent. Smell for ammonia, vinegar, or a rotten egg smell. These are definitive flags that something is up, if you haven’t bought the property yet now is the time to ask some serious questions.

Ask Your Neighbors

One of the couples we mentioned earlier had no idea until their neighbors clued them in. Talk to your neighbors, they have likely been in the neighborhood longer than yourself and may have seen things that the seller of the property didn’t see (or didn’t want to disclose). 

Test Your Home

If you have noticed any of these signs, or want to get right to the scientific truth of the matter, you can get a test. You can buy a methamphetamine test to test the levels in your home for relatively low costs (some on Amazon for as little as $10 at the time of this writing). Each state has a ‘safe’ limit so check against that number to determine whether your result is acceptable for you. And if that tests proves positive for even a minuscule amount, you are allowed to feel it is unacceptable. It’s your home, you don’t have to go by a recommended safe amount if you don’t feel safe!

While we hope you never have to deal with a situation like these fine people who discovered, perhaps too late, that their home was a former meth lab, it’s worth it to have this knowledge ahead of time! 

Call The BIOClean Team

Get bad news? Did your house test positive for meth residue? It is time for a serious cleanup! We have talked about meth cleanup before, the necessities and how it works. But the long and short of it is: if you suspect your home or home-to-be was a meth house,  get professional assistance and make sure your home is habitable! If you need the help, get in touch! The BIOClean Team is prepared to handle the hard work necessary to rehabilitate properties just like yours. Giving your family peace of mind and a safe place to live again.

Last time on the we talked about how to get ready to clean the home of a recently passed love one, the first steps in getting things settled and this time, we are looking at getting things sorted. Once you have the home secured, the will read, and limits set it’s time to begin the possibly long process of house cleaning after death.

Remember:  Be Kind to Yourself. This is an emotionally stressful time, but you will persevere, you will get through this. Ask for help if you need it. The process is physically and emotionally taxing. If you need people to help move furniture, or help to get through the grief, lean on your support system – people are there for you!

How to Start House Cleaning After a Death: Claims, Donations and More

Go Through the Home

Now that will has been read, a date set, and the family informed, it’s time to get to the actual work of house cleaning.  First things first, make sure anything that has been willed has been taken care of with the beneficiary. If someone is willed a painting, get them in the home and make sure they receive the painting. Your loved one wanted them to have it, a final gift, so make sure you honor those wishes.

After the will has been executed on, it’s time to take care of the rest of the stuff. This will likely have to happen in stages.

While it might seem like an easier path, do not just get the family together at once and let them run wild through the home. Instead, take a first lap around the house doing a rough sort of each room.

Set aside the high-value objects for appraisal such as fine art, silver, jewelry, antiques. If your family member collected anything specific like coins, stamps, etc. that would be worth appraising as well.

Sentimental items like blankets, quilts, or anything else should be kept to a separate area from the valuables.

When the home has been sorted you can bring in the family. Does everyone get along? Bringing everyone in a large group so they can talk about it might work well. If two parties should find themselves both wishing to get something, they can handle it out there and keep the processing moving along (when this happens and one party got ‘first choice’ it can cause unfortunate rifts).

If, however, there are already frictions in the family, bringing in smaller groups one at a time can make everything run smoother. Start with immediate family, then move out to family and friends the deceased was the closest too. Allow them to place sticky notes on items they wish, when multiple people want the same thing you can make sure they are in contact with each other. The goal is to make sure everything is done by that date, so they’ll have to come to an agreement by then!

Donate and Remove Unwanted Items

After everyone has had their chance to claim any leftover items, if there are any pieces of furniture or items that are in good condition think about donating them! Did your loved one have a church, or community group they were active in? Did they have a favorite charity or cause? Donating to those groups can be a great way to help them and honor the memory of your loved one.

After donations and claims from family and friends you might still have some stuff lingering around the house. In those cases it’s time to rent a dumpster and haul away what’s left. This moment can feel overwhelming. Remember, these aren’t items that were wanted, they don’t hold the memories you might feel they do at that moment. Most likely, these are just pieces of old junk your loved one would have been happy to get rid of themselves.

With everything removed, donated, or claimed, you should be left with an empty residence ready for a good cleaning. Should it need serious work, call in professionals (it’s our job!). The home is ready to be put back on the market, for new family members to inhabit, or for another person in need to move in. The home is clean and the stuff is gone, but the person who passed, they live on in your heart, and the memories can never be taken away. Remember to be kind to yourself as you process in this time, seek help, attend a grief support group, or speak with a professional if you think it will help you.

We’ll see you next time on The BIOClean Team blog!

While the immediate results of someone passing are often within the scope of our work here at The BIOClean Team, it is not the only house cleaning after death. After a loved on passes, the task of tending their home falls on the family, and in this stressful time, it can seem a daunting, overwhelming chore. This month on the BIOClean Team blog, we are talking about handling an estate cleanout. First let’s talk about the process before the actual cleaning out.

How to Prep for House Cleaning After a Death

Assuming you didn’t need to have any serious cleaning services, or after they have been done, it’s time to tend to the belongings and home that have been left behind. If you are the one responsible for this, you will want to follow these steps to make it work

Secure the Home

The first thing necessary to doing a proper job house cleaning, is securing the home. You may not be able to clean out the home immediately and you also don’t know who has keys to the residence.  To protect everything in the home, change the locks as soon as you can. You might not have the time to fully clean the house, but swapping out locks should be a quick enough job. If your loved one was renting the property, you will want to speak with their landlord about the proper way to secure the belongings.

Track Down Important Paperwork

Before you get into the nitty gritty of tossing, taking, or selling off property, make sure you have located all of the essential paperwork necessary to take care of your loved one’s affairs.

Documents to look out for include:

• Social security card
• Utility bills
• Credit card statements
• Mortgage payments
• Car registrations
• Deeds
• Insurance policies
• Receipts or paperwork for jewelry or art
• Any username and passwords for online accounts
• Wills

That last one (wills) is going to be incredibly important for the next step so be sure you have it before proceeding.

But… What if There Is No Will?

If in the course of hunting down the important documents you come to find that there is no will in place, your loved one had died ‘intestate.’ That’s just a fancy word for not having made a will before they died but it does put everything in a legal space that varies state by state. Get in touch with a legal eagle in your area to determine exactly how to handle it.

Go Over the Will and Set Limits

The will is going to guide you on your path to cleaning house. If the passing of your loved one was expected, you very well may already be familiar with what their will entails, but it’s possible it is all new to you. Either way, it is incredibly important to read over the will carefully before beginning any estate cleanout.

Most wills are straight forward. ‘I leave my jewelry to Nancy, my oldest daughter. My furniture to Frank, my younger son.’ This sort of direction. But not all are so easily deciphered. You may need the help of a probate attorney. If the will lists an executor, they should be the one to choose an attorney, should it be required.

While you are tending to the will, make a time limit for the process. If you set a firm date and let everyone know with plenty of time to work through it, you avoid a lot of problems that can occur. Remember, everyone is grieving, everyone is going through the process differently and emotions are running high. No one wants to be mean or hard to deal with, but the emotional toll can make me people irritable.

If the home is going to go back on the market following cleanup (should it be a rental, or if you are choosing to do so) having a firm due date can help the process stay on track.

We will pause there for now. Next time on the blog we’ll get into the specific stages of cleaning out the house after a death that mind help give you a guideline to follow. It is an extremely emotionally tough time, we know. Remember to be kind on yourself as you go about this necessary work. If you think the home needs serious, professional cleaning efforts give us a call and see how The BIOClean Team can help.

Ever get stuck in a traffic jam, and after waiting twenty minutes you come up to see the source of the problem – an accident. Whether a small fender bender or something more serious, car accidents leave plenty of wreckage. Ever wonder who takes care of the leftover debris, smashed glass, and spilt fluids? That’s  what this blog is all about! This time on The BioClean Team blog we are looking at car accident cleanup!

The world is full of messes, and we’re here to help clean them up! Whether it’s meth labs (link) or human feces (link) we know the importance of proper cleaning procedures. When it comes to car accident cleanup, there are a few different steps and groups responsible.

Car Accident Cleanup

First Responders

When an accident happens, police and/or fire departments are first on the scene making sure everyone is alright and getting them the emergency help they need. Part of that is also about maintaining the order of the traffic space, getting the road blocked off if necessary and rerouting traffic. Depending on the severity of the accident, they may be able to move any larger pieces of debris from the roadway.  In the case of more severe car accidents, cleanup will be managed by a tow company. 

The Tow Company

Police departments typically maintain a contract with tow companies to ensure they have the needed manpower to help clean up after significant accidents. When vehicles are so damaged they can’t be driven away or easily maneuvered, that’s when the tow crew comes in. They have the tools necessary to move the large wreckage, any of the loose debris, and spilled fluids. They carry a material that they can spread out to absorb the harmful liquids and make clean up much easier, it’s like kitty litter on steroids.

With these in hand they use their trucks winches to get the wreckage pulled up off the road, the larger pieces of debris moved, sweep up glass and other smaller particles and lay down the mix to clean up spills. If the accident ended with just vehicle damage, then that’s settled (at least until time for repairs.) If however, the accident caused more harm to the people inside than the car itself, you’ll need to look elsewhere for cleanup support.

What Comes Next?

Sometimes, an accident leaves the vehicle in a condition that a simple trip to the body shop won’t fix. We are talking about any accident (or any reason) that might leave the interior of the vehicle a potential biohazard. That’s where companies like the BIOClean Team can help! Whether a private or emergency vehicle, the BIOClean Team takes care of everything! We deodorize and decontaminate the vehicle, removing all trace of debris and odors. Using the proper EPA-approved cleaning agents, disinfectants and solvents, the BIOClean Team takes care to clean every area affected directly, and those that may have unknowingly been cross-contaminated.

So, who cleans up after car accidents? It all depends on the severity, the situation and what kind of clean up is necessary! If it’s an instance where there is not need for police assistance, it is up to the owners of the vehicles to pick up their debris (though they may not realize it!) In those cases it is up to city services to head out and take care of the cleanup.

Do you have a vehicle that is in need of remediation? Exposure to bodily fluids ruined your car’s carpet and cushions? You need a professional to decontaminate and deodorize! Give us a call and see what The BIOClean Team can do for you! 

Here at the BIOClean Team we take care of some serious messes. From hoarding homes to aftermath of crimes, death, meth labs, we handle it all. One that might surprise our readers to hear is cleaning up human feces. That’s right. In the words of Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park “When ya gotta go, ya gotta go.” Whether it’s a stranger leaving a surprise in your yard, or an apartment that has been used as a restroom, whatever the reason for the buildup of human (or animal!) waste, we can help you!

Cleaning Up Human Feces

Cleaning up human feces and urine is not something to take lightly! Businesses have gotten into hot water because they ask untrained workers to handle these kinds of messes, there is a reason you want to have proper training to handle any sort of human waste cleanup: human feces is a biohazard!

We have talked about what biohazards are previously on the blog but to put it quickly here: a biohazard is any biological substance that can be a threat to the health of living things, whether that’s blood carrying bloodborne pathogens or human tissues. Anything that came into contact with human fluid or waste can be the host for infectious diseases and human feces is no different.

Human Feces Can Carry:

• C-diff
• Cholera
• E. coli
• Norovirus
• Dysentery
• Giardia
• Salmonella
• Hookworm
• Ringworm
• Tapeworm

The moral of the story? Human feces can carry a whole mess of biological organisms that are no good for you! That’s why you need to approach it with the proper precautions and training to handle it safely!

If it is a small amount (hopefully!) that you think you can tackle yourself, here is an easy, quick breakdown of how to safely clean up human feces!.

What You’ll Need

• Cleaning Gloves
• Disposable Bags
• Paper Towels / Cleaning Cloths
• Something to Scrape With
• Dish Soap / Detergent
• Bleach or Disinfecting Wipes

Step 1 – Scrape Clean

First thing first, scrape up as much solid waste as there is remaining. You always want to work inward, from the least soiled areas to the most to prevent unnecessary spreading. Toss that in a disposable bag.

Step 2 – Wet Wipe

Now using paper towels, cleaning cloths, or wipes it’s time to do a preliminary pass on the soiled area. Use hot water and wipe up the obvious mess. The hot water will help break up anything that has been allowed to set. Throw the disposable materials into the bag. This might take a few passes until it appears clean – it won’t truly be but that’s where we want to get it for this pass.

Step 3 – Disinfect, Disinfect, Disinfect

Depending how you are going about disinfecting there will be slight variations. For one, if you are using disinfecting wipes you need to be sure to wipe and leave the area wet for several minutes. Look at the manufacturer’s instructions for whatever disinfectant product you are using. You might be surprised to see it but for the chemicals to fully breakdown the infectious materials left by waste it can take several minutes. If you are using chemicals such as bleach, make sure you follow the proper procedure for mixing it with water.

Step 4 –Rinse and Let Dry

Once you’ve left the disinfectant on long enough to do it’s job, you can rinse off the surface, cleaning the chemicals from it. Wipe away with clean water, let it dry and you have yourself a safe surface once again!

On the small scale, these kinds of cleanups can be handled safely on your own, if you know what you are doing (hence this blog!) For large scale urine and feces cleanup, don’t try to manage it yourself, instead call in the professionals! The BIOClean Team will respond 24/7, promptly, and are equipped to get the job done correctly, and safely, for everyone involved.

Cleaning up the worst of the worst is kind of our bread and butter here at The BIOClean Team. Whether they’re after deaths, crimes, hoarding, or doing meth cleanup work, we do it all to our own high standards. Many of these have regulatory standards either state or federal that they must meet for the location to be considered livable again. Meth falls in a bit of a grey area as the standards vary on a state by state basi. The amount of residue of 0.1 ug/100cm2 is fine in Alaska with a written disclosure, while North Dakota doesn’t have any laws on the books for it. Some allow The EPA has a great document out on guidelines for meth lab cleanups but it’s a ‘voluntary’ guide, meaning states don’t have to use their suggestions. Confused? Don’t worry, we are here to help!

Meth Cleanup – Why it’s Needed, How it’s Done

Methamphetamine is a growing problem in America. NBC San Diego just did a write up on the situation, noting that San Diego was once the ‘meth capital of the world’ in the late 1980s. When those who are cooking it are busted, they leave behind a mess in the homes they use as laboratories. And it really is a mess that gets left behind.

Was Your Property a Meth Lab?

Over 50% of meth labs are found in rental properties. If you are a landlord and you see any of these telltale signs, you will want to call 911 immediately. Meth labs are dangerous, so don’t poke around yourself.

• Cold Medicine

  • The key ingredient in homemade meth, pseudoephedrine, is found in cold medicine. If you see a large number of cold medication containers or discarded packages, it’s a clear sign.

• The Smell

  • Home meth labs are rarely sanitary. There is usually a strong chemical smell. If the meth lab is active it may smell like paint thinner or varnish, ether, sour or vinegary, or have a smell like ammonia.

• Equipment

  • Glass kitchen ware, rubber tubing, funnels, rubber gloves, large plastic storage containers, plastic soda bottles, dust masks. These are all signs that someone’s been using the place as a lab.

Why Meth Cleanup is Necessary

Proper cleanup following a meth lab is absolutely vital for anyone to live in the home safely. Exposure to the residue can result in symptoms similar to those who use meth such as nose and throat irritation, dizziness, nausea, headaches The effects of long term exposure are under study but these symptoms alone are enough to warrant cleanup.

How Meth Cleanup Works

Prep

First the structure is going to be secured. This is to prevent any unauthorized access to the contaminated areas. The whole idea of meth lab cleanups is to limit the exposure that people endure so making sure no one can enter without the proper gear is crucial.

Ventilation plays a big part in the cleanup process. The HVAC systems will be shut down before and during the cleanup process to prevent it from circulating residue and recontamination. Airing out the labs will allow fresh air to move through the home and help in the removal of fumes and odors.

Initial tests and samples around the structure are an important way to find out just what needs cleaning and what may be too far gone to safely decontaminate. Then a plan is developed covering the scope of work, the level of PPE technicians will need, everything that will go into the job is planned out here.

Clean

Once a plan has been made and the cleanup techs are geared up it’s time to start! Removing the contaminated material is the first step, discarding remaining meth paraphernalia as well as pulling furniture and porous materials like carpet if necessary. The EPA suggestions are to then allow the structure to ventilate for 24 hours following this initial removal.

Using a commercial grade vacuum and HEPA filters to do an initial cleaning of the floors and walls. This will remove some residue but doesn’t decontaminate entirely. It’s a necessary step but far from the last!

Once everything has been vacuumed it’s time for hard surface washing. We use specifically formulate cleaners, not bleach (bleach can have a chemical reaction with the chemicals used to create meth and can create a toxic gas). There will be a few passes of cleaners, thoroughly rinsing after each wash, moving from ceilings to walls to floors.

Remember that HVAC system? Now is the time to ensure that it is clean. The ducts will need a testing to see if they are contaminated as well (they likely are). The HVAC system will be cleaned and sealed.

Flushing the plumbing and septic systems is a solid idea here as well. Meth chemicals are often flushed through drains and toilets, causing corrosion. If there is a large amount of chemical waste in a septic or private waste water system it can cause problems.

Final Tests

When it all is said and done, more tests will be taken to ensure that the levels of residue are below the state standard.

This has of course been a brief overview. There are an incredible number specifics to the tools, the cleaners, and the process that we put all meth cleanup projects through. We want to ensure that no matter the state of the home when you call, when we’re done you are satisfied and can safely resume living there. If you suspect your home has been used for a meth lab and need restoration done, you give us a call. #WeCleanTheScene