Communities From the Rim to the Plateau
Cookeville is the county seat and largest city, with nearly 35,000 residents. Home to Tennessee Technological University and Cookeville Regional Medical Center, it serves as the hub of the Upper Cumberland and sits about 80 miles east of Nashville.
| Communities we serve | Cookeville, Algood, Monterey, Baxter and the surrounding area |
|---|---|
| Main highways | Interstate 40, U.S. Route 70N (east-west through the central business district), State Route 111 (south toward Chattanooga), State Route 136, State Route 135 (north toward Gainesboro), State Routes 24, 42 and 290, State Route 111 (forms part of the boundary with Cookeville on Algood's southwest side), Main Street (former State Route 42; designation no longer exists) |
| Neighboring Middle Tennessee counties | DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Overton, Smith, White |
Algood adjoins Cookeville to the northeast at the foot of Algood Mountain. Baxter, a railroad town in western Putnam, sits at I-40 exit 280. Monterey, in the eastern part of the county, stands near 1,900 feet at the western edge of the Cumberland Plateau, a former coal company town on the Tennessee Central line.
- Cookeville, including student housing near Tennessee Tech
- Algood and the northeast side
- Baxter and western Putnam farmland
- Monterey and the plateau communities to the east
Geography and Highways
Putnam County climbs from the Highland Rim around Baxter and Cookeville to the Cumberland Plateau at Monterey, with low ridges like Algood Mountain in between. Interstate 40 crosses the whole county and is our main route in. US 70 and 70N parallel the interstate, State Route 111 heads south from Cookeville, State Route 135 runs north, and State Route 84 links Monterey with Livingston and Sparta.
Rural land, farms and wooded plateau property surround the towns. We serve those unincorporated areas just as we serve city addresses.
What to Expect When You Call
We are based in the Nashville area and operate as a mobile service, with no office in Putnam County. Given the drive, we spend time on the first call: what happened, which spaces or vehicles are affected, whether police or the Putnam County medical examiner have released the property, and how we will get access. You hear the plan and approve it first.
Requests here can span student rentals, family homes, care and community buildings, distribution centers and plants, and farms with outbuildings. We contain each area, wear protective equipment, remove contaminated materials and use EPA-registered disinfectants per label. Builders, septic companies and pest firms take on the work outside our lane. For workplace incidents, our commercial biohazard cleanup page explains how we coordinate with employers.
Services available throughout Putnam County
- Blood & Bodily Fluid Cleanup — Removal and disinfection of blood, urine, vomit, feces and other bodily fluids from homes, businesses and vehicles.
- Unattended Death Cleanup — Careful, private cleanup after a death that went undiscovered, including decomposition fluids, odor and affected materials.
- Crime Scene Cleanup — Cleanup after law enforcement releases a scene — blood, fingerprint powder, tear gas residue and damage from forced entry.
- Trauma Scene Cleanup — Respectful cleanup after suicides, serious injuries and accidents at home or at work.
- Drug Residue Cleanup — Decontamination of homes, rentals and vehicles where methamphetamine, fentanyl or other drugs were used.
- Sharps & Needle Cleanup — Safe collection and disposal of discarded needles, syringes and drug paraphernalia from properties and public areas.
- Homeless Encampment Cleanup — Coordinated, respectful cleanup of vacated encampments, squatter sites, garages and alleys for property owners.
- Hoarding Cleanup — Patient, judgment-free cleanouts of hoarded and gross-filth homes, including animal hoarding situations.
- Animal Waste & Rodent Cleanup — Cleanup of rodent droppings, bird and bat guano, raccoon latrines, pet waste and dead animals.
- Sewage Cleanup — Cleanup and disinfection after sewage backups, toilet overflows, septic failures and Category 3 water.
- Infectious Disease Decontamination — Targeted cleaning and disinfection with EPA-registered products after illnesses such as norovirus, MRSA or C. diff.
- Vehicle Biohazard Cleanup — Biohazard cleanup for personal cars, rideshare vehicles, fleets, buses, police cars and ambulances.
- Commercial Biohazard Cleanup — Biohazard response for property managers, hotels, healthcare, schools, gyms, restaurants and other workplaces.
- Odor Removal & Deodorization — Source-focused odor removal after decomposition, smoke, pet urine or sewage, with deodorization where appropriate.
- Disinfection & Sanitization — Post-incident and scheduled disinfection using EPA-registered products and appropriate application methods.